Hello Mustard Seed Farm Friends,

Somehow it's already July, which is an action packed time here on the farm. Here are a few highlights of what's going on this month.
We are still trying to get all our crops planted! We managed to get a row of cucumbers and another of pole beans planted last week, but we are very behind on getting fall crops like winter squash in the ground. It's been a challenging year because we've been very short on labor, but we are doing our best and trying to do lots of creative decision-making.

• We are harvesting our garlic field! Thanks to everyone who came and helped us harvest, clean, sort, and hang garlic over the weekend. We are almost finished with this big project, and we will start distributing cured garlic in about 6 weeks.
• We are picking lots of berries! If you'd like to come help us pick berries on Sunday mornings, please RSVP here: June-July Weekend Workday Sign Up.
• We have new chicks! Our farm crew set up a cozy home for 19 baby chicks in the corn crib. They will join our flock later this season after they have grown up.

Upcoming Events

• Farm Team Meeting: Sunday, July 13 from 1:30-3:00 PM at Collegiate Presbyterian Church

Harvest Mornings: Every Tuesday & Friday from 7-10 AM. SIGN UP FORM to fill out if you would like to volunteer.

Berry Picking: Sundays in July from 10 AM -12 PM. SIGN UP FORM to fill out if you would like to pick berries.

• Farm Class: We are trying to host a farm class for our interns and other interested folks on Monday afternoons. Email outreach.mustardseed@gmail.com to learn more.
• Flower Potluck: early August, date TBD
• Keep an eye out for other volunteer opportunities. We would like to try to add more evening & weekend times to our calendar, depending on the availability of our crew.

We are a bit short on events this year because we are short on farm labor! If you are interested in making an event happen on the farm (art project, canned goods swap, intern appreciation potluck, roundtable discussion), please contact us at outreach.mustardseed@gmail.com.

Gratitude & Pleas for Help!
We are SO GRATEFUL for the small and mighty farm crew we have this year. Our interns, apprentices, volunteers, and Alice and Nate are working so hard each week. Please share your gratitude with them next time you are on the farm! We are also feeling SUPER THANKFUL for the dedicated volunteers who have been joining us for harvest mornings. We've even had some of our biggest harvest crews ever. These awesome workers ensure that we are able to harvest, wash, pack, and distribute hundreds of pounds of food each month.

AND YET: we are struggling this season! Not only do we have a smaller team than we anticipated, our core team is also balancing farm work with family obligations, other jobs and responsibilities, and unexpected health challenges.

CAN YOU HELP US?! Here are a few ways you could support the farm this month.

• Bring us a snack or a meal! Less time our team needs to take preparing food means more time we can work in the field. You could boost our morale and save us time by bringing a snack or a meal for the farm crew who work until 3 PM on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Email outreach.mustardseed@gmail.com to coordinate providing a meal. Snacks are welcome anytime!
• Come work in the field with us! We have a farm crew who generally work from 8-4 PM on Mondays and Thursdays and 7-3 PM on Tuesdays and Fridays. If you would like to work with this team for any amount of time, please talk to Amie, Schontonia, Elena, or Alice, or email outreach.mustardseed@gmail.com.
• Help us recruit volunteers! Use our Mustard Seed Media Kit to spread the word. This folder has printable flyers, social media graphics, and a document with customizable messages that you can text/email to a friend, share on social media, or submit to a newsletter.