Giving Thanks & Giveaway
In this time of crazy incertitude and change, I feel grateful. I am here in Maine blessed with fresh air, great food, tons of chickens, two cute kitties, and my French hubby. We were able to enjoy the safe company of so many wonderful people on the farm all season. I miss gathering with friends and family, but at my non-profit Veggies to Table the work we do is meaningful and our goals lofty.
Despite the many challenges we faced we have accomplished so much in our second season at Veggies to Table. We have:
- Grown & donated 11,000+ pounds of produce
- Doubled our no-till grow area
- Drilled a well & survived a drought
- Bought a commercial fridge
- Built a washing station, outdoor kitchen, & installed irrigation
- Safely welcomed over 40 unique volunteers who donated over 4,000 hours to our cause
We have profound gratitude to our volunteers, donors and sponsors who make this journey possible. And we have had some wonderful recent Press on Veggies to Table.
To thank you, our incredible supporters and volunteers, we have an exciting Giveaway that runs through Monday December 7. In order to continue our work we have started a Go Fund me.
**GIVEAWAY**
For a chance at winning the following French inspired gifts, we ask that you:
- Follow: On Instagram and/or Facebook
- Comment: About what you are grateful for right now on one of our Giving Tuesday posts on Instagram/ Facebook (we posted daily from Sunday-Wednesday but comments can be anytime this week)
- Spread the Word: Share & tag a friend (or a few)
Four random winners who follow, comment, & tag, will receive one of these Gifts:
- A set of luxury French percale bedding(comforter cover, fitted sheet, 2x pillow cases —any bed size & color)
- A gift set from sustainable living Maine boutique du Jardin
- A city/gardening sash or clutch by Parisian based, American designer Kasia Dietz
- A $150 gift certificate for a future rental from Haven In (my former company).
Winners will be randomly chosen by midnight Monday December 7.
If you want to help our cause and see a great video on un, check out our Go Fund me Campaign.
Photo Credits: Top: Caroline Mardok, Kitchen & Turnips: Kelsey Kobik, Paris: Julien Hausherr for Haven In
The View From Above & Lots of Flowers
I can’t get enough of the view of the farm from above.
And I can’t give away enough flowers. It makes me very happy to create joy. I had hoped to plant even more flowers this year to donate to those in need along with organic produce through Veggies to Table, but with the pandemic, we focused on food. That said, we have donated over a 150 bouquets so far this season with lots more to go.
I am working on raising funds for cold storage so flowers and produce can be harvested and stored for lengths of time. Once this is a reality I will, most definitely, be able to expand on the flower giving!
Photo: Bridge to Shore Films
Bye Bye Cucumbers
Here I am a few weeks ago in my lively, and lovely, cucumber patch. Sadly, cucumber beetles and squash bugs took over and, in the end, won. Our plants put up a valiant fight and we were able to harvest, and donate tons of cucumbers to pantries and summer lunch programs around the community. A week ago, I made the decision to pull the plants along with all of the squash and pumpkins that were planted in the same area. It was sad. But, then it was happy as we planted spinach, salad, kale, chard and radishes. They are coming up and happy so far. I am excited to see how they fare as the weather cools. We have row covered and are adding a small low tunnel to the kale and some salad to help it last longer into cool weather.
Giving Food & Flowers
Me, doing what we do at my non-profit Veggies to Table, donating a lot of produce to the Boothbay pantry on Friday am. I also was able to make over 30 bouquets of flowers to go along with the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, scallions and pumpkins we have been donating. Sharing the joy of flowers can’t be beat… along with feeding those in need of course.
Growing and Donating Food in COVID-19 Times
Our second growing season at Veggies to Table is going strong with over 2000 pounds of food already donated. Despite many challenges, COVID-19, social distancing, masks, drought, pests and more, we are harvesting and donating produce and flowers like crazy.
I will try to be better about updating Paris to Maine… but I am good about Instagram if you want to follow more of what’s happening on the farm.
Veggies to Table, my non-profit, has received some wonderful press of late that I am happy to share. From a feature in Forbes to the Boothbay Register and a lengthy piece on News Center Maine, it’s been exciting. More fun news to come soon.
We are harvesting; tomatoes, peppers, sweet potato leaves, salad, cucumbers, onions, shallots, garlic, kale, chard, beans, beets, turnips, basil, sage, scallions and tons of dahlias, zinnias, sunflowers and more.
We also have a lot of roosters. Luckily this gorgeous guy found a new home. Let me know if you want a lovely rooster to protect your ladies, or for a pet!
And we hope you can visit us… socially distanced, and with a mask of course! We love sharing the farm.
All photos Erica Berman unless otherwise noted.