see you in a few weeks!

if you’ve joined for the coming season, mark your calendars…

the Summer CSA begins June 11-14, 2025

Spring Notes from the Farms

This has been a challenging spring, to put it mildly. Weather swings in New York are always to be expected, and we have certainly had our share this year, especially excessive rain over the last few weeks. But the bigger issue has been labor, as we have experienced extreme bureaucratic delays in getting work visas for our seasonal workers (who return to Mexico for the winter months). They are finally due to arrive this week, almost 2 months later than planned, and we have really struggled to keep up with the spring work. While we have enough work through the winter to keep a core group of local employees busy, most of the work in vegetable farming is concentrated in the warmer months. For the last 10 years our farms have been bringing a group of 4 men and 5 women from central Mexico to cover the seasonal labor demand through the H2A visa program for temporary agricultural work. They are professional, experienced workers who understand our systems and are both willing and able to work the long hours of physical work that vegetable farming requires. Without them this spring we have done our best to keep up with just our great local employees, but in the last few weeks, especially with the incessant rainy weather, we have fallen behind. It will take a lot of long days, but once our seasonal staff arrives, we should be able to get back on track. We hope it won't impact the CSA experience for members too much, but part of that experience is learning a bit about what goes into growing food. The challenges of this spring are worse than usual, but still just part of the life of a farmer.  

This message is not intended to be a downer, just a reminder of the real challenges we face, which sometimes are worse than others. We have been farming here in upstate NY for close to 30 years, and we have seen our share of difficult years. Crops will still be planted, the grass will still grow, and there will still be food on our tables. It's always important during challenging times to remember our blessings, and high among those is the immense community of supporters of our farms. Your choice to join the Full Plate helps us keep plugging along and build a vibrant and resilient food economy in our region.

-Nathaniel at Remebrance Farm

things to look forward to this summer…

loads of fresh veggies

When the rain pauses, we’ve got all kinds of vegetables waiting to make their way into the field. As usual, June will kick us off with greens, herbs, roots, alliums and strawberries, and more variety will join the mix with each passing week and month. While some crops may come in a bit later than usual, we’ve still got so much to look forward to: 8-12 unique crops in every share, a mix of familiar favorites and specialty varieties. We can’t wait to share it all with you.

If you’re eager to dive into all things summer CSA, check out the CSA Handbook:

sharing community every week

The member community is a HUGE part of what makes Full Plate all that it is. We look forward to seeing all your faces filling the barns, our community pickups, the u-picks, and at events too! CSA pickups are a great spot to run into old friends, make some new ones, exchange a recipe or two and so much more :)

say hello as you pass through pickups

Molly and Micah are your weekly connections to the farms at CSA pickups. They are glad to answer questions from ‘what’s that vegetable and how do I use it?’ to ‘how are the crops doing with this year’s iteration of climate change?’ and everything in between. That way your farmers can focusing on doing what they do best: farming!

More details will come your way the week before the start of the season so they are fresh in your mind and inbox :)

questions?

FOR FULL PLATE, FRUIT BOWL OR REMEMBRANCE DAIRY

call or email Molly at: csa@fullplatefarms.com and 607-379-2866