By Jan Sevene

Picadilly Farm
264 South Parish Rd
Winchester, NH 03470
csa@picadillyfarm.com

Three years ago, the 71-acre former Hudson dairy farm in Winchester became Picadilly Farm. New owners Jenny and Bruce Wooster — with 10 years CSA organic community experience and with reverence to a healthy environment — set a course to practice sustainable farming methods and fair working conditions for their farm crew.  Since then, they have created their own CSA program and obtained USDA Organic Certification.

“Here,” Jenny Wooster says, emphasizing less waste and happier shareholders, “CSA customers can choose what they’d like to have in their box.” Picadilly Farms’ CSA program consists of weekly pick-ups in a “Mix and Match” system, where shareholders chose 8 or 9 items from the available harvested produce (amount determined by weather), plus access to an additional dozen or so crops — such as herbs, green beans, tomatoes, flowers, and just this year, pop corn — growing in the farm’s Pick-Your-Own Garden.

Pick-up time provides instant feedback. Continually connecting with customers, Jenny says, “We’re constantly tweaking our crop plants…we have a pretty good handle, generally, on what people want. New this year is sweet corn. Root crops are popular.”

Among the many are: carrots, beets, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, daikon radishes, rutabagas, turnips, garlic, and kohlrabi. “Leeks store particularly well on a home scale,” she adds.
“They’re good chopped and frozen, or with roots stuck into a pail of sand — under the right conditions — leeks can last into January.” Winter squash is also available.

This fall Picadilly Farm is offering extended-season CSA shares of their organic produce, available at the farm or pre-boxed and delivered to Keene: four deliveries every other week, November and December.

Call or email for details, or visit http://www.picadillyfarm.com (after Sept. 15 for sign-up information) for more on what Picadilly Farm has to offer.  Eat healthy and eat fresh, while supporting our local farms.

Other farm-direct produce:

Green Wagon Farm
Bill Jarrell
Upper Court St.
Keene, NH
603-355-3258

Ingalls Farm
168 Ingalls Rd
Jaffrey, NH 03452
603-562-5775

Stonewall Farm
Chesterfield Rd.
Keene, NH 03431
603-352-0457