Blog

We are Here ~ Farming for your Family!

April 2, 2020 by Kate Zurschmeide

Loudoun Local farm fresh produce starts in our Greenhouse

Farmer Mark Dewey gets some help from farm dog, Sandy, watering the green house.

We are all finding new ways to shop, cook, entertain, connect and cope in the light of COVID-19. One colleague encouraged, “Put down the phone and write.” That has inspired me to pick up the pen and share with you, our Pick your Own and CSA Community, the latest from Great Country Farms.

First and foremost, we are HERE and thankful to be able to support our community with wholesome, nutritious, food grown on this land that we are blessed to steward here in Loudoun County, VA. This time of uncertainty is challenging for all of us and something none of us anticipated.

As farmers, we regularly have to cope with the uncertainties Mother Nature sends our way – be it frost, raccoons eating all the corn the day before we pick it, too much rain, too little rain or beavers cutting down 300 apple trees overnight as the tireless engineers they were made to be. COVID-19 is one uncertainty we didn’t see coming but we are steadfast in our planting and plans to grow food for our community and we are here for you and your family.

Here’s a quick snapshot of how we are pivoting to provide:

We have purchased more seed, more onion sets and more potatoes to step up our spring plantings to help meet the needs for local food.
Our farmhands are coming into work each day to build our soil, plant the seedlings and nurture the seeds in the green house. Our regenerative farming is in high gear!
We have stepped up our creativity and computer savvy and are now offering online market ordering and curbside pick-up at the Farm Market.
We are working with other local farms such as Audley Farm and Baker’s Pork, to bring in more eggs, ground beef, pork and chicken for online purchase.
We have GCF Harvest Box CSA Shares available and are ready to work with your neighborhood to create delivery and pick up sites. Let us know how we can help!

It is our goal to ensure that the time after this crisis is filled with good food, family fun on the farm, and deeper connections with our community & neighbors. When your family savors a meal from our farm at your table, you connect with the soil, the seeds, the environment, our farmhand team and our family. We are honored to be your farmers! We thank you and send you a big “KALE YEAH!”

Peace & Pick Your Own,

Kate Zurschmeide, Founding Family

Kale for Dinner!

April 1, 2020 by Mark Dewey

Here are two easy ways to use the green kale you just brought home.

Braise it.

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a stock pot. When it starts to shimmer, add one diced yellow onion. Fry the onion for three or four minutes while you prep the kale. Note: this kale is clean as a whistle, so there’s no reason to wash it, and if you’re braising it, there’s no reason to take the ribs out either. Just chop it into bite-sized pieces, and then add about four cups of it to the stock pot. Add a teaspoon of salt, and then stir it around with the onion until it starts to wilt. Put the lid on the pot and let it steam for three or four minutes. Then serve it as a stand-alone side. It’s delicious with pinto beans.

Make a fresh kale salad.

Hold each leaf from the bottom of the stem and strip off the curly part. If the stem breaks half way up, you can leave that part. When your salad bowl is mostly full, sprinkle about half a teaspoon of coarse salt over the kale and massage it with both hands. Squeeze it about 25 times. Then add a stalk of chopped celery, a couple of chopped green onions, half a cup of dried cranberries, and half a cup of toasted almonds. For dressing, whisk together two tablespoons olive oil, two tablespoons high-quality balsamic vinegar (the kind that’s dark and thick and costs enough to not be cheap), one tablespoon real maple syrup, half a teaspoon of salt, and a little black pepper.

Many variations are possible, in both the dressing and the salad. I just try to strike a balance between bitter and sweet.

Corona Virus and Community Supported Agriculture

March 25, 2020 by Mark Dewey

Dear CSA members and members of the Western Loudoun foodshed,

We want to let you know that Great Country Farms is responding to the ever-changing circumstances surrounding the corona virus by growing as much food as we can. Our greenhouse is full of new starts: peas, lettuce, onions, spinach, broccoli, beets, radishes, red kale, green kale, lacinato kale, bok choi, kohlrabi, Swiss chard, carrots, sweet corn, egg plant, Brandywine tomatoes, jalapeños, leeks, and basil. We have potatoes and onions in the ground already, and we’re starting to move out early peas, radishes, and beets.

Our exploration of no-till planting last year taught us how to get even more food out of less space, and we expect to learn even more — and grow even more — this year. So even though it’s impossible to predict what restrictions and other surprises might come our way in the next few weeks, rest assured that we’re following the guidelines of the CDC and the State Health Department, and we’re ramping up production. We plan to supply Western Loudoun County with a lot of health-sustaining, nutritionally vital food. Red kale, green kale, and a number of other items are currently available through our online farm store. We’ll keep you posted as more items come in.

Thanks for supporting us, and for supporting each other.

Custom CSA

January 23, 2020 by Mark Dewey

This change is a big deal. It means far less wasted food, both for you and for us. It means you can eliminate unwanted items from your box, and add extras if you like. It means we can add some unusual crops to our growing plan, knowing that people who want them will get them. It means you have an easy way to buy surplus items in bulk, and we have an easy way to sell surplus items.

It’s a big deal.

Here’s what’s different:

This new system will show you the weekly price, even though you’re buying a seasonal share, and the base price shown is for market-style farm pick-up. If you want join a group site, you’ll be invited to do so after choosing your share, and the delivery charge will be added automatically.
We’ve reinstated home delivery, with two different pricing zones.
When you sign up, you’ll be asked to set your preference level on every item we offer. Then each week you’ll get a chance to adjust your customized box contents.
At group sites, you’ll have to find the box with your label on it. In the market, we’ll give you a customized list, and you’ll pack your box accordingly.
If you use the installment plan, you’ll be charged 25% of your share price at sign-up, another 25% on the day of first pick-up, and the remaining 50% on a weekly basis throughout the season. Any extras you choose will be added to your weekly charge. You may choose to pay in full at sign-up, in which case you would see a weekly charge only if you add something to your box.

The new system is quite user-friendly, and there’s a lot of support available. We think it’s going to be a whole new world of great local food.

What’s My Delivery Day?

May 27, 2019 by Mark Dewey

CSA 2019 begins next Tuesday. This year all deliveries will arrive on either Wednesday or Thursday. Members of each group will receive an email when boxes arrive. Please remember that all shares must be claimed the day of delivery. Unclaimed shares will be donated, according to Great Country Farms’ policy. Here’s a list of group sites by day:

Wednesday

Zip codes: 20105, 20120, 20121, 20164, 20165, 20166, 20175, 20176, 22033, 22180

Leesburg Chiropractic, Brew Loco, Romaezi (Westmoreland St.), Sonak Chiropractic, Mirra (Tramore Ct.), McNerney (Tree Line Dr.), Musci (Water Birch Ct.), Wellness Connection, Great Harvest Vienna, Clifton Townes (Jenny Leigh Ct.)

Thursday

Zip codes: 20147, 20148, 20170, 20191, 22003, 22030, 22031, 22042, 22043, 22152, 22201, 22203, 22205, 22207, 22302, 22310

Great Harvest Herndon, Great Harvest Ashburn, Wine’ing Butcher, Broadlands Nature Center, Montana Street, Caputo (N. Abingdon St.), Herzfeld (John Marshall Drive), Krieger (N. Wayne Street), Huntington Forest (Gentle Lane), Moomaw (Fontaine St.), Fontana (Lamarre Dr.), Hamaker (Collier Rd.), Bishop (Fleming Dr.), Gildea (Wynford Dr.), Olio2go (Hilltop Rd.), McClure (Powder Horn Rd.), Reston Children’s Center, Garvey (Holly Berry Ct.), Murphy (Gilson St.)

Pick your Own Fruit Farm

CLOSED Due to COVID-19.