Appelget Farm in West Windsor, NJ is looking for a Full-time Assistant Farm Manager with at least 2 years of experience in organic vegetable production. We are a 10 acre family-run farm with 3 acres in production for our growing Community Supported Agriculture Program (CSA).

Position Available We are in search of someone with on-farm experience to assist us with the production of vegetables, herbs and flowers starting in February. Duties will include assisting owners with all aspects of crop production including planning and management, propagation and planting (seeding, seedling propagation, greenhouse management, direct seeding, transplanting and field preparation). Duties will include weeding, trellising, pest and disease management and irrigation. Our Assistant Farm Manager will train apprentices and volunteers and be responsible for their oversight in the field. The person in this position will be responsible for harvesting and processing including washing, bunching and storing produce for share distribution.

Skills Sought A basic knowledge of small farming skills and experience with small tractors and equipment preferable. If you are highly motivated, dependable, have organic farming experience and are looking for a unique opportunity to work on a small family farm, we are interested in speaking with you. Unfortunately, no onsite housing is available. Salary will be discussed with qualified candidates. Applicants who are interested in this position should send an email of introduction with resume.

Our farm share program has come to an end for 2013. A tremendous amount of work but a success by almost all measures, we were blessed with good weather for the most part, an abundance of healthy crops and a dedicated team. Thank you to all of our members for their support!  We are lamenting the end of the season as one would the end of anything good but we are looking forward to having more time for other things during the winter months. There's still work to do but thankfully some of it can be done from the comfort of a warm house or a dry barn.

We will miss the members each week and hope that you will continue to keep in touch with us through the winter. A huge thank you to all who participated in our end of season cleanup! Volunteers worked throughout the day to clear the fields for winter. The next step is to plant rye which will serve as a cover crop for the winter. Cover crops add organic matter and their root system opens passageways that help the soil absorb water and nutrients. Even small gardens will benefit from the use of cover crops. Read more about cover crops.

We wanted to take this opportunity to thank Sue and Charlie for their help this year. Without them, the program would not have been possible. They worked tirelessly to help us toward our goal of establishing a CSA program for West Windsor and for this we are incredibly grateful. Other thank yous go out to Grace for the delicious zucchini muffins - what a thoughtful surprise! To Frances for volunteering her time and to Tivka for sharing her fresh tomato sauce and recipe at the end of the season. I'd also like to thank Megan at Fulper Farm in Lambertville for sharing some of their dairy products, we look forward to finding a way to offer fresh dairy goods such as butter and yogurt to members in the future.

Meal Planning and Recipes
Ironically, we don't have a lot of time for cooking during the summer so it will be nice to be able to spend a little more time in the kitchen this fall. Recently, we made Stuffed Pepper Casserole with the last of our bell peppers in cold storage and Chicken Stew with Turnips & Mushrooms - a great way to use those wonderful turnips that may still be available at your local farmers market.

Roasted Pumpkin
If you haven't had a chance to cook your little pie pumpkin yet, plan to roast it this week. Cook it as you would a buttercup squash, top with a little butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Enjoy as a nutritious snack or a side!

Calico Beans
We served up hot pots of Calico Beans for our Work Day volunteers last weekend and thought we'd share the recipe.

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook all day on low or 4-5 hours on high.  Serves 6. This dish is a lot like chili but sweet instead spicy. Perfect for a cool fall day and can easily be doubled for a larger group. Great with cornbread!

May your week be bountiful in all ways!