Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship

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Our Community Farm

MOUNTAIN VIEW FARM
Welcome to the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship - where nature, farming and history converge. Located at historic Mountain View Farm in Loudoun County, Va., our 900 acres are home to Mountain View Farm - a community farm, deep woods and streams, historic cabins and homesteads, wildlife and farm animals, wildflower meadows and ponds.

Mountain View Farm
Where What's New is Old and What's Old is New

New Name: Our name appears new, but this farm has actually been known as Mountain View Farm for many decades. We have reclaimed “Mountain View Farm” to honor this land’s farming and cultural heritage.
Same Committed Farmers Christine Qualls manages The Blue Ridge Center’s Mountain View Farm with the help of Sam Brown. When you visit us at the farm, you can find Christine in the garden with her staff of apprentices, growing over 40 different crops, including fruit, vegetables, flowers and herbs. If Sam is not in the garden, then he is out in our new and improved pastures, tending the cattle, sheep, goats and chickens.
New and Improved Deer Fence A 10-foot tall electric deer fence now protects our market garden.
New Natural Soil Amendments The market garden soil has been improved by tons of compost and lime applied over the winter!
New and Improved Grazing Operation Sam has increased the size of our herd, introduced beef cattle, more lambs and more chickens to the farm. Visit our new chicken house and chicken “tractors”!
New Social Barn The Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship welcomes all of you to our new barn on the hill for musical events, lectures, workshops, potluck community dinners and art shows. Please check our calendar for a list of events.
New Educational Opportunities We have a calendar loaded with educational and fun events for you, your family and your friends! There will be nature walks, butterfly counts, bonfires with storytelling, and workshops on floral design, edible landscaping and nature photography. These events will be advertised in your weekly CSA newsletter and posted on our Web site. Events are open to the public and all are welcome.

What's for Dinner?
At Mountain View Farm, we know that healthy soil means healthy food for healthy people. We work closely with our Extension Agents and Soil Experts to understand the nature of our soil and make it as healthy and vibrant as possible. All of our produce and flowers are grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Our livestock graze in our pastures, drink spring water and we do not use hormones or antibiotics as feed additives.

Here is a sampling of the produce we'll be growing this season:

Fruiting Crops: Cucumbers, eggplant, melons, sweet and hot peppers, over 20 varieties of tomatoes, winter squash, zucchini and summer squash.
Onion & Root Crops: Garlic, leeks, onions, shallots, and spring onions, beets, several varieties of potatoes, radishes, and turnips.
Leafy Greens: More than 20 different types of lettuces, tender and fast-cooking Asian greens, chard, sweet old-fashioned kales, spinach, broccoli, and other cooking greens.
Herbs: Basil, chives, cilantro, dill, parsley, and other herbs
Flowers: Fresh flowers will also be available from July through September.
Meat and Eggs: Throughout the summer, we will have free-range eggs for sale at our Farm Stand and on Thursdays at our Frederick market. Our grass-fed, hormone free meat is only available at our Farm Stand.

Mountain View Farm Products for Sale
Shared Harvest: Each week from June through October, our farmers walk the fields and decide what is at the peak of ripeness that day. We harvest an ample basket of those fruits, flowers and vegetables for you so that you can enjoy them all week. It’s all wholesome, fresh, and best of all, naturally grown right here on the farm. The Flower Share is an option that provides you with 12 weeks of garden-fresh flower bunches. You can pick up your harvest at the farm on Tuesdays or Saturdays. Our grass-fed meat, poultry and eggs can be purchased on pick-up days.

We will be accepting new members in 2004. Please join our waiting list.

Newsletter: Every week there will be an informative newsletter in your harvest bag. The newsletter will contain recipes, share news from the farm and announce upcoming (farming, food and history) events.

Pick Up Days: You can pick up your share at The Blue Ridge Center’s Mountain View Farm on Tuesdays between 2 and 7 p.m. or Saturday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. from June through October. Off-site pick-ups will not be available in 2004.

Shared Commitment: Both the members and the farmers share in the risks that can affect a harvest, such as unpredictable weather and grazing wildlife. We do everything we can to reduce the risk for you by fencing in our fields, improving our soil with natural amendments, and mulching and irrigating our crops. Please understand, however, that Mother Nature does have the final say over all of our best plans.

Your Commitment to Us (The Cost): A share of the vegetable harvest costs $325 and a Flower Share costs an additional $100.

Our Commitment to You: We harvest the finest and freshest flowers and produce we can grow. Our food and flowers are grown naturally without chemicals. We use our knowledge and experience to work with what Mother Nature gives us each year. We continue to improve our soils because we know that healthy soil yields plants that are more likely to survive dry and wet conditions, be less attractive to insects, and produce bountiful harvests.

The Size of a Share: Every week we do our best to fill two shopping bags with delicious fruits and veggies. We harvest only what is at its peak of flavor that day and divide that amongst the members.

The size of the shares does vary from week to week due to weather conditions and the time of the year. For instance, one week may be so wet we can’t harvest some of the plants so the harvest will be small that week. However, if that rain is a much-needed rain after a dry spell, then you might discover that the next week you are making and freezing salsa to use up extra tomatoes. Seasonally, the spring shares are voluminous with sweet peas, heads of lettuce and cooking greens, but are very light in weight. The summer shares, however, are heavier with fruiting crops (squashes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant), but the bags will be smaller in volume.

Markets

Farm Stand: We proudly sell our own free-range lamb, beef, poultry and eggs at our farm stand in addition to our produce and flowers. Open to the public Tuesdays and Saturdays from June 1st through October 30th.
Pick-your-own beds: Come to our farm on Saturdays and pick your own tomatoes, green beans, and flowers. This is a great chance to learn where your food is grown, and to harvest extra for freezing and canning! Open to the public.
Farmers� Market: Need a mid-week veggie or flower fix? We are at the Everedy Square Farmers Market in Frederick, Maryland on Thursdays from 3pm to 6pm June 3rd through October 28th.

Other Farm Highlights
Our farm is located at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship, a 900-acre forest and agricultural preserve located in Neersville, Va. (near Harpers Ferry, W.Va.). In addition to Mountain View Farm, the Blue Ridge Center has over 12 miles of hiking trails, access to the Appalachian Trail, a lovely pond in the woods, and wonderful views that you and your family are welcome to enjoy any time.

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