Full and By Farm: Bank Barn

Cupola atop barn at Full and By Farm in Essex, NY — Cupola atop Bank Barn at Full and By Farm in Essex, NY

A few weeks ago Doug realized that the Bank Barn got it’s name because it’s built into a bank of land (the beauty of which is that you can drive right up to two different levels of the barn as well as take advantage of the temperature moderation below ground).

Prior to this breakthrough he had thought it was because we have been pouring all of our savings into the building. For those who have been watching the slow progress of four years work both explanations might seem appropriate. I like the image of a gigantic piggy-bank-barn, with a slot on the top of the cupola to drop your coins into. Even better is if we could take the rubber plug out of the bottom and shake the coins all back out to use again.

All of the work is starting to show in the barn though and we are finally stretching our wings a bit to begin using this new space. There is plenty of work yet to do both indoors and out, but it’s shaping up as a nice, clean place for distribution—without broken concrete to trip over, snow building up in corners and gigantic spiders hovering overhead.

Soon-to-Be Farm Stand

First up we are going to start using the space for a Friday and Saturday farm stand. Our goal is to grow more vegetables each week than the members will eat, this way the last people to show up at 6 get all of the same goodies as the early birds. This, as well as fluctuations in rain, sun and eating habits, leaves us with a surplus of veggies. A farm stand will allow us to happily answer yes to all of the waiting list members and summer visitors who ask us if we sell outside of the share. The farm stand will be open Friday and Saturday, 9-5 through the summer. We will have vegetables and eggs to sell.

In the Farm Shares

In the veggie share: lots of peas, bunching onions, napa cabbage, lettuce heads, loose-leaf lettuce, radishes, swiss chard, broccoli, dry beans and cornmeal. Swiss chard and bunching onions next week.

In the meat share: fresh broiler chickens and beef.

Sara Kurak
Full and By Farm

Full and By Farm: Harvest Woes (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Full and By Farm: Menacing Skies (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Full and By Farm: Oversaturation (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Essex Farm: Summer Tour (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)

About Sara Kurak

Sara Kurak is one of the owners and operators of Full and By Farm in Essex, NY. She shares updates from the farm with her CSA members and also contributes those letters to the Essex on Lake Champlain Blog to share the news with a wider audience. Learn about farm life week-to-week through her reports!