02/12/2026
Dear Northwest Corner and Litchfield County friends of local food and farms
Please help spread the word about our farmer friend and mentor Renée Giroux of Earth’s Palate Farm LLC in Warren rebuild her greenhouse after polar vortex winds last weekend destroyed their growing season 💨🥶🍂 Renée writes:
"35mph icy cold wind gusts tore across our fields and destroyed our 30’ x 90’ greenhouse — shredding the plastic, twisting the metal bows, and wiping out 244 growing channels inside, blackening hundreds of living greens plants.
In less than an hour, we lost what normally carries us through many months of the year.
For our small family farm, that greenhouse isn’t extra space — it’s everything.
This greenhouse protects our early crops, extends our growing season, and allows us to grow consistently for our CSA members, schools, and local families. With it gone now, we’re facing:
-- 7 weeks of crop loss
-- 3+ months of disrupted production
-- Significant amount of lost revenue during our most important growing window (growing through winter and prepping for spring).
-- And before we can even rebuild… we have to take it all apart.
The part people don’t see:
The days since the storm have been pure manual labor. We’ve already put in dozens of hours of physical tear-down work, and many more ahead:
— pulling shredded plastic from the mud
— dismantling 244 damaged channels
— removing irrigation and electrical
— hauling debris by hand
— sorting what can be salvaged
It’s the kind of work that leaves your shoulders sore and your hands raw — but it has to be done before a single new piece can go up.
Why this greenhouse matters - this space is where we:
— start thousands of seedlings
— grow winter greens and early spring crops
— supply our CSA and local markets
— support Farm to School and community food programs
and ❤️ help keep fresh, local food accessible
Without it, we lose both food and the income that keeps our farm going.
What your support will help do:
— Replacement greenhouse plastic and all hardware
— Frame repairs and rebuild structural integrity
— Replace 244 growing channels
— Set up new irrigation and electrical systems
— Seedlings and crop replacement
— Labor and materials for safe teardown + reconstruction
Why we’re asking for help
We’ve always believed in resilience and hard work — but farming is also about community.
If you’ve ever cooked with our vegetables, visited the farm, or simply care about small, regenerative farms staying alive, we’d be so grateful for your support.
How you can help:
— Donate, if you are able - link in first Comment below, and here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-earths-palate-farms-greenhouse-after-storm
— Share this page widely!
— Send it to someone who loves local food
Every bit truly helps us rebuild faster and get food back into the ground.
Thank you for helping Earth’s Palate Farm LLC stand back up after the storm. We can’t wait to grow for you again."
With gratitude,
Renée,
Earth’s Palate Farm
