First I want to thank everyone who helped with the gleaning of leftover veggies. We had a great crowd, somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 to 45 people! That is an impressive showing. That’s a lot of people getting dirty here at the farm! I wish we could get this many people at all our events. Anyway, we harvested somewhere over 1000 lbs of potatoes, 200+ heads of broccoli, a couple dozen heads of cauliflower, a similar amount of Napa cabbage, around 20 lbs of salad mix and maybe some other stuff I don’t recall. We divvied up the loot between Valley Outreach in Stillwater and Loaves & Fishes in Minneapolis. Both organizations were grateful for the produce. Following the harvest we had a delightful potluck dinner with wonderful food and conversation – plus a delicious “homemade” wine. If you have never joined us for an event I would highly recommend making it to the next one. All ages are welcome and everyone seems to have a blast.
I sent out the first email reminder for you to join for the 2016 season (if you didn’t receive an email you most likely already signed up but feel free to contact me if you are unsure). We’ve had a reasonable response so far but could always use more clarity this time of year. So if you know you will be rejoining us for 2016 please do so as soon as possible. You can either send us a check for the $100 deposit or place the order on our online store. Order now and lock in this year’s price for next season’s produce. And don’t forget to spread the word to your other friend!
Additional items like Seafood, Fruit, Eggs, etc. will be available to order as soon as we get pricing for 2016. This will most likely be in early 2016.
Some of our drop sites are changing due to relocations and job changes. We have a new drop site near 110 and Mendota Rd in West St. Paul. This is a Friday drop. If you want to switch to this drop site please let me know. The Eagan drop site is a bit in flux. Jessica has changed jobs and is no longer able to pick-up here at the farm. If we can get another member to take up the reins we will stay the course. If not we will have to weigh the cost/time of delivery to Eagan based on the number of shares we sell. So let us know ASAP if you’d like to pick-up in Eagan so we can make it work for all involved. The Minneapolis sight is also in flux with Michelle and AJ moving to West St. Paul. So again, let us know ASAP if you plan to rejoin so we can make it happen. We also have a “new” drop site in the Maplewood area. St. Paul’s Monastery is a member of the farm and they are willing to have us drop additional shares for other members. It is near Larpenteur and Century Ave.
If anyone else wants to be a drop site please contact me — especially if you are willing to pick-up the boxes here at the farm every week! It is a rewarding career with tremendous growth potential — or not. But if you do the delivery we will credit your account $25 for every member who picks-up at your location.
Sometime this week(end) I will be sending out the annual end of season survey. Please take the time to respond. It is an online survey and shouldn’t take more than 45 minutes of your time. In fact it shouldn’t take more than five minutes of your time! To give you an idea on the impact of the survey, many years ago we promoted the farm as the CSA that doesn’t grow kale. We heard too many horror stories from members of other CSA farms regarding box after box filled with kale. Then one year someone wrote on their survey, “How come no kale?” And the rest as they say, is history. So take the time and fill in the comment sections; these answers are frequently the most enlightening!
And finally, we taste tested the sweet potatoes this week and they are wonderful. No need to continue to store them. Eat at your discretion!
As always, do not hesitate to send in questions, comments, suggestions, jokes, etc.