We are starting the recruiting drive for next season. If you sign-up by the end of October not only do you reserve your shares for next season but you also lock in this year’s price for next year’s produce. How great is that? There is an order form on the web site.
I make take credit for all the work done here on the farm but that is certainly not warranted. For us to feed 300+ people it takes a crew of dedicated workers to plant, weed, harvest, wash and pack produce every week for 19 weeks. Plus we need to get everything started in the spring. For us the season started the first week of March. So this is week 33 for us but only 17 for you.
As I do every year, I like to let our members know a little bit about the crew that provided all the nutritious, delicious produce for you this season. I will mention them in order of seniority.
Rebecca has been with us for I don’t even know how long anymore. Some of you may have met her in the pick-up tent or at the Minneapolis or St. Paul drop sites or at her house when you picked up fruit during the winter months. Just from that description you can understand she is an integral part of the operation. She was the third person I hired to work here on the farm. Over the years she has taken on additional responsibilities including many of the thinking parts of the operation. When other workers have questions they first look to Rebecca for the answers. The farm would not run nearly as well without Rebecca’s tremendous knowledge and effort.
The second most senior member of the crew is Nancy. Nancy is our only workshare person this season – and half time at that! Nancy sees the farm as not only a place to get great nutrition but also great exercise and fresh air. Nancy has been with us for at least four years and knows a lot about harvesting beans. She is a joy to have around and a great help on the farm!
The third most senior member is Anna and she just started with us this season. Anna brings a lot of experience from her days farming on the east coast. It is wonderful to have someone new on the farm who knows what she is doing. Anna has needed little guidance or instruction and has been a wonderful asset to us this year. I think having her on the crew has made the year far more successful and far less stressful than I thought it would be.
The least senior person on the crew is also the youngest – Simon. Simon came to work here this year with no farming experience. I don’t even think he had an interest in farming. Over the course of the summer he has become proficient in hoeing, radish harvesting, squash hauling, potato finding, cucumber picking (I suspect he harvested well over 50% of the cukes you received this year), and many other aspect of the farm. He even helps deliver boxes occasionally! He has enjoyed the experience so much he is looking to start his own farm in the near future!
All of these people have done a great job getting the produce out in a timely and efficient manner. I think they all deserve a round of applause, though I don’t know how to do that through a blog.
So what will we see this week in our shares? Let’s see. New this week will be Brussels sprouts! We were hoping to have a few more frosty days to sweeten them up but I think most of us would agree that having all this nice warm weather is a fine sacrifice. We will also have lots of broccoli, plus winter squash, peppers, salad mix, bok choi, radishes, pie pumpkins, garlic, onions, shallots, kohlrabi, beets (hopefully. The frost and the deer have not been kind to the beets), maybe kale, maybe napa cabbage, maybe regular cabbage and maybe swiss chard.
Garlic Planting Party
One last reminder that the garlic planting party is this Saturday from 10:00 am to whenever we finish – weather permitting. It is a great way to help out and see the farm. There are plenty of activities for those of all ages to do. Some don’t even require stooping. So please come out and lend a hand.
FruitShare
This is the last FruitShare for the Summer/Fall season. It will be a mixed box of pears. Delicious! If you would like to add the final four FruitShares for 2011 please let me know as soon as possible. It includes one box in October, one in November and two in December. The October/November boxes are apples/pears and maybe cranberries. The December boxes are citrus fruits – the first is Satsuma tangerines and second is a 20# of mixes citrus. Price is $166.
CheeseShare
This is the last CheeseShare of the season.
MeatShare
We received the last MeatShare of the season on Friday. Plan to pick it up at the farm if you haven’t already done so.
InvertebrateShare
This week’s InvertebrateShare will be some type of black caterpillar.