This is the last week of the season. Please mark your calendars accordingly. I was hoping the broccoli would head up before the season ended but it has been too cold at night for it to grow. A bit disappointing.
If you plan to rejoin for the 2013 season you can lock in today’s price for next year’s produce. If your contact information has not changed simply send in a check for the $100 down payment. Write “2013 season” in the memo. Otherwise you can find an order form on our web site. This offer is available to everyone so if you have friends, family, neighbors, etc. who are interested in joining have them sign up this month to reserve their spot. Also have them write your name on the “Where did you hear about us?” line on the order form and your account will be credited $25 for referring them to the farm.
Honey for sale! We have a small number of honey bears for sale. Price is $5.00 per bear. Let me know if you would like one. Limit one per customer. First come first served. We can ship them with your produce if you get back to me before we send out your box.
We are taking orders for Winter Fruit, Cheese and Meat shares. Prices are on the order form (except for FruitShare since I don’t have it yet). Please order before the end of the month.
Speaking of FruitShare, this week we will have Honeycrisp apples; and Bartlett, Bosc, D’Anjou and Concorde pears. It should be quite tasty!
What is left this last week of the season? Well, we have some rutabagas, winter squash, tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, winter squash, celery, Brussels sprouts, winter squash, a few onions, a few leeks, a few garlic, winter squash, a few radishes, a few beets, winter squash, kale, a few carrots, a few cabbages, a few pumpkins, winter squash, winter squash and winter squash. So basically a bunch of odds and ends and winter squash.
Farm Update
Not much to report on the farm. Most everything is dead or cold. The plants that survive the cold continue to survive the cold. The ones that died are still dead. Our main activities these days are harvesting stuff on harvest days, pulling up drip tape, putting equipment away, cleaning up general areas and mulching the garlic once we get the straw mulch. Hopefully all that will be done a week from today.
I extracted the honey from the bee hives today. I’m disappointed in the amount – only 18 pounds. Last year was disappointing at 30 pounds. As they say, if you want to make a small fortune in the honey business start with a large fortune. Anyway, to learn more about how honey is extracted see this posting from last year.
Other than that it is quiet here on the farm. It is a melancholy time of year. The season is ending, as is the work, which is a good thing. But with the end of the season comes the end of my 5 minute weekly conversations with all the people who pick-up in the tent. You’d be surprised what you can learn about someone in 19 short five minute conversations!
I’m not sure if it is always this way but this year there seems to be far more pregnancies and new babies than I recall in past seasons. I am certainly not aware all of them and can hardly remember every one I am aware of but if I were to guess I would say there is at least a dozen babies due within the next three months. This on top of the few already born this summer. That’s about 10% of our membership. It is nice to know that we are feeding the next generation of CSA members, and more importantly, that you put your trust in us to provide nutritious food for your growing families.
Another observation from my 19 weeks of 5 minute discussions is the great number of healthcare workers who are members of the farm. It certainly says something about our product when those who see the ramifications of unhealthy lifestyles choose our product to nourish their families. I thank you for your vote of confidence as well.
Another observation is that 3M is a pretty big company with lots of employees, many of whom are members of the farm.
On the flip side there are quite a few members who own their own small businesses. I get to see the engine of the economy in action every day (actually, every day except Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday). Seems like Thursday mornings are favored by photographers.
Teachers are another sector of the economy well represented by our members. It seems every year we have a bunch of pretty relaxed members until late August when suddenly there is a lot more stress and a lot more missed/rescheduled pick-ups. Seems like the start of school may have some influence on this.
Another observation I had this year is that there are a lot of kids who like vegetables! I would never have guessed this based on what I read and see in the media. And all of these kids are perfectly well behaved, have sweet smiles, are always respectful and never do anything wrong. You are some very lucky parents and grandparents!
The final observation gleaned from my weekly chats is that overall you are a happy bunch of people. Everyone seemed to enjoy the visits and never once did we have to consider dismembering anyone for unruly behavior. I hope everyone got as much joy out of our weekly meetings as I did this season. I will certainly miss them over the winter.
As always, do not hesitate with questions, comments, observations, etc.