Finally. We have finished the new hoop house. It was quite the project fraught with intrigue, peril and danger. The intrigue was in trying to figure out how to assemble it. The peril and danger came when we were putting the plastic on the roof. We tried to pick a calm day but they don’t seem to exist in MN in the spring. So we picked a calmish day – probably the calmest all this spring! And still, with a small gust of wind – actually I wouldn’t even call it a gust, more like a puff – Hannah was lifted off the ground by the 4000 sq ft sail. Rebecca, who was holding the other corner of the roof, felt her arm being ripped from her socket. At least these two had the sense to keep their feet mostly on the ground. I, on the other hand, had the brilliant idea of using the hoop structure as an adult jungle gym with arm grasps placed five feet apart. I climbed on top of the structure and played Spiderman as I scrambled around the 14 foot high structure pulling 150 lbs of unrolled poly. Not as simple as it sounds. At one point I realized two things: 1 – there is a reason farming is one of the most dangerous professions, and 2 – I really need to get a picture of this (see below).
So now we have some indoor growing space, which has its plusses and minuses. In the past, during the Spring, we could take a day or two off when it rained. Sometimes there would be work to do in the greenhouse but usually not enough to keep the whole staff occupied. Now, when it rains, we can go into the hoop house to plant, weed, trellis veggies, harvest, etc. So the plus is that we can work in all weather. The minus is we get to work in all weather. No more rest for the weary.
SpiceShare
We have a new opportunity for adding organic spice blends to our ever expanding list of product offerings. A small company called Minnesota Nice Spice has approached us about carrying their product. Minnesota Nice Spice has created an assortment of organic, locally blended spice mixes. We sampled many of their offerings and found them to be quite tasty. The list includes Totally Taco, Zingy Cheese Zest, Sunny Citrus Salt, Lucy’s Pub Blend, Savory Essence, Mediterranean Mate, Twin Cities Grub Rub and Peace Out Caribbean. Descriptions of each can be found at their web site.
Being a spice mix they are shelf stable so we figured it would be best to just offer them on an occasional basis throughout the season. If you are interested in purchasing spices through us please let me know what you would like – email is fine. The price is $7 for each 4 oz jar. And as an added incentive, a portion of your purchase will be donated to Interact Center of Minnesota, a Minnesota-based non-profit that supports artists with disabilities in reaching their fullest potential through artistic expression. My goal is to have the first delivery of spices by the end of June.
Payment
A reminder that if you haven’t made other arrangements, all payments are due this month. Please send in payment at your earliest convenience.
Start time and Pick-up Instructions coming in June
I’ve found in the past if I send this information out too early I invariably have to send it out again to those who misplaced it. So you will receive an email in early June – usually once we determine when the season will start – detailing how to pick-up your shares. The season will start either the second or third week in June depending on how fast the plants grow.
Coffee
If you drink coffee please consider supporting a small family coffee business, Velasquez Family Coffee. You can purchase their coffee through Fresh Earth Farms and have it delivered with your produce. It is delicious coffee and comes highly recommended by members of the farm who have purchased it in the past. The price is $45 for five monthly deliveries of a 12 oz bag. See CoffeeShare and the order form for more details.
Fruit
We are still taking orders for FruitShare and a la carte fruit. FruitShare is a great supplement to our VeggieShare. The fruit is certified organic and comes from smaller, family orchards. If you don’t like all fruit but like some – say blueberries, cherries or Colorado peaches – you can order individual flats of fruit a la carte. Please see the order forms for pricing details.
Meat
We are still taking orders for our monthly small pack MeatShare. It will start in June and goes through October (five monthly pick-ups). If you’d like to purchase beef, pork or chicken in larger quantities you can purchase beef by the quarter, hogs by the half or chickens by the six pack. All animals are humanely treated, live a healthy life roaming a 100+ acre pasture in Arkansaw Wisconsin. Please see the order forms for pricing details.
Cheese
We are still taking orders for CheeseShare. If you like cheese and want organic, raw milk cheese from pastured cows this would be a great item to add to your VeggieShares. Price is $175 for nine weeks of cheese and other dairy products. Email me if you’d like to add cheese to your account.
WinterShare
I said it before, I’ll say it again, we are still taking orders for WinterShare. WinterShare is a one time pick-up of easily storable food items from the farm. It includes winter squash, onions, shallots, garlic and potatoes. Price is $95 for a whole share. $50 for a half share. No need to fill out a new order form. Just let me know via email and send in or bring in payment.
FlowerShare
You know the drill. FlowerShares are still available. We added a significant number of new flowers this season. Plus we have Hannah working here this year. Hannah has worked in the flower business in the past so we should have even nicer bouquets this year! Email me if you’d like to add flowers to your order.
Referrals
New orders have been picking up this past week – not sure why that is but I’m not going to complain. However we can always use more. Send your friends our way and make sure they write your name on the order form. We’ll credit your account $25 for each new member who signs up! Thank you for all your support!
Business Directory
Check out other members’ businesses in our business directory. This is a pet project of mine. I know how hard it is to make a living running your own business so I feel it makes sense to support those businesses run by like-minded people. If you’d like to add your business to our directory please send me a logo, a short description and contact info. Price is $25 for the year to cover the cost of putting the info on our web site. I’d really like to see this succeed.
I think that is all for now. As always, send in your questions, comments, jokes and brain teasers.