First a few announcements, then a little update from the farm, followed by a few more announcements I forgot about when I wrote the first announcements.
The deadline for ordering SeafoodShare is April 15th. If you like seafood I would highly recommend this. The seafood is wild Alaskan seafood caught by small boat fishermen and women. The fishery is managed to prevent over-fishing. By buying SeafoodShare you support small businesses working to make seafood sustainable for generations to come. Plus it is very tasty!
We are still taking orders for all our other 2016 shares (Veggies, Meat, Cheese, Fruit, Eggs, Coffee, Ice Cream, Herbs, FlowerShare and Bread). If you like French Toast, how about an EggShare and a BreadShare? Omelettes? EggShare and CheeseShare! Blueberry pie a la mode? FruitShare, EggShare (for the crust) and IceCreamShare! Roast Beef sandwich? MeatShare and BreadShare! The combinations are endless! Please spread the word.
Payment for VeggieShares is due this month unless you signed up for a payment plan. Payment for other shares is in May. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Horse for lease. Tex is a 21 year old Arabian just shy of 16 hands tall. He loves trail riding, some arena work and light jumping. We are looking for someone who is willing to commit to at least a half-lease. Though he is a safe horse we prefer a more experienced rider. If interested please contact Susan at susan@releaseyourlimitations.com.
Farm News
Did a bunch of plowing last week. Unfortunately the plowing was snow. It will be a few weeks before we get into the field even if we don’t get any more snow. The ground is pretty saturated and cold (we had frost this morning). But this is typical this time of year so there is no cause for panic.
Other than waiting we are planting in the greenhouse as I mentioned in the last newsletter. We’re also trying to figure out ways to increase our visibility among potential clients. The CSA business is getting ultra competitive. The Land Stewardship Directory of CSA farms now includes 70+ farms, up from 24 when we started 13 years ago. Plus the size of the farms selling “CSAs” is increasing. Today there are many farms over 100 acres in size and a few greater than 1000 acres primarily selling wholesale (we grow about 8 acres of veggies). Why would you join a farm that gives you produce you can buy from Cub Foods or Kowalskis? Our latest idea is hyper-local advertising. In this case using yard signs at our drop sites. Hopefully they are visible and attract the right clientele. Of course referrals are always appreciated.
By the way, are people interested in events this summer? In the past we’ve planned many different events and some have been successful and well attended and others were woefully absent of participants. I will try to get out a survey sometime in the next week or two to gauge interest. If you have ideas for farm events please send them my way!
Yet another drop site. For those near downtown St. Paul we have another drop site near the Cathedral at the corner of Dayton and Arundel. Spread the word!
That’s about it for now. Let me know if you have any questions.