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Hi everyone,
Tom prepared this week's newsletter as I was out of town. I got the text
from him and loaded it here, Friday 11/14/03. - Debbie
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In the box this week:
Broccoli or Cauliflower, Carrots, Chiogga Beets, Arugula, Potatoes, Green
Onions, Chard, Pears, Bag of Baby Lettuce , Bunch of Herbs (Farmers Choice),
Mystery Item (s).
Extra Fruit Share: Pears, Apples, Guavas
Debbie our recipe guru, newsletter editor, CSA coordinator is on vacation
,so please go to our extensive on-line recipe database for culinary inspiration
(www.liveearthfarm.net).
Secret of a Happy Farmer: With the rain comes a sigh of relief,
finally the stress of having to water every day is gone.The finish line
is in sight, almost all our fields and orchards have been sown with cover
crops, next year’s garlic is planted, this week we are planting strawberries,
artichokes, and fava beans. The final sprint to prepare the farm for the
winter is always the most exhausting, like the last few miles in a marathon
(memories from my runner days). With the end of the season I experience
joy, the seasonal cycle is drawing to a close and the possibility of rest
feels real. Winter is a time to internalize, like a seed, the seasons
growth and teachings. A happy farmer doesn’t mean we are the frolicking
types, actually we fret a lot about the failures, mistakes and inevitable
Acts of God (“normally” out of our control) that come our way.
I do however identify with what Joyce Mc Greevey says in her book, “Gardening
by Heart”, that farmers or gardeners are an optimistic lot :
...”For who but an optimist buries an unpromising object the size
of a teardrop in the ground and believes that months later it will emerge
as the very definition of beauty and sustenance, or both?”
At the end of every season one can list the shortcomings of one’s
hopes and wishes. Some crops never made it, such as sweet corn, sugar
snap peas, and eggplants.Too much of some crops (such as my love affair
with Italian “Radiccio” or everbearing Strawberries) and not
enough of others (i.e. Sweet Italian Peppers, Lettuce at times, melons
and others). Late Blight, Early Blight, and cucumber beetles were the
cursed pest and diseases. Weeds, although kept in check most of the time,
still got the better of our pumpkins, wintersquash, and direct sown lettuce.
One thing I know is that with every season I learn a little more, mother
nature will bring another spring, and I’ll be fired up for another
try.
REMINDERS:
Take Advantage of our Early 2004 Registration: The season will start
a month earlier than usual, MARCH 15, and you’ll get a $50 discount
if you commit for 6 months or more. You can print the application form
off our website at : www.liveearthfarm.net by clicking on "2004 Early
Sign-up". Fill out the form and mail it to us with a $100 deposit
by December 31, 2003.
Live Earth Farm Gift Certificate: I think this makes a great gift.
Unique, Healthy, and introduces someone to Community Supported Agriculture,
i.e. local, seasonal, organic produce. (See picture of the Certificate,
below) The certificates are beautifully designed and colored, each certificate
comes with a small bag of our own sundried delicious dry-farmed tomatoes.
Certificates can be redeemed starting May of 2004.
The End-of-Season: Many have been asking when the CSA will stop
for the season: The last deliveries are Wednesday, November 19,
and Saturday, November 22.
Empty Boxes: Please, bring all your empty
boxes you might have stored around the house back to the drop off site.
If you have been taking the box home, you could bring your own bags the
last day your picking up and leave the box at your drop-off site. You
can help us reduce our packaging cost (each box costs us $1.25) if we
can reuse the boxes as often as possible.
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