2008 intro

Dear CSA members

The big news of this past week was our marvelous "barn" raising. We had a great time catching up with CSA friends from last year and meeting new members. Folks worked up a sweat laying out and pounding in the posts, putting together and installing the bows, and doing some weeding too. It was hot hot hot, but satisfying to work together to accomplish a goal. We so appreciate the help—it will make things work a lot better for us to have a separate packing shed for tools and equipment, garlic drying even room for some hay storage. And on a deeper level, this gathering strengthened our vision of our farm being a real part of the community. There is a reciprocity to what we are doing here that goes beyond the exchange of veggies and money; we felt it on Sunday as we watched the structure go up with kids running around in the background and our family and farm interns and CSA members making connections that will last this season and beyond. Don't worry if you missed it; there will be plenty more opportunities.

CSA Pickups will begin next Tuesday (6/16) and Friday (6/20), you can expect mostly greens for this first week: salad mix, spinach, bok choy, spicy peper cress, mizuna mustard, kale, cilantro, parlsley, and eggs. By the following week we should start to see broccoli and zucchini coming in. As the season progresses the weekly pickups will become more bountiful, but for now we'll enjoy lots of salad and the sweet taste of the potential this season holds. We'll send out our next newsletter this Sunday, with more details and a few recipe ideas.

In other farm news, the heat and then the rain has been good for the peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, eggplants and melons. The herb and flower garden has become even more beautiful, and the tomatoes are receiving some much needed attention (it's a bit overwhelming to trellis and prune 1000 plants at the same time). We've been spreading compost on the beds where we'll be planting winter squash and watermelons this week.

We thought it would be nice for you all to know a bit about our farm interns. They have all come to us through an organization called Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF). Kat is a returning wwoofer from last season and will be graduating from Guilford College in NC next year. She is getting credit for working with us this season and doing a project focusing on how local agriculture can support community peace building. Brian hails from Ohio and has been teaching high school science for the past two years. He will continue his wwoofing adventure for the next 14 months, down the east coast and up the west. Colleen, Mochi and their daughter Ambiana joined us on Sunday. They've been on a journey since September through Fiji, New Zealand, Hawaii and the US picking up lots of farming tricks they plan to use when they start their own farm in Vermont. We are so lucky to have such an interesting, hard working, and loveable crew.

We look forward to seeing you next week.

Peace,

Bonnie, Oliver and the crew