CSA greetings 2009

Dear CSA friends,

Outside it still looks a lot like winter, but there are sure signs of spring. The nights aren't quite as long, the chickens are laying more eggs, and we got our first delivery of seeds yesterday. It's just about time to fire up the greenhouse and start making and seeding soil blocks which will be transplanted into the fields when it warms up. In a couple of weeks Guv and Talula will get to meet their baby brother, and then it's on to a new season of crops, farmers markets, wwoofers, and more farming adventures.

We have eaten through most of the veggies we put by from last season (only potatoes remain) and the salad greens we savored from our greenhouse this winter have slowed to a trickle, so we are truly looking forward to the upcoming bounty. Because although she craved potatoes earlier in her pregnancy, Bonnie is getting a bit tired of them at this point. In a moment of weakness not long ago, she decided to buy a purple cabbage at Shaws. She wanted something crunchy and colorful and figured that it wasn't ridiculously out of season. We stared incredulously at the register when that sad, plastic wrapped specimen rang up as $6.95. Cabbage is supposed to be cheap! Especially commodity cabbage picked by underpaid migrant workers in a fumigated field in California, fertilized with subsidized petro chemicals and irrigated with water from depleted resources. We didn't buy it. Not that we are total purists, but we'll gladly wait a couple of months to eat our own cabbage. It seems like local food is a hot topic these days and you guys have all walked the walk. Your investment in a CSA share last year supported us in our efforts at sustainable farming and allowed us to pass our knowledge and passion on to the young interns who worked with us.

For 2009 we are keeping the prices on both shares unchanged ($460/$300). Some improvements that we plan to make include planting more of the veggies you told us you want (peas, carrots, red tomatoes, smaller winter squash etc.), better communication about the pick your own offerings each week (including better signage and maps), more organized pick ups, monthly events including potlucks, workshops, and work sessions (always optional). Also new this year is the option of a packed box that can be picked up at the farm on CSA pick up days (Tuesdays 12-1 or Fridays 4-6) or the Manchester farmers market (Thursdays 3-6 at the Rec Center). We are offering a discount for returning shareholders who renew by march 31st- $20 off full shares and $10 off small shares. Reserve your space by sending us a check along with the form at www.teleionholon.com/TH/farm.html. For those in need of a recession busting payment plan, how about this stimulus- pay ½ now and pay the rest by June?

Please tell your friends about our CSA so they too can experience the local flavor, value and fun of belonging to our farm.

Wishing everyone a happy healthy spring,

-Bonnie, Oliver, Gavriel, Talula, ?, Nisi, and all the past, present and future wwoofers of Teleion Holon

Ps. why did Oliver insist on putting two doors on our chicken coop?

…if he put four doors it would have been a chicken sedan

PPs. We always have eggs available from the left fridge in our kitchen, come anytime they are $3/dozen and please bring us any empty egg cartons you may have