Well, I think the rain may have stopped finally....
I almost always start these letters/posts with a comment on the weather. Sometimes I do it sheepishly. It seems like such a boring and cliche thing to talk about. But you know, it really does matter quite a bit for us. Can you imagine running a business where the actual weather dictated your product line. It can be exhausting trying to follow its swings.
We are thankful for the recent warm snap. It is late September now and I still don't see any frost in the forecast. That is nice, not only for the plants, but also for us. Washing produce in frigid water is not fun.
As fall approaches and the end of the season gets closer our minds begin to move on to other things. We are starting to look beyond the season a little more.
The main thing on our minds is our move! When we started the farm, it was an experiment on a friend's land. We decided to give it 5 years and then reevaluate. We had been told that every new business will take about that much time to gain stability. We were told it would be two years down into the pits of despair one year in the bottom and another 2 years climbing back to stability. So we grit our teeth, set our nose to the grindstone, and got busy.
This year is the end of our fifth season. Things are not gloriously triumphant. We still work really hard and feel like progress is unbearably slow. Sometimes we don't want to do this anymore. Sometimes we feel like idealistic idiots. But sometimes it is really beautiful. Sometimes we feel really lucky to be able to do this. Its a bit up and down...kinda like the weather.
But if we step back from the daily grind and take a longer perspective, you can see that we are making progress, and we are ready now to get serious.
And that of course means taking the plunge to get land!
That's right. Buying land.
We are pretty excited and also pretty overwhelmed by it all. We have been thinking about this transition for many many years and now that its unfolding, it is hard to take in. We still are not sure it is actually happening.
Over the next few weeks we will try to keep everyone updated about the process. And over the next few years you can watch the farm go through a re-birth phase. Its going to be pretty exciting even if it is also a bit overwhelming!
Underneath all of this is a huge feeling of thankfulness for all the people who have supported us. We have put a lot of work into this, but we could never have gotten to this point without support for all of you. This really is your farm. You have kept us going. So thank you for allowing us to make it this far!
Oh yeah... and another CSA share went out this week!
In your share:
Potatoes,
Peppers,
Tomatoes,
Cucumbers
Squash
Radishes
Garlic
Leeks
Parsley
Celery
Baby Kale
As for cooking ideas, This is what is inspiring us recently!
Thanks again!
(Picture coming soon)