We made it to May! It seems like summer is here already, instead of around the corner. We have another great week of produce for you! I apologize for the squash and mushroom inventory mistakes I made last week. I will do my best to ensure those kinds of mistakes are few and far between. We are sending our more farm shares and growing more produce than we ever have. All I can promise is that myself, and our team here at the farm will keeping trying our best and improving your farm share experience every season.
What's Fresh This Week?
-Fresh Oyster Mushrooms
-Salad & Shoots (Maybe the best mix we have ever grown!!)
-Napa Cabbage
-Claytonia
-Lettuce
-Rainbow Chard
Limited Harvest
-Cauliflower
-Cilantro
-Baby Beets
-Mustard Green Mix
-Upland Cress
-Bok choy
-Green Beans
Farm Update
The non-stop rain has set behind several weeks. Even with our hand tools, small tractor and no-till operation the soil has either been too wet, or the hard rain has affected our germination rates (even when the rows are covered with insect net or shade cloth). It's been frustrating to say the least. We are trying our hardest to finish our large plantings of cucumbers, squash, and pole beans. Our tomatoes are looking great and it should just be a few more weeks until we begin harvesting!!
Peaches are perhaps a month or less away, and should coincide with blackberry and blueberry season at the end of May.
Also, I wanted to touch base with you regarding some business related struggles I'm working through. Current Farms is the most important thing in my life. Everything I have learned, experienced, and everyone I care about is connected to this farm. Being a farmer has been my dream since I was a kid. And now my reality is that this farm has to provide for my entire family, and so much of Current Farms' future has changed in the last 4 months. There's been a lot of positives, but I am trying to jump ahead on the negatives before they become a problem. Right now, I am emotionally and mentally tapped out. Our farm is selling 4x as much produce as we were at this time last year, and it's not like we have 4 new employees. Kaden and I are working at the farm 7 days a week for nearly 70 hours, and it's been that way since January. Ain't showing no signs of stopping either until we can hire more help. I'm also navigating moving forward with the Food Bank Program and getting new fields established for that. Long story short, over the past few weeks, I've noticed some changes where I am paying less attention to customer service, or have even found myself being short with customers. This is out of character for me, which made me back track and check in with my mental health. I always want to remain available for people who want to support our farm, but some days I feel overwhelmed. Telling you this isn't to make excuses for myself. I have made being authentic and honest pillars of our farm's business. So much of marketing only shows the good, the beautiful, or the exact product you're intended to purchase. I'm putting it out there that running this farm right now is taking every fiber of my resolve, creativity, strength, and passion. That being said, until I am in a better mental space, I will be less active on social media, and will be delegating customer service issues to Kaden or Franny. Usually, I thank farm share members at the end of the farm happening, but in this instance I think you know how grateful we are for your faith in us.
Your Farmer,
Conrad Cable
