Greetings Farm Fans!
Welcome to week 1 of the Great Basin Basket Farm Share!
For those of you who have participated in our program in the past--It is SO nice to have you back! We are also so excited to welcome new subscribers into the program!
I just want to take a quick moment to congratulate you on taking the step towards participating in a very real way with our regional food system. Not only are you at the start of an amazing produce journey, but you should feel good about spending your food dollars with agricultural producers in our area--it is not as 'usual' as you might think. Over the course of the next twenty weeks, we will share with you stories about your produce and the amazing people who grow it. Our farmers are a proud bunch, and they should be. The produce that is grown and harvested by our partner farms is fresh & delicious, picked just for our program, and are varieties that are specifically selected because they are the tastiest varieties available.
Every year around this time, I start to get REALLY anxious. Are we going to have enough produce available for week 1? Is the variety going to be enough for our subscribers to feel like they have good value. Inevitably, I have a conversation with our farmers about pushing back the start of the program next year to start at the beginning of June--but for some reason, we never actually pull the plug. If you are wondering how it all turned out, this week we do have quite a bit of produce raised by farmers in Churchill County and Reno, NV. I am also going to supplement with some produce that is coming from California through our partnership with the Tahoe Food Hub in Truckee. All of the produce will be clearly identified so you can make an informed decision about what produce you are including in your box. As more produce becomes available from our local farm partners, we will discontinue supplementing with produce from California. As always, every produce item that is available through our farm share program is non-GMO, and raised utilizing organic practices whenever possible.
This week, I want to highlight Lattin Farms Asparagus--rumor has it that the Lattin's are thinking of ceasing production of asparagus after this years harvest. I am doing my best to encourage them to keep it up, but I recommend getting a bunch or two while you can! Also, spring brings green garlic (one of my most favorite ingredients ever)! Green garlic is hyper-seasonal, it will be around for about 3 more weeks and when it is gone, it is gone!
Our special coffee of the week is Ethiopia Gora Kone. This coffee comes from the Sidamo region of Ethiopia. The cuppers noted a clean, bright coffee with notes of bergamot, orange and peach. There are extra bags of coffee available to add on to your share as one-time purchases!
Please let me know about any questions you might have! I am so excited to kick off the season (and I hope you are too)!
Thank you for your continued support of our regional food system and especially for Nevada Farmers!
Kelli
