Dear CSA Members,
It’s already February and we’re packing our second to last winter CSA box. We’ve cleaned and boxed the final cabbages of the year and are washing the last of the winter squash. Today is forecast to be 40 degrees and Connor has been prepping beds in our high tunnels where the spinach was. Today he will seed cover crops that will feed our soil and the beneficial bacteria that live there ahead of summer tomatoes.
Me and Connor prepping the high tunnel soil for cover cropping
Liam is thinking about burning our asparagus patch and finishing up the detailed plans for winter squash and sweet corn. He's also working today on setting up a fence around our CSA strawberry patch to protect it from deer so that we have a great harvest for our upcoming Strawbery Social this June! All of this is a sign that spring and summer are coming!
Liam and Connor working on the strawberry patch fencing
And even more of spring: soon, in the first week of March, we will seed our summer lettuce, kale, onions, and parsley. We will fire up the greenhouse and begin the careful work of tending to all the seedlings that will grow into the vegetables for your 2022-2023 CSA boxes. I am excited to have fresh green vegetables on the farm again, to improve our sweet corn growing skills (18 acres of corn this year! Fingers crossed for bountiful corn in July!), and to experiment with some new techniques we’re trying out in transplanted cucurbit crops like winter squash and melons. (On a side note, if you've yet to join us for the upcoming summer, we still have shares available. Sites are filling up fast, so please don't delay. Just log into your account here. Once you log in click on "My Farms," and then "Place an Order" to join us today!)
Maybe most of all, though, when I think of the spring ahead, I am excited to work another year with our awesome crew. Liam and Connor, both second year crop managers, learned a ton last year and are full of ideas and excitement for the season. It’s been so fun for me to work with them and incorporate their unique skills and interests into our team. Antonio, a long time production crew member from Mexico, is stepping up to take over leadership of that team. He is a hard worker with a great attitude- the kind of person you just want to be around and I’m excited to work closer with him and see him step into a leadership role.
The organization and work it takes to plan, grow, pick, wash, sell, distribute (and everything else in between) 140 acres of veggies for 1000+ CSA members is no small feat and I feel really honored and proud to be doing that work alongside coordinators Nathan, James, & Patty, and of course the crews from Mexico. We have a great team that feels like a family- so thanks again to all of you for allowing us to do this work and for supporting local sustainable farming.
Gratefully,
Abby Benson
Field Production Coordinator
