Happy New Year!
It's been almost two months since the official end date of our 2021 CSA season, crazy how time flies! The farm has been such an enjoyable and relaxing pace compared to the main season. There is always a never ending to do list but right now our main priorities have been winterizing the farm, book keeping, preservation projects, and planning for next season.
Kelly and Patrick spent most of December in Oaxaca, Mexico City, and Los Angeles. On their trip they enjoyed lots of the local Mexican cuisine, Mezcal, culture, seeing family, the pyramids and the beach! Lyndsay will be off to Brazil and Costa Rica in January for her winter trip. This is one of the joys of farming, being able to take some time off in the winter to recharge. We all love travel and experiencing other cultures, especially the food! The partnership also allows us to take turns watching over the farm, while the others are able to take a break.
Looking back....This past year was a wild one!! Navigating a pandemic, a new partnership, doubling our growing area, increasing the size of the chicken flock to 100 birds, rebuilding our whole packing area after the tent collapsed in a snow storm, and the crazy weather/ heat wave/ environmental impacts of climate change. Farming is always going to be a struggle, but this year brought up a lot of new challenges for all of us. I think it's safe to say all three of us burnt ourselves out, and although it was an extremely successful season, we sacrificed a lot of our physical and mental health. I think this is a conversation that not many farmers talk about and there's more on that another day.
Building of the high tunnel (partially sponsored through an NRCS government grant)
Inside of High Tunnel The new "East" Plot
The collapsed storage/event tent Building of the Chicken Tractor aka Chicken Palace
What to expect in 2022?
Sprout & Blossom Farm and Flat Tack Farm have decided moving forward we will go back to running our businesses autonomously. We will still be operating on the same property and leaning into what cooperative farming is all about! Shared resources, infrastructure, tools, machinery, knowledge and support. Of course, there are still some projects we will collaborate on, but creating more separation allows us all to focus on our individual interests. We all have a similar foundation that we approach farming with and common beliefs. I’m sure some of you know that Patrick is a chili head, Lyndsay loves her flowers and Kelly is diving into soap making and preserving! These are just some of the things that we all want to develop further on an individual basis.
The fine details have yet to be figured out for next season and nothing will be announced until next year. The best way to stay up to date is look out for our emails. Until then, we wish you all good health and happy new year.
One Last Thing!
Here you'll find our 2021 CSA end of season survey. Your feedback means so much to us, especially as we move forward.
Your farmers,
Lyndsay, Kelly, and Patrick
