Summer Harvest Share - Week 11

 Hey!  It's Week 11! It's summer fruit time! Watermelon and cantaloupe (just getting started) from our farm and available in your boxes this week! We have local Maine blueberries this week as well as late summer local strawberries! And since it's week 11, that means after this week, there are just 5 more deliveries of the Summer CSA (16 total weeks).    The last week of SUMMER share deliveries is the week of September 19th!  But we deliver all year round!  Fall is just around the corner (share deliveries start the week of October 3rd), and our winter shares will open for sign-ups in a little more than a month! Just a little reminder to think ahead for all your local food needs and sign-up now. 

Some thoughts on "inventory".... Or how do we know what will be in the shares each week?

Sounds super interesting I'm sure, but I've had this farm anecdote floating around in my head for a while and enough time today to finally get it down.  First, a quick story:  A few weeks ago when it was very very hot, I placed an order online at Walmart for a literal carload of drinks, as on very hot days we pack iced coolers full of water and other gatorade-esque drinks for the field team (and allot etxra shade breaks throughout the day to help keep everyone safe).  It was a hodge-podge of waters, juices, sports drinks etc to keep everyone happy and hydrated in the sun.  When I got my order confirmation, literally all the items save one or two had been swapped for something else.  It didn't matter to me or the crew as it was meant to be a total medley, but sizes, flavors - all swapped.  And this is a multi-billion dollar company with a huge inventory, also with multiple people whose job it is to monitor inventory and a mega software system to inventory and sell items. 

See the broccoli below - it's about the size of my fist - if we wait for 3 days, at sunny and 85 degrees, how many heads of the 1000 we've planted will be ready on Monday? How many more on Wednesday if we're expecting rain/clouds?

Or see Jon picking the shishito peppers here - if we've been getting about 100 lbs off these 2x per week, but they are starting to flush, and seem to be sizing up faster, will I have enough to fill 100 or 200 extra pints for the CSA this week?  Also, how upset will people be about an item if we run out or swap it?  

Also factor in disease which, when humid, can spread through a good looking crop in days (basil is the worst for this!), pests that can sneak up on you - deer have been known to ruin thousands of heads of lettuce overnight, and any number of other fun farming surprises - getting the numbers right each week can be quite the game.  Anyway, I guess it's a little more fun than looking at inventory numbers on a computer screen.  And comparatively, especially given how crazy the supply chain has become lately, I think we're doing ok.  

A Few Housekeeping Reminders:

• Please check your schedules for the coming weeks and reschedule or hold shares for weeks that you will not be able to pick-up.  As people get busy at the end of the summer, we see more last minute scheduling requests.  Unfortunately, this coincides with our crazy busy season too, and we may not be able to accommodate adjustments after the cut-off time of Sunday at 7PM prior to your delivery.  To ensure that your box is scheduled how you would like it to be, please reschedule NOW or as soon as your plans change.
• If you know you have a share on hold that you have not yet rescheduled, now is a great time to do that too!  Held shares must be rescheduled in their original season (summer to summer, fall in the fall), so don't wait until the last minute!  Schedule your held shares for any week between now and the week of September 19th!  If you need any help doing this, you can contact the farm at farmers@harvesttideorganics.com

**Please note! Since berry season is a bit unpredictable this time of year, we cannot guarantee that we will have the blueberries and strawberries from our berry farmers listed below. If we do not have the inventory to meet your order, you will not be charged and we will be sure to let you know no later than Tuesday.  As things stand right now, everything is looking like a green light on our end, so we will keep our fingers crossed!**