Most permaculture experts agree that in year seven the systems reach maturity and become stable. It gives me great joy to look at our first garden area, what we call "The Permaculture Garden," and confirm that, indeed, the system has become stable, resilient, and productive. In today's picture you see some great looking greens that will be included in your first box this week, but in the middle and background we have our perennial garden and orchard. In that area we have fruit trees that are loaded with fruit this year (almost exploded compared to previous years). We have apples, peaches, mulberries, plums. In that general area, we have some of our perennial bushes (currants, gooseberries, elderberries). Those too are blooming abundantly. We are filled with gratitude seeing all that abundance. Our year seven at farming is promising one great harvest and we are excited that you will be participating in the bounty with which we have been blessed.
This year, we are also grateful for our hardworking field crew. Jack, Taylor, and Dane are back! And this year we welcome Mattias, who even though new to the payroll, is by no means a stranger to the farm and our family. Amanda will again be doing most of the deliveries, so you'll get to see her smiling face around. My dad has been dealing with health issues but continues to do a lot around the grounds. He is taken upon overseeing the irrigation system, which has become quite complex these days, and is also doing animal chores (he feed the animals and collect eggs!). And, to facilitate our media presence and improve communication (including more recipes, cooking, gardening tips, and the CSA member perspective), Maria Rudy will be helping from her computer and her kitchen (and occasionally from the fields).
All in all, we are off to a great start. I hope you are as excited as I am about the CSA season. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. And, if you'd like to keep updated on the status of your food, please follow us on facebook/instagram. We try to document as much as we can so that you get the real "picture" of how your food is grown. Blessings from the homestead,
Pedro
