Week 23

Crop	Half	Cost	Full	Cost
Turnips or radishes	1 bunch	2.00	1 bunch	2.00
Kale			1 bunch	2.00
Collards	1 bunch	2.00
Chard			1 bunch	2.00
Lettuce Mix			½ lb.	3.00
Braising Mix	1 lb.	3.00
Spinach or Arugula			3/4 lb. Or 1/3 lb.	3.00
Eggplant	1 lb.	2.00
Basil	1/8 lb.	1.00	1/8 lb.	1.00
Peppers			1 lb.	3.00
Tomatoes	2 smaller	1.50	2 larger	2.00
Total		11.50		18.00

What's Going on?

Hello folks.  Hope you all had a nice week.  We have fall crops!  I wish we had more for all of you, but what we do have is good so enjoy.  A few announcements first:

- I am going to go ahead and make this the last delivery for the season.  I wasn't sure what things were going to look like after this harvest, but we are pretty depleted.  The unfortunate factor here being bad germination and dry weather in mid-late August.

-I am still having the Oct. 15^th garlic planting work day.  All are invited to come on out and plant some garlic with myself and other members.  We will start at 1pm and go not later than 3pm. 

-I will be emailing a couple things out to folks in the next few weeks.  First, I want to email a survey to fill out online and email back.  Next, I am thinking I will try emailing folks about reserving spots for next season as opposed to using snail mail for that purpose as I have in the past.  I am not sure how this is going to work, but we will try it out.  I need a reservation (no payment for that just intent) before November 15^th, which is the date I send out openings to my wait list.  No need to do anything yet though, like I said, I will email out info to you all. 

On other fronts, we have been taking down, pulling up and mowing.  Putting the farm to bed for the winter.  Once the last piece of drip line is out of the field, the last T-post bleached to prevent bacteria overwintering on it, and once the last cover crop seed is sown, it is time to get to all those winter 'projects' that have been nagging at me all season long.  To give you an idea of some of the interesting things on the plate for this winter, I will name a few.  I want to build a stall in my tobacco barn for the pigs, also I want to build a side roof coming off my storage building in order to create more weather protection for storing equipment and the like.  I want to build a set of stairs going to the loft of my pole shed so we can stop swaying on a ladder as we store things up there for winter.  I want to do planning...this is the most fun.  Working on the computer and running numbers, making different projections about income, expenses, plantings, timing, you name it.  And conferences, I love winter Ag. Conferences.  There is one at the end of this month in South Carolina put on by the Carolina Farm Stewardship association.  It will be, and always is, a great educational and socializing event.  Tons of sustainable agriculture geeks in one place.  What could be better. 

But donŐt think it is all fun and games!  Believe it or not the first seeds for the next year are started in the greenhouse as early as December 1^st!  That is only two months away!  Hard to believe.  These seeds will be for early lettuce in the spring as well as onion and leek transplants to go out in early March.  From that point the seeding just picks up as we enter January, seeding in the field in early February, and well, then the cycle continues and we are right back into the swing of things.....popping strawberries, making tomato sandwiches and craving fall greens.  It is good work.

I want to thank you all for being part of the program this year.  We have members this year who have been part of the CSA program since the farm started six years ago, as well as folks who have taken part for their first season, and everywhere in between.  All of you make this farm possible.  Hope to see you out here in a couple of weeks to plant garlic.  Have a great winter.

Elise.