CSA seasonal flowers start NEXT week!
Thank you to everyone who has written to wish us well at the farm. We apologize if we are not able to answer each and every email. Farming has officially been deemed an “essential service”, which makes a lot of sense, and we are continuing our work, creating ways of protecting our staff, our produce and our customers. Many people have written repeatedly asking questions like the following: “Hi. I know this is a tough time for everyone. I saw the email that was sent out with instructions for people picking up boxes. I was hoping to get more information about precautions taken by Full Belly staff, otherwise I will cancel.”
We completely understand the level of concern that is felt by everyone. We are committed to providing the best boxes that this moment in our seasonal cycle allows us — This is an expectant moment in the fields, as many of our seasoned members are aware from their experiences in year’s past. This is a time for patience and anticipation of the delights that late spring and summer will bring.
We will continue to provide e-mail updates, and will continue to write to you about the precautions that we are taking. As we described in last week’s newsletter, Full Belly has always trained our staff to wash their hands often. Staff will get additional paid sick days if they get sick. We are monitoring the health of our staff and will ask them to return home if they show signs of flu. All of our truck drivers are carrying sanitizer. Your CSA boxes, if they are the hard plastic ones, are washed in hot water and then in food-safe sanitizer.
Think about the number of hands that touch any item that you buy off of a grocery store shelf and compare that to the number of hands that touch an item from our Farm that goes direct to you. That’s an interesting exercise, partly suggested to illustrate the benefits of a local food system, and partly to illustrate the benefits of just washing your hands often right now!!
Full Belly asks that as all of us navigate the limitations of “sheltering in place,” please respect the generosity that our pick-up site hosts offer. Give them and other CSA members all the space they need. If there’s an issue with your box please email us, without involving your host. Let’s all respect each other’s boundaries. If there are other people arriving to pick up their boxes, please give them a minimum of six feet or better yet wait until they are done before approaching. We can use the tools that we need to be patient and work around the problem. We’ve been given an opportunity to rise to this occasion by being as community-minded, socially conscious and as hopeful as we can be.
Spring is a beautiful time — Flowers all colors of the rainbow are blooming abundantly at Full Belly, promising future harvests. We encourage anyone who can, to go outside and breath in the Spring as deeply as you can. We are grateful for many things, and will all hold a special place in our hearts during this crisis for the health workers all over the world, doing their best under difficult circumstances. Summer abundance is around the corner. Blessings on your meals.
—Judith Redmond
