Your CSA box this week is the last for 2017. Our CSA deliveries will start again in the week of January 8th. Frankly, we hope that you really miss us — We are YOUR family farmers and your source of fresh, local, organic veggies. We try to create a surprise, a challenge and an inspiration each week. Should we put leeks in the box? Or maybe our members would rather see something different and unusual, like the tat soi… Should we put broccoli in again? It’s a staple kind of crop — people know what to do with it, maybe they would like another week of broccoli? We want to be the muse that inspires your daily meals! These vegetables that we send you didn’t come from a faceless, nameless wholesale supplier, they didn’t come from a factory, they came direct from our fields, harvested by hand, by people that care, that show up at dawn every morning motivated by the challenge of keeping the crops healthy and by the beauty of stewarding the few acres of land that we are so lucky to call home.
During the next few weeks, there may be some deep cleaning in barns and offices, and there may be some crops that require harvest. Certainly the pigs, cows, sheep and hens will get all the care that they need. There may be some meetings, planning and analysis of the year 2017. But the rhythm of marketing, harvest, packing and delivery is going to be on hold for a few weeks. Only a small crew will be on hand and with the cold short nights, the growth of most of the crops in the field will slow to a winter pace.
The longest night of the year, on Thursday December 21st will mark a turning point. In some northern subsistence cultures, by the time the Solstice arrived, fresh food was scarce and meat animals would be harvested with observances and blessings made for the harvests to come. An inventory of food stores would have to take place to determine if there was a danger of starvation for the community before the rebirth of Spring, when new crops would be ready. Are we so far from that connection that we can’t appreciate the importance of blessing the fields and harvests that give life and sustenance to all of us? While there will be a gradual lengthening of the light, it will take time before the soil is warm enough to sprout new seeds or nurture crops.
Some of our crew members will be going to Mexico to visit family that they see only once per year — children and parents will be reunited for a few short weeks. Our year-round crew now stretches their break as long as they can. They treasure this time in Mexico with their families. Our interns are clearing out as well— time to visit friends and family for the holidays. Winter is a great time for vacation. Fewer crowds and the soul draws inward towards introspection and creativity. No better time than winter for a vacation.
Our CSA members form an extended community for Full Belly Farm, just as do our farmers market customers. We value your membership and support. Thank you for being a member of Full Belly Farm. Many blessings on your meals.
—Judith Redmond
Your Farmers at our Holiday Crew Party, Friday, Dec. 1st
