Somehow it’s December and we find ourselves almost at the end of another year. Time flies when you’re having fun. And/or when you’re really busy farming. We’ve got this week, next week, and then a four-week break (until the week of January 13).
The weather and surroundings make it clear that seasons are changing. The sun is noticeably weaker, and it gets dark so early. The trees have been turning colors and losing their leaves. The hills haven’t yet turned green, and the fields of cover crops have yet to germinate, so things are looking a little brown. We know that things will look very different very soon, but it takes time.
Now that things are drying out, we can do more transplanting (lots of starts in the greenhouse!), planting (plenty of summer crop fields that need cover crop seed!), and taking down summer fields (mowing, pulling drip tape, etc.). There’s plenty to do when it comes to getting the farm ready to take a break, and last week was too short and too wet to get anything done. So it’s a good thing we had a few days off for Thanksgiving to rest up before the final sprint over the finish line.
One sector of the farm that doesn’t take a break and doesn’t slow down are the animals! Meet Ireland (as in Bells of Ireland – his family members have flower names) born to Violet in the middle of the rain storm on the 20th! His cuteness is a good teaser for the avalanche of lambs coming our way in February.
In the CSA realm, I have a few things of my own to do to wrap up the season.
The first is the annual reminder that if any grey/green boxes have ended up at your house, please bring them back to your CSA site this week or next. Which of course necessitates the reminder that grey/green boxes are not supposed to leave your pickup site – please bring bags, or some other container or box, to take your produce home.
But more importantly, a lot of thank-yous are in order:
- First, to the many individuals, stores, and religious institutions who serve as our pickup sites so that we have a place to deliver our boxes!
- Second, a big thank you to the many generous members of the CSA community who have donated a box (or more) this year. With your generosity, the Charlotte Maxwell Clinic in Oakland received five boxes each week, and we have subsidized $3200 in CSA payments via our Good Food Community Fund to new and long-time CSA members in need of financial assistance. We appreciate your donations and hope we are able to continue to give back to the community in the year ahead.
- To the nice messages, fun updates, and feedback we get. It’s great to know what the CSA means to you. The photo below arrived in my inbox last week from Larissa with the note “Second generation Full Belly butternut squash – the vine grew out of our compost!”
- And lastly, to the amazing Full Belly crew, whether in the field, shop, office, or delivery truck, who make the CSA happen, five days a week, 48 weeks of the year.
Elaine Swiedler, CSA Manager
