In your share this week:
- leeks
- cabbage
- garlic
- golden beets
- tomatoes *Many were picked under-ripe because of this being our last week. They should ripen fully in the next week.
- basil
- dill
- parsley
- cucumber
- salad mix
- collard greens
- cauliflower or broccoli - Jackson & Afton
This is your LAST CSA share of the 2015 season. Week #22!
All of this great food at nearly the end of October! What a beautiful abundance and blessing! We are so grateful for the mild weather that has been good on the crops and that has allowed us to work these last few weeks in relative comfort and ease.
I am SO appreciative of our wonderful Workshare crew that has helped me each and every week for the last 6 months! This is a BIG commitment from a handful of people who sometimes work in challenging weather, on days when they could be recreating or with family, or who could just as easily buy the food instead of giving of their valuable time and energy! Workshares, our hands-on weekly farm help, are essential to the daily operations and success of this CSA farm. I hope each of you appreciate that there are real people growing and harvesting your food each week. People who care enough to literally "Work for Food" at EverGreen Farm - a worthy cause! (We even have the T-shirts to prove it!) Some great friendships are formed while picking vegetables. Even now, as I try to express my sincerest THANKS for their help, my words feel very inadequate.
We've literally dug up, cut, or picked the last of many of our crops for this week's share. There are a few remaining foods that helpers can glean from in the coming weeks as they come to the farm for "Operation CLEAN UP!" There is a LOT to do to get a farm ready for our long, snowy winters in mountains.
22 weeks of fresh, organic produce! All grown at 6,545 feel elevation and in a year with only 38 frost free days. We have so very much to be proud of (and grateful for). Out of the approximate 30 varieties of vegetable and herbs we grew throughout the season, only 4 did not do well and many of our crops did exceptionally well.
So what's next? Well, I have an appointment for a 90 minute massage tomorrow! Then this weekend we are taking a small family vacation to Jackson. The guys are looking forward to the Ski Swap on Saturday. I'm looking forward to dinner at The Rose to taste the culinary genius of Executive Chef René Stein, who was a Workshare at our farm this year. (Really! A chef who cares enough about the food he prepares that he takes the time to help grow and harvest it!) Next week we start "Operation Clean Up" to get as much put away, weeded, etc. before the snow flies.
Looking ahead to 2016 is also on my mind. I've gone through every emotion imagineable in the last 2 months after accepting the fact that some things aren't working out so well. (I'm a red head, maybe a bit stubborn. I give it all I got before saying something isn't working.) It's not so much the weather or the money. Our biggest challenge is securing enough help to run a farm of this nature, a CSA farm. This fall has been hard on me personally, physically, emotionally. The work load is beyond what I can manage. We've spent 12 years creating and perfecting a CSA farm (which requires a LOT of organization) only to have it struggle because of not having enough help. Shain's teaching responsibilities and requirements have increased to the point where he is unable to work on the farm much in the fall. We also realize our family is getting older (parents and children) which means we either want to or need to spend time away from the farm with family related activities and concerns. We have the knowledge, experience, and all the infrastructure to continue operating at our current size, but we are short on help. Only half of our current Workshare crew has said they can return next year. We've overcome some pretty big challenges over the years, but I've never filled that many empty Workshare positions between seasons. It seems the logical thing would be to adjust the size of our CSA accordingly, selling fewer shares to match the number of helpers we can reasonably count on. There are some other ideas floating around as well. The only thing I have decided on is that I'm not going to make a decision while there is still so much work to complete. For me, it's better to make important decisions when my heart and mind are clear to think, feel and receive much needed inspiration.
Something about farmers - we have a hope for the future because we've seen over and over how the universe works - Mother Nature's process from beginning to end. I've planted seeds and reaped the rewards. I've seen many times that when one crop fails, another excels. I've seen hard work in the spring yield amazing results in the fall. I've watched people rally together to accomplish things bigger and better than imagined. I've seen miracles. I don't know what the future brings for EverGreen Farm or the Saberon family. I've spent enough time morning what I've perceived as a personal loss. I'm now trying to see this as a fresh start. We have hope for something that is sustainable for our own personal lives and that continues to bless the lives of those in our community.
Our very best to you all and thank you so much for your support!
Have a great week and ENJOY your veggies!
Love, Tara & Shain
P.S. Information regarding 2016 will be posted to this website and our facebook page as soon as it is available.
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