Wednesday, April 23, 2008

April 23, 2008
Happy Spring CSA Members,

Or could it just be summer already? The weather sure has been perfect for working outdoors the last couple weeks, though I suppose a little strange. We are nearing our first delivery week and thought I would let you in on a little of what we've been up to.

Last week we planted a number of frost tolerant veggies including potatoes, shelling and snap peas, spring onions, beets, and carrots. This week hearty greens, lettuces, broccoli raab and a few others are on our list along with a lot of hoeing as weeds are beginning to emerge. Russ and Steve are also working on building a large, walk-in cooler in the barn which should be complete by the end of next week. Another on-going project is taking place in our basement where we have turned a section into a propagation area where we've been busy starting seedlings that are transplanted and moved to the greenhouse when large enough and eventually moved to the field once the threat of frost has passed.

I'm excited to tell you about our addition of both asparagus and ever-bearing strawberries. Two large rows of asparagus have been planted and we are in the process of planting a total of 2000 strawberry plants. As many of you know, this family's forte has always been fruit farming. The bad news is the asparagus harvest won't be until the following spring and our first strawberry harvest won't be until early fall. However, the good news is we have talked with our close friends who grow apples and strawberries and plan on delivering berries for one or two June deliveries. The berries will come from Versluis Orchards on M45 in Standale and will be harvested and picked up the same day they are delivered; this was a part of our agreement. If you prefer we leave these out of your box let me know, but I can assure you from experience they are excellent. We are also putting in mid-season raspberry bushes which will give us raspberries all summer long beginning next summer. I was not a part of this decision as raspberries take forever to pick and a break in the season is kind of nice:)

I will send out a final confirmation soon to everyone that will go over your delivery or pick-up procedure with your particular day and time. Included will be farm visit information and an updated monthly crop list. I attached a couple pictures for you to check out and few resources that may be helpful to you. Hopefully soon we will have a website up and running where this information can be available.

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