CSA - 2012. This is it!

Thank you to all of you who have joined us for this season (which I think is going to be our best. It is 2012 after all). I hope you were all able to see the write up in the Bergen Record... http://www.northjersey.com/food_dining/146768045_CSAs_are_helpingconsumers_getfresh_produce_boost_N_J__farms.html

And just for the record, Whole Foods approached me about providing a CSA pickup location in their parking lot in Ridgewood. (Like they need more business!) It was tempting (who wouldn't like to advertise being in Whole Foods (even if it's just their parking lot)? But, I could not. In good conscience. My goal is to put them out of business! lol. (But I'm not really laughing). I'm serious. Someone once told me (and I really try to listen to what people tell me) that I have a "long thought" like a long coat rack in which I hang a lot of coats (and I do...have a lot of coats). But I think he was right. I do have a long thought.

This thought of a CSA has taken me on a long and wild ride with many ups and downs. It's so much easier than I thought (those little seeds want nothing more to do than sprout and grow and produce some offspring (if we let them but we don't, the vegetables don't taste that good if we let them go to seed!). And it's so much more challenging and complex than I ever thought it would be (those little seedlings need to be picked (at the right time), banded (one girl already dropped out of the CSA because she's allergic to rubber bands), washed (think deep well, big wash tub, power washer and really wet pants and shoes, yuck!), packed, stored in a walk-in cooler, loaded into a truck, unloaded, repacked into canvas bags, driven back home, washed again, stored in refrigerator, prepared and served. (And this is directly from the farm to you!) Think how many more layers of "process" that all the veggies in Whole Foods (and all grocery stores -- I don't mean to pick on Whole Foods) go through. And that's why we're all here. In the CSA. Because we want something different. Something better. At least something real. And real we are.

You may think that your signup forms and checks have gone into a black hole. But I assure you they have not. We appreciate each and every member. I keep wanting to have the CSA so perfect so that we can send an individual thank you and welcome to each member as they sign up. It's just that when everyone is signing up just happens to be the busiest time of the farm season...just last week we planted 30,000 plants (from our Amish farmer friend) by hand. And this week we are busy cutting and planting hundreds of pounds of potatoes. And then, it's time to plant celery and celeriac! And after what we think will be the final frost, then it's time to plant tomato, pepper, eggplant and tomatillo plants. And herbs. And we have lots of them.

So, just so you know...we are here. Thinking of you and grateful that you have entrusted us for vegetables for this year of 2012!. We will see you soon. If not before, Tuesday, June 5. The first pickup