Winter CSA! It's Time!
Hello Heron Pond Farmers
Well the fight to get through this summer has not stopped us from thinking about the winter. Believe it or not some of our planing for winter had to begin last winter with the planting of our onion and shallot seed. All of us here at the farm were thinking of winter as we waited long and hard for the rain to come and put some size on our potatoes. As you may know Farmers Ben and Pete have worked hard getting water to those fields. While we may get a lull in our summer potato crop, it is nice to know they now have the water to size up for winter.
Many improvements have been made to last years winter CSA. But we still have some fine tuning to do before we can start registration. Please take the time to respond to this survey, even if you will not be with us this winter. It is just ten questions (two if you will not be in the winter CSA), but your responses really do help us make a better program for our growing community. Remember that this is your farm too. We need to know what the community would like us to do.
There will be 200 shares offered for the winter. Only full shares will be available. As with last year we will have a buddy board so you can split a share with someone near you if you like. Those in the summer CSA will have first shot at the winter shares, followed by those who were with us last winter. If you winter with another CSA (as is the case with many Wolf Piners) you will still have first shot at summer shares with us next year. We will open up the winter program to the general public if shares are still available about the first week of September.
We have increased the greenhouse and over wintering space for fresh greens this year. This fall we will be installing a field house to get those early spring greens. Our garlic and onion plantings are four times what they were last year. Much more choice and quantity with the winter squash this year. Last year we lost our Brussels sprouts to the rains. This year we have had good luck and gotten plenty of water to them. The problems with wood chucks in our fall brassicas has been solved so there will be a bunch for both winter and late summer folks to get plenty. As with all CSA's some stuff will work out some of it won't. Talk with other community members about the job we do and get involved with making decisions on your farm.
As soon as we get the surveys back we will send out our best guess as to what will be in the winter share, along with a way for you to register online, price, and pick up dates. Thank you all for your feedback that has gotten us this far. All the support that the community has given us has made us a better farm each year.
Here is to eating well all winter!
Andre