Monday, October 19, 2009

10/19/09 Newsletter

Dear Friends of the Farm;

It is the last week of summer distribution and the time has flown by! Jerry & I would like to thank you for your generous support of this farm. We ended up with a great variety of produce under the circumstances! I understand there were other CSA farms in the area that did not fare as well.

We tried something different with the working members by having Team Leaders. These Leaders came from our Core Group & took ownership in our distribution day by getting everyone assigned job duties, overseeing Distribution, supervising the loading of trucks and even going on deliveries now and then. This was a huge help to Jerry and I and each Team Leader did an outstanding job!

Your CSA farm would not function without your working members. These are very unique people that want to be more involved with the farm than just getting produce. They are the very people that help in the planting of your crops, weeding and even harvesting those same crops. They get the opportunity to watch the farm reinvent itself spring, summer and fall. Members' children benefit from this the most by seeing crops evolve from peas & lettuce in the spring to winter squash in the fall.

Another experiment this year was having non-working members help with farm chores at certain times of the year. It was wonderful seeing all the people that came out in the spring to help plant this year. Our fall harvesting crews were smaller, but very effective. We would love to see more members get involved. This will help you feel more connected to your farm. It is fun and a great opportunity to meet other members. The more members that come out to help (especially in the spring), it will help to keep our costs down so that we do not need to raise prices every year!

Please continue to send in your surveys, either by mail or Distribution Centers will take them. Jerry & I take the time to read each and every one of them. We want your surveys, both good and bad. However, if you do not send in a survey, we will assume you were extremely happy with your vegetable share and wouldn't change a thing, (although it is always good to hear that)!

For those of you who wish you could get more produce; this is what our normal shares look like. If it wasn't enough produce for your family, you may need to increase your share size. For those of you who got too much, you may need to decrease your share size. Keep in mind, every growing year is different and we may not be able to supply the same amount of produce from year to year. A member who has been with the farm for 14 years had this to say, "It appears you have one bad year for every three good ones. The good ones more than make up for the one bad year!"

If you change your mind about the Winter Share and would like to get involved, please let me know. We did not get enough interest in a Golden Distribution Center, but did get enough members to start the Broomfield Distribution Center. The two Distribution Centers in Central Denver have given me their hours: 38th and Tennyson is from 4:30pm to 6:30pm and the Colfax and Sheridan location will be from 3pm to 6pm. Those members signed up for the Central Denver site will need to call me and let me know which location is your preference. There is a limit of 25 members per location, so if one fills up, you will automatically be placed in the other! Winter Distribution will begin Wednesday, November 4th.

This week you are getting French fingerling potatoes, Delicata winter squash, yellow onions, carrots, garlic, green cabbage or cheddar cauliflower, red and green peppers and tomatoes.

Thank you again for your support this summer and winter. We look forward to being your farmers again next year! Have a great winter!

Jerry, Jacquie, Alaina and Kyle



Drying Pumpkin or Squash Seeds

Rinse fibers from seeds. You will need ¼ cup salt to one quart water. Cover seeds with salted water and bring to a boil. Simmer for two hours. Drain seeds and dry on paper towels. Spread seeds on a shallow baking sheet. If desired, can add other seasonings at this time, such as; garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt, jalapeno powder, chili powder etc. Bake at 225 degrees for one hour or until golden brown. Stir occasionally. Seeds should be crisp to bite. Let cool completely and store in an air tight container.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks, Jerry, Jacquie, Alaina and Kyle, for a great summer!

    ReplyDelete