At the beginning of each farm season, I intend to write a lot of blog posts to communicate with our CSA members. Some years I am better at it than others. This year I think I got a D- in communicating with you! Nonetheless, I am so thankful for each and every one of you. We could not, COULD NOT have a farm without you! Our CSA members are the backbone of support for out farm. We try so hard to do our best for you and I hope we succeed each year.
Growing vegetables for a living is beyond difficult. The uncertainty, the low pay, the all-consuming nature of farming, and on and on. But Wyatt and I get to make a living (barely!) doing something good in the world. We get to grow healthy food for our community. We get to see kids grow up loving our vegetables (how many of you have been CSA members since your kids were born??) I took some vegetables over to my friend (and CSA member), Elizabeth’s, house. Her kids tore into the bag, demolished the hakurei turnips, dug into the other vegetables, and when I left they were eating the kale raw. My sister is a CSA member. Her kids always ask “Are these Uncle Wyatt carrots?” They will grudgingly eat store-bought carrots, but they know they don’t taste very good.
I don’t know about you, but I was born in 1971. I grew up eating frozen green beans and peas & carrots because it was what you ate then. Oh! And lots of iceburg lettuce! Talk about tasty veggies! Somehow I liked vegetables through all that and continued to eat them as an adult. I am so delighted that my work today involves making vegetable snobs out of kids! I hope that many of these kids continue to love good vegetables throughout their lives.
Wyatt and I also get to do something that feels like a net positive for our ecosystem and environment. The way we farm provides habitat for birds, reptiles, and many other critters. Wyatt has been learning about soil health and micro rhizomes and has been implementing the things he’s learned on our farm.
I could go on with a lot more, but this is a start. Thank you so much from me, Wyatt, and all of our hard-working farm crew. We truly could not do this without you. We hope you will join us again next year!
And we couldn’t enjoy all these wonderful locally-grown vegetables without you and all of the Red Wagon team. Thank you so much for your valuable and productive work. You contribute to the health and nourishment of the community and the earth and the water.