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4.4.12

Homestead Happenings

 It is getting to be that time of year again.  With our warm weather, we have already sewn seeds for cool weather crops and are beginning to contemplate this years farm bags.  It is no small matter of anxiety for me to begin this process.  Above all, I want our recipients to feel that they are receiving value in their bags, and since we have started from scratch three years ago with this process, I feel a little out of water.

Through a friend we found a Wisconsin based CSA called Good Earth Farm, similar to us in that several years ago they started with a handful of families, and they are now doing over 500 families a season.  Their website is extremely helpful giving me some framework to visualize how we will be doing ours.  I was heartened to see that when we send a bag home, our volumes seem to be consistent with what is being sent home in their offerings.  Last year I always put in a little card in the bag highlighting what was included each week and a helpful tip, but this year I am going to try my hand at a newsletter for each week.  I figure, I blog, I can surly get a newsletter out!


 One place that we are going to expand is into herbs.  We have always grown them, but I want to grow them better and on a larger scale so that we can include them fresh or dried this year as well.  We are going to continue to focus on better ways to stay on top of succession planting so that we can have recurrent things like carrots much more frequently.  And, the bees are on their way, so by fall maybe a little offering of honey as well!  So what do you think?  Would you find value in a weekly newsletter?  What special tidbits come in your farm box?

Happy Spring!
Amy
  

2 comments:

julochka said...

the newsletter that comes with our weekly box is a beautifully-produced, glossy collection of recipes (of course, they're doing it on a VERY large scale, all over denmark), plus a front page feature on what's in season or an aspect of farming or just something interesting. on the back is a teaser of what's ahead. but most important are the recipes. and good photos. that glossy newsletter goes in every box, but with the meal boxes that i have subscribed to over the years, you get another ordinary A4 sheet with the suggestions for the 3 meals that come in the box. there's always a little extra info about one of the more unusual ingredients.

it's really exciting! our friend just came with a tractor and plowed up our garden, getting all of the horse poo mixed in well, so we're just waiting now for the frost to recede. we'll probably plant potatoes this weekend and cover them with plastic. please keep sharing your process! i too want to get better at succession planting!

Michelle said...

Thanks for the link to this blog Julochka.

We love our Harmony Valley CSA - and the 2pg weekly newsletters are great - a mix of journalism, list of veg and recipes for the featured veg - check it out here - a number of years of pdfs are archived..
http://www.harmonyvalleyfarm.com/newsletters.php