Hi Everyone,
In this update we'll touch on the following topics:
1. Member Potluck here at the farm this Saturday
I hope you all remember that this Saturday is our annual Potluck. It sounds like the rain is going to give way to another high pressure system on Thursday. Saturday is forecasted to be sunny and much warmer. So we encourage you all to come join us!
The meal is very informal. We ask you each to help make this simple by bringing your own silverware, plates, and beverage containers. We also ask that each family bring one dish - either a main dish, a salad, a desert, or bread - in a quantity large enough to serve your own family and a couple of other people. These are the only guidelines we've ever had for our potlucks, and they always work out just fine.
We're going to eat at 5:00. We have traditionally had a "work party" the afternoon of the potluck. And this year too, for those of you who would like get involved in some kind of farm chores, we'll do the same. Whatever we do will be something that the whole family can get involved in, so don't worry about the kids. One thing I know we're hoping to do is to get some of next year's legume seed collected and "shucked." I've never known a child that didn't enjoy shucking bean seed - in fact, I'm not sure I've known an adult that didn't enjoy it either! We'll start the "work" part of the day in afternoon at 2:00.
So come one, come all, and enjoy what looks to be a beautiful evening at the farm. We'll probably even break out the hay wagon for a Fall Equinox hay ride after dinner.
2. Rain, rain, go away?
It's hard to whine about rain when we've just scorched our way through what was probably our driest summer in recorded history (and possibly since the times that preceded the last ice age). On the other hand, while the rain is not "too little," it is definitely "too late." But what wouldn't we have given for a rain like this a month ago, or, even more, two months ago! Oh well, this was just one of those seasons in which it didn't happen for us. I suppose the good part of it was that we now know for sure just what we can accomplish without any liquid replenishing from Mother Nature, and we know how hard we have to work to do it!
On the plus side, the constant sunshine meant that when we irrigated, whatever got water grew very well. That accounts (in part) for the excellent production we enjoyed this year. I guess another plus is that it is statistically unlikely that any time in the near future we will have to work as hard as we did this year to compensate for Mother's "withholding." But if we do, and with global warming changing a lot of weather patterns it may be the case, at least we know what it takes!
3. Will it always be like this?
This was an excellent year of production for the farm, and I believe the shares reflected that. There's no doubt that the value of the shares for the year will end up being considerably higher than what you paid. And for those of you who have been able to take advantage of the u-pick opportunities, the value of your share will be even higher. Some among us have suggested the shares have been too large, especially of late, and that we've erred in providing this much produce for the cost.
We've gone around and around on this one. But not just this year, it has been a subject that has been with us from the beginning. The reason for the concern about the shares being too large is historical. A number of years ago we had an over-abundance, which we duly passed on to our members. The next year our number of family share members dropped in half ("why get a family share when you get so much with a couples share?"), and many of our couples share members decided they would share their share with another family. The following season was a disaster for us. Thereafter we had to take the step of not allowing members to share shares (except in the way specified in our current CSA handbook). We also have been careful since then to try keep the box proportional to the cost.
So, this year we slipped a bit. We had a lot of produce. Part of the reason is that we had great weather (and we "packed the pipe"!). The other reason is that we are becoming better farmers, and because of that are likely to produce more even if the weather isn't exceptional. So what do we do with the "more produce"? This year we made it available to members. Here are our thoughts on why we did this:
So, that's my apologia (this is a Greek word that means "a defense" - not an apology!) for the larger boxes this summer. I hope you'll all accept it for what it is. I also hope that you aren't thinking "we got more than we could use, because we didn't take or use everything we got it's not a good deal, so we probably shouldn't join next year" or something like that. We're not trying to "buy" the market by giving too much produce, we just want to do, all things considered, what is right. And I guess that's all I want to say about that. It may be more than you want to know. But you are all members, not "customers." We think you have a right to know why we do what we do.
4. Processing: pumpkins and raspberries
Just as you all got a lot of u-pick raspberries this year, we too did our share of raspberry picking. And just as you will all get a healthy dose of cooking pumpkins this year, we've already dipped into the pumpkin supply. On that note, I'm hoping you're all getting prepared for cooking pumpkins this season. Last year we were a little short on the "Cinderella" pumpkins. As it seems to go, what we were short of last year we have in abundance this year - funny how that happens. These are the French heirloom cooking pumpkins that are great for pies and, in our case, pumpkin butter. So get ready! We're planning on distributing them the week after next (the first week of October).
Wendy and I have now made the annual trek to Goldbar to the processing plant. Each year we gain confidence as we make our jam, pumpkin butter, salsa, and the other items from our farm that we have preserved. This is the first year we used the Cinderella pumpkins for the pumpkin butter, and I was amazed at the difference between the puree we made with them compared to the New England Pie Pumpkins. Even the owner of the processing plant commented on the quality of the pumpkins. So as of today the jam is all made, and most of the pumpkin butter is made as well. It's a lot of fun to do, and we feel lucky that we can be involved in the process but do so under the watchful eye and expertise of the cannery operators. Because they do this every day of the year, their oversight, and the oversight of the State Health inspectors who make more than just an annual trip to Goldbar for inspections, insures the safety of the product. Wendy got home from the plant just an hour ago, and we happily gobbled down the first jar of pumpkin butter: our best ever!
5. Spinach anyone?
Today I heard a couple of radio commentators discussing the recent outbreak of e-coli poisoning that has been traced to processed spinach from California. Apparently spinach is not available in any of the local stores. One of the commentators said the only place to get spinach right now is from your local organic food distribution systems. The other responded that he subscribes to a local organic delivery service and his delivery service told their members that the spinach was unavailable.
I hope all of you can read through those lines the way we do. Of course the major grocery chains have, in a justifiable reaction, taken all spinach off the shelves. But what about the local organic food home delivery companies? Why don't they have spinach? Well, I think you know, but I'm going to say it anyway. I'm not sure I've ever said this in a newsletter, and I hope it doesn't sound too self-serving, but no situation could more clearly demonstrate a little issue I have with delivery companies that call themselves "local organic home delivery."
What at least some (possibly more, but I don't know that for sure) mean when they say "local organic home delivery" is that their company is local: they are a local organic delivery system that buys in "organic" produce from anywhere in the world they can get it at the lowest price. It sounds like "local organic home delivery" would deliver local organic produce. But it's not what they mean. This may seem like a small, interpretive issue. But as an advertising line the equivocation is invaluable: it takes a savvy consumer (or just an astute CSA member!) to recognize that the "local" refers to the distributor, not the produce.
This distinction only becomes obvious in times like this. Why does the "local organic home delivery" company not have spinach available now? Not because there is no local spinach available! As all of you know this has been a great year for spinach, and even now we have a lot of it in the field. The reason they don't have spinach is because in many ways most of them (maybe not all, but I know of no exception) buy their produce through the same distribution systems as the chain stores. This is true even when the same items are being grown right here locally. It's sad, but true.
It may seem like it would be hard for me to be "objective" about this, but honestly I don't see the "local organic home delivery" companies to be in the same business as we are (except during the off-season, when we too have to buy non-locally because we can't grow then). As the owner of one of those companies once said to me as we walked our farm together, and this was said with more than a little sadness and a clear tone of melancholy, "I've got a warehouse in the industrial district; you have the real thing." The delivery services do provide a service to many people who can't buy in other ways, but I believe it is with good reason that I (and others) question their oft-stated and/or implied commitment to local, organic produce.
So, getting back to the spinach, I was shocked (almost beyond belief) to read in today's paper that the FDA has advised people against eating fresh spinach from any source. Could I really have read that right? An e-coli outbreak has been traced to a single distribution system in California, and the FDA puts out an advisory to not eat fresh spinach from any source? If that kind of logic were exhibited by a freshmen or sophomore in one of my logic classes, I would (gently) help the student to understand first the established rules of analogy, and second help them to understand the most basic fallacy of inductive logic: the attribution of qualities of one member of a group to the group as a whole. The only thing that makes it possible for me to not believe that the newspaper was wrong in its report is that I know that the FDA promotes the use of GMOs, approves the use of toxic chemicals that are known to be carcinogenic, and in general has shown itself to be an agency whose directives are guided neither by reason nor by science but by the pressure of political and corporate interests. I should add that my dismay at the dictum of the FDA at the national level was modulated by reports that here in Seattle, local farmers at farmers' markets sold out of their fresh spinach. I guess that's a fairly definitive statement about the credibility of the FDA.
6. Tuesday busyness
Many of you are new members this season. Those of you who aren't know we were seeking an increased membership for this season. I guess the presence of so many new members shows that our requests for you to "recruit" were heeded. Now many members have asked just how many members we plan to have. Is there some number that we think we would not want to go beyond?
Often when Wendy and I are trying to make a decision about something, we both decide without discussion what we would do, and then compare our decisions. We did that with the question of what the maximum number of CSA members we should have, and, interestingly, we came up with the same number: 400. I also asked Jacob, and he quite spontaneously said the exact same number! So we're in agreement about that. But realistically, how can we accommodate another ninety-or-so members? We can certainly grow the food - none of us involved in the growing end of things doubts that. But can the farm handle more members without crowding?
The answer to that question is "yes," but not without adding another pick-up day. As things stand now, Friday is not too busy a day, and Saturday is a very light day. We had thought that some of the Tuesday busyness would be mitigated by a Saturday pick-up, but after two years it just hasn't happened. So, we're thinking that if we added another mid-week day (probably Wednesday, which is about as "mid-week" as you can get) we could take some pressure off Tuesday and accommodate the increased membership. We also suspect that a significant portion of the increase will probably be delivery.
This season we had about 120 members pick-up at the farm on Tuesday. We felt like that was a few too many for a single day - and many of you said that too. We had ninety members pick up this year on Friday, and the thirty fewer members that come to the farm on Fridays made a huge difference in terms of parking and crowdedness of the barn. All this, combined with the fact that we hope to have more new members next year, leads us to the conclusion that we need to go ahead and have a Wednesday pick-up. We're also thinking that if we add a day, we will make one of the days have a shorter pick-up time (probably noon to 4:00). If do that, we would also limit the number of members we take on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday to the first ninety who apply (Saturday is a long, long way from being "over-crowded"!). This seems to us to be a positive plan for next year. It's not stamped in the bricks, and we'd be happy for any input you might have, but for now we're leaning that way.
7. October Madness
It's about to happen again. For 80% of our Summer Session, CSA is the only thing we focus on. For the last three weeks, we also do "pumpkin season." Pumpkins are our cash crop. To be honest, they are (unfortunately, still, not as much as used to be, and more than we hope they will be next year) the thing that keeps the farm afloat. They have also become an important way for us to introduce the farm to people who sometimes later become members, and raise the consciousness of many people about the existence of organic farms. So we do it.
That means some of you will need to keep a few things in mind. Delivery members are not affected at all. Tuesday and Friday members are only affected if you come to do your pick-up before 2:30. If you pick up on Tuesday or Friday between 2:30 and 6:00 you will be unaffected. Saturday pick-up folks, well, there aren't too many of you, and you folks are such a "low maintenance" group that I think you can handle it.
So for the Tuesday and Friday people who pick up early (between noon and 2:30) and the Saturday people, what should you do? Tuesday and Friday members will encounter school children from noon to 2:30, and very likely a jammed parking lot. As we did last year, we will keep a "no-parking/load and unload only" zone in front of the barn for CSA pick-up. But you still may need to park across the street, walk to the barn, get your produce, leave it at the steps of the barn, get your car, drive it to the "no parking zone/load and unload only," and load it there. You won't be able to park your car in the "no parking/loading only" zone - only to pick-up produce that is all ready to go. That sounds worse than it is, and it's also the worse-case scenario. But you need to know what you might face if you come early.
For Saturday members the scene is different. If you can get here early - from 10:00 to 11:00, you will be virtually unaffected. But after 11:00, and especially if it's a sunny day, the farm will be alive with activity. That's not, by the way, a bad thing. It's not school tours! And knowing a lot of you who come on Saturdays, I think you'll like the activities. But you, too, will have to park where you can, get your produce, leave it at the steps of the barn, and then drive your car to the "no parking/load only" area for loading. I think/hope that for most of you Saturday folks the pluses of the October activities will balance out the inconvenience.
8. Organic Certification (ok, we’ve done a modified capitulation)
Most of you know that I don't have a lot of respect for the locution "certified organic." We used to be that, but it means far less now than it used to. So how and why did we capitulate?
Well, we didn't certify the produce sections of our farm, we only certified the pastures and the areas where we grow grain. The reason we certified those is so that we can sell our hay and wheat to people who are not a part of our community, don't know us, and want some kind of assurance that we farm using organic practices.
The certification process was pretty easy, really. The inspection was a breeze. Organic inspectors are something like border crossing guards: they learn to size people up quickly, and usually fairly accurately. I don't think it took our inspector five minutes to recognize we are not only organic enough to be certified, but way more. So the "inspection" was a breeze.
We don't anticipate selling a lot of wheat or hay, but we may want to sell some, and being certified will help. After all, how many of you want to get a bale of hay in your box? The certification of pasture also means that all the calves born on our farm from here on (we should have three in October) will be certified organic. I doubt that we'll end up selling them as certified organic, but if we want to we can.
We think we will need a herd of about 30 cows to become what Rudolf Steiner called a "balanced" farm. That just means that we need the manure from that many cows to be able to supply six tons of compost applied to each acre of crop-land one year in three. If you do the math, it goes like this: we farm about 40 acres each year. That means each year we need enough compost to apply six tons of compost on 13.3 acres, or about 80 tons of compost. Cow manure isn't the only component of compost, but it's a big one, and the manure shrinks a lot in composting. We figure to get six tons of finished compost we will need 8 tons of manure. That means we need about 108 tons of manure go get our 80 tons of compost. We recover about one ton of manure per month/animal. This is accomplished in the winter, with the animals in the loafing shed - we don't recover anything in the grazing season, except when we have the animals actually grazing during the middle years of an extended fallow on land to be followed by crops. So if we keep the cows in the loafing shed during the wet months (November, December, January, and February), we end up with four tons of recoverable manure per (adult) cow. So it turns out that to get our 108 tons of recoverable manure we would need 27 cows. I think a herd of about 40 cows, (recognizing that we will be slaughtering steers from time-to-time, and removing older cows from the herd) will assure us of what we need and also allow a bit of a margin. I also think we can support a herd of that size on our farm, using the land that is either permanent pasture (the "wet meadows" that could probably never be farmed) and using the fallow crop land. That's probably more than most of you wanted to hear, but to the one person who actually read through all this (Leif?), let me know what you think!
9. Organic beef and pork for this year
Having said all that I said in the previous (mostly unread, I'm sure!) paragraph, I can now say that we won't be selling any beef this fall. We do have three steers we'd like to butcher, but we really want their manure for our compost. So we won't be selling them until late next spring.
The pork we will have has already been spoken for. We will be in touch with those of you who have committed to a side of pork.
10. October is Membership Month
After saying a lot about membership in this update, I almost forgot that it's time to remind you that October is "Membership Month." This is the month that we would like to get all our registrations for the following season. That doesn't happen, of course, but it is the month that we get more registrations than any other. We ask for a $100 deposit with registration. That money is carefully "squirreled away" for our start-up costs that we incur in the winter for the spring plantings.
This is just a note to make you all aware of what is coming up. I'll say more about registering for next season in the next update. I think this one is long enough for now!
Erick and Wendy Haakenson