We farmers have been busy—so busy that we didn't even have time to write this post!
Decreasing the size of Workshare shifts (to maintain a safe working environment for our members) means we've lost 50 person-hours of labor a week to help manage weeds.
Packing 530 boxes weekly means we're up 30 person-hours of labor a week just to get CSA shares out the door.
And then there's harvest. On Mondays our all-women harvest crew pulls, cleans, and bands an average of 650 bunches of various crops. (Switching to pre-packed boxes has meant an increase in labor spent bunching and bagging things we would normally put out loose, like chard and arugula.) Last week we harvested over 2,000 lbs of cucumbers alone, and next week we'll need to start harvesting tomatoes, with eggplant close on their heels (if tomatoes had heels).
Finally: In order to continue providing the freshest, most nutritious and delicious produce in the safest way possible for our members, we're having to rethink and re-create so many of our systems. Changing systems takes time... at a time of the season when there isn't a minute to spare.
In short: we are so busy we don't even have time to write this post!
So instead, here are some of the photos we've been too busy to share with you on Facebook or Instagram:
We bought a fancy expanding roller-table for packing boxes every week. The set-up required some real feats of physical pretzeling, and squashed a few fingers in the process -- but here it is all set up, and working great!
Left: Isabel unpacks the rolling table. Right: Erin maneuvers it onto a pallet during set-up back in April, and secures it in our new-and-improved wash station in May.
We bought a new tent for our new drive-through CSA Distribution! We are upping our pepper-staking and trellising game this year, so keep your fingers crossed for a good pepper crop.
We've been checking the PYO flowers (they're open for picking this week!) and garlic clove differentiation (they're almost fully developed!)
To continue to offer PYO during the outbreak, we have installed a handwashing station and limited the number of people picking at any one time. So far it's working well - and we've welcomed many CSA members to pick one of the best strawberry crops we've seen in a few years!
New generations of baby ladybeetles have been flourishing on the farm and helping us keep our aphid problems in check! (Top: ladybeetle eggs hatching. Middle: ladybeetle larvae. Bottom: ladybeetle lovin'.)
PS If you see one of these little alligator-looking dudes in your CSA share, don't squish them! Put them in your backyard or in your garden where they can grow into adult ladybugs
CSA Harvests have brought in thousands of pounds of beautiful food every week, including some farmer-favorites like Yokatta-Na, Lacinato Kale, Dandelion Greens and Escarole. (CSA Members: check your email for shareinfo@farmproject to receive weekly recaps, recipes, storage tips and more for your weekly share.)
Every week, amid the chaos of keeping our drive-through CSA distribution running smoothly, we look forward to a colorful new note of encouragement and appreciation from Angela and her picky-eater kids! (We see you and YOU ROCK.)
Thank you to all of our CSA members for your encouragement, support, patience, and gratitude!
And now—back to the fields!