If you are a past CSA member, you are about to get a paper copy of this letter from the farm with a couple of brochures. It is the annual mailing that indicates time to sign up!! I\'ve been dividing my days all week between greenhouse seed starting work, and folding, stuffing, and writing work. I always do this in February and it feels like sending valentines to all our members, sweet.

We are always accepting new CSA members, you can print a registration from from the website and send it in any time. There is no danger of being turned away for late sign ups, the only danger is limited pick up day and location times. Most of our members want the mid week pick up choice, but we can only do about 100 because of the time and labor required, and spacing the harvest demand on the plants over the week. So if you wait long, you may by default become a Sunday picker upper. But we do think that we can make another 100 CSA shares for the weekend pick up, so that\'s great. We have plenty of great produce to share with everyone.

Dear CSA members,

This year’s batch of CSA brochures just came in, hot off the press, which is nice as it is snowing again. Just when we had convinced ourselves that we were all done with winter rest, grudgingly, ready for spring planting, we get more snow. Sigh. The only part of winter rest that I’m really reluctant to give up is the baking part, and the soup making part, and the cozy by the fire part. Working to get all the seeds started in the greenhouse is a close runner up to sitting by the fire. It is warm and cozy in there and so full of hopeful little sprouts. Our actual farm work time this month is divided pretty evenly between the desk/office, the greenhouse, and the tractor barn repair area.

I love to send out this annual winter newsletter to thank each of you for supporting our farm and family each year. We are grateful beyond words for the privilege of growing good food for our community. There is no other job we would rather be doing, and we thank you so much for trusting us to grow your food.

Every day we hear more news of our crappy economy and we feel nervous about the coming recession and how it will affect us. We feel secure in the knowledge that our farm has been growing a great mix of quality produce that has been feeding families in our area for years. We considered making changes, like growing more staples and fewer exotic items, but then we realized that the mix we have arrived at after each year’s minor adjustments is the mix that satisfies you, our CSA members. We plan to provide you with the staples you need each week and a little something different to keep it fun and interesting. Continuing to sell at farmers markets, restaurants, stores, and schools is also in the plan for 2009. We did make one change along those lines; we cut fingerling potatoes from the seed list and substituted more russet potatoes for the schools. It’s sad to see the fingerlings go, but we get the same eating qualities from the butterballs and they don’t cost as much to us as seed, or to you at eating time. And we like to have more spuds for the kids.

So, if your family is re arranging budget priorities for 2009, please keep your CSA share near the top of the list. CSA is the best way to get fresh local produce. Your commitment to the farm for the entire season, and lower overhead costs compared to market sales, allow us to provide you with more for less.

One more bit of thrilling farm news is that most of our crew from last year will be returning to work again this year, and we are all looking forward to more good times working hard in the sun and rain and sharing lunches and life and laughs. Just as soon as this snow melts away.

Sincerely,

Genine and Colin