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A whole new year to grow food starts today!
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Remember when the ground wasn't covered in white?

Many Thanks

You've heard it before, but we couldn't do it without you!

We had a stellar season out at Seeds Farm, and I want you to know that YOU are a huge reason why! We got to spend our days outside doing what we love most; growing healthy, nutrient dense produce for real people that appreciate and value it. Because of customers like you, we are able to stay in business and keep producing the things you love. 

Thank you for being part of our farm. 

Though we didn't get to see you all as much as we'd like, you were always on our mind. As we harvested the produce and packed your boxes, I would envision you opening your box in your kitchen and preparing healthy and tasteful meals for your family and friends. I especially loved bumping into many of you throughout the season around town, at the different drop sites, or out at the farm. 

 

I'd like to share with you a few of the seasons highlights:

  • We had a lot of fun! The crew this year was stellar. There were a lot of hardworking hands behind your boxes -- hands that endured mud, sun, rain, long hours, heat, cold, and exhaustion. And they did it with a smile! Thank you Ian, Michael, Marie, Olivia, and Kayla.
  • The fields have never looked as good as they did this year. In the five years we've been farming, we've learned a few things...and the vegetables are proof of that. That, plus five years of nurturing the soil the way it should be nurtured, makes for high quality produce. 
  • We moved into a new pack shed across the road. This was a game changer for us! We were able to wash produce efficiently and ergonomically, without having to move boxes of produce through mud and out of the sun. We were able to harvest the produce and get it in the cooler faster. This resulted in produce with a better shelf life and therefore is able to retain its' nutrients longer. 
  • We experimented with different soil building techniques which helped us further learn how to grow the best produce in the most sustainable way. In addition to our normal practices, we experimented with compost tea applications (inoculating our soil with beneficial microorganisms) and no-till vegetable transplanting (planting vegetables into soil that has not been disturbed, soil where a cover crop is growing). We're always looking for ways to grow better produce more sustainably.
  • Not a thistle went to seed! If you recall, we had a pretty big problem with thistles this year. Thistles are perennial weeds and are harder to kill than annual weeds as they not only propagate by seeds, but also by rhizome. Little bits of the root left in the ground will sprout a new plant that season and the next. We made it a goal to not let a single thistle go to seed and we accomplished this goal! Lots of weeding by hand (with gloves) to make this happen.
  • We were able to connect with our community in new ways this year. We were thrilled to partner with the Mobile Farmers Market as well as a local non-profit group called Growing Up Healthy, run by a group of Carleton students. Growing Up Healthy distributed ten of our CSA shares each week to low income neighborhoods in Faribault and Northfield. Produce was distributed farmers market style at a subsidized price and also included cooking demonstrations, tastings, and fun recipes to share. 
  • We were happy to continue our relationship with the Northfield Food Shelf by providing ten shares each week. We're glad that everyone can enjoy healthy, local and fresh produce. 
Not everything goes to plan however...
  • And that's why we diversify! We never expect all our crops to perform perfectly. While the broccoli did superbly, our tomatoes did not. You saw many tomatoes in your boxes, but not as many as we planned.
  • Achilles tendons snap. Though our bodies have an amazing ability to heal (as I have witnessed), they never do as fast as you want them to. It was a huge bummer for me to be injured for the fall season. Farming was quite difficult for me, though I tried my best to continue on with a series of crutches, peg leg, and boot. It really made me realize how important it is to take care of our bodies, further emphasizing why we need to eat healthy, exercise, and surround ourselves with people we care about it. It also made me rethink why I farm -- if I should farm. And I can safely say that through this process, I have become a more committed and passionate farmer.
  • I didn't get to see enough of you! In 2013 we distributed our CSA farmers market style, where we laid out all the produce and let you pick what you wanted for the week. This year we boxed up the produce and had you pick up your box. It was more efficient for us and allowed us to spend more time in the fields, but I missed connecting with, YOU, our CSA members! Depending on your feedback, we may return to this model. Stay tuned!
A lot of people ask, what do you do in the winter?

First I rest. It takes me a while to wind down after a busy busy season. And I eat produce from the root cellar (it seems like magic when it's just there, already harvested, waiting for you to drive over and pick it up, no work involved!)

Field work is very seasonal work. We live in Minnesota where it's impossible to be in the fields year round. But farming is not seasonal work! It's pretty much a full time, full year job. Off season I spend a lot of time reflecting on the year and planning for next season. I'll be attending a number of conferences this winter. In January I'll attend the New York Organic Conference, joined by farmers from the Northeast, to learn all about soil health, cover cropping, cultivating, and more. In February, I'll head to St. Cloud for the annual Sustainable Farmers Association Conference. I'll also attend the MOSES conference (Midwest Organic Sustainability Educational Services) at the end of February in La Crosse, WI. Conference season is a wonderful way to soak up loads of new (and old) information and reconnect with farmer friends.

In between these conferences, I'll be sipping tea (or coffee) in front of seed catalogues ordering thousands (millions?) of seeds. Old, trusted varieties as well as fun, new varieties to trial for this year. Have a favorite? Send it my way! I look at our soil management plan, our crop rotation plan, and our nutrient management plan and figure out which crop is going to be grown, where it will be grown, and how.  What nutrients do they need? Do I need to add anything to make them survive rather than thrive? How will it affect the pest pressure? How do I need to prepare the soil for this crop? Will I have enough hands on deck to nurture the crop how it needs to? What implement will I use to cultivate it? Does the tractor need repairs to do this task? How will I harvest it? Wash it? Package it?

In between, I work. In between Thanksgiving and Christmas I make Christmas garland and sell Christmas trees at Eco Gardens downtown Northfield. In the winter I work full time as a dogsled guide up in Ely, MN, at a lodge called Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge. We have 70 dogs that pull our guests through the beautiful Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Come up for a visit! (www.dogsledding.com) I also will be taking a short break to work at a farm in Essex, New York at Essex Farm CSA, a full diet CSA. (Looking for a good book to read? The Dirty Life is the story of Essex Farm CSA and is a fantastic read, one of my favorites). I try to soak in as much farming information as I can by working on other farms and bringing new farming techniques to Seeds Farm.

And I dream of farming. I can't wait for next season to start!
Good News! We're opening our 2015 CSA registration to RETURNING MEMBERS-YOU!

For the first week of the year we'll be offering a 5% discount. That's one free week of vegetables! E-mail seedsfarm@gmail.com to reserve your spot now!

This year we are moving our Uptown drop-site to Tao Natural Foods (2200 Hennepin Ave). We are open to more drop-site locations (your home?) if we can drop off six or more shares at a time. Think about getting a group of families in your neighborhood to become members and have a convenient drop-site every week!
May 2015 grow many memories for you. Happy New Year from Seeds Farm!
Copyright © 2015 Seeds Farm, All rights reserved.


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