First Delivery Day!

Tom and I are up early, checking and rechecking our lists for the first delivery day, and looking out on some thick Applegate fog.
This time of year always comes with a certain amount of stress, as there are a lot of details to keep track of in a cooperative CSA with multiple extra items in addition to dozens of field crops. But there is also something deeply satisfying about distributing our produce and other locally grown products all around the Rogue Valley- into a hundred different households.
The growing season so far this spring has been pretty good. As you probably noticed, the weather was all over the place- with perfect 70 degree days; cold, wet spells; thunderstorms with pelting rain; and a week of 90 degrees. At Wolf Gulch, we struggled to keep up with the weeds last week, as the beds were too wet to hoe in, but the growing conditions were ideal. Some stands of pigweed began to dwarf our lettuce crop and crowd around the young onions and leeks. On Monday when the fields were dry enough to cultivate in, our friends at Boones Farm sent over a crew of five to tackle the weeds. We made a lot progress and are back on track. Well, as much to be expected this time of year.
Josh and Melissa at Barking Moon Farm in the Applegate had a dramatic weather episode last week: On Tuesday, their little valley up Thompson Creek Road was hit by a hail storm. They lost about 40% of their crops- mostly salad greens and spinach. Melissa described the fields as looking like a blender had run through them. Luckily, the greens are growing quickly this time of year, so they expect to be back in full production in a couple of weeks. Still, they lost a lot- in revenue, time and heartache, and it's a good reminder to all of us of the inherent risks in farming. If you attend the growers markets, go visit Josh and Melissa, buy some of their stuff, and thank them for farming.
Members new and old: please stay in touch with us through the season. We depend on feedback and will do our best to meet your needs. If you are overwhelmed by the number of greens in your box this week, try out some of the recipes. When in doubt, saute the bunch of kale or bag of spinach, and you'll probably be amazed at how much the volume reduces.
Thanks of being part of our Community Supported Agriculture Program