Full Share:  Salad Mix, Carrots, Sungold Tomatoes, Slicing Tomato, Butternut Winter Squash, Onions, Green Cabbage, Garlic, and Shallots.

Partial Share:  Salad Mix, Sungold Tomatoes, Butternut Winter Squash, Green Cabbage, Onions, Shallot and Garlic

Hello CSA members!

I would like to start this last newsletter of the 2018 CSA season with a “Thank You” to all of you for supporting our farm and community-based agriculture!  While many of you may view the CSA  as a way to get fresh vegetables each week, I hope that you also recognize the deeper significance of what community-based agriculture represents.  Let’s be honest… I think we, as Americans, all recognize to some degree  that we have sacrificed some of our values and principles at the altar of “ease and convenience”.  Our industrial food system relies on an “out of sight, out of mind” approach to provide you inexpensive food with the hopes that you will never recognize the true costs (declining human health, environmental degradation, unethical animal treatment, etc.). At a time when our society is dealing with some pretty significant issues,  I believe we as individuals are left with one basic decision in life…..we can choose to engage, or we can choose to disengage, with apathy being a form of the latter.   As I’ve mentioned in the past,  the farm serves as a cathartic place for us, where we can produce healthy food, be good land stewards, and enjoy a natural setting….basically a place where we can take a stand for what we believe in.  Similarly, I hope you realize that your choice to get be a CSA member reflects the fact that you are also choosing to engage to make things better.  Or, maybe you really did just sign up for the fresh veggies, in which case you still look good simply through association!

Deep issues aside, I hope the journey through the Montana CSA growing season has given you a new perspective on what is possible here in this cold climate, and hopefully a sense of what fresh and nutritious food should taste like?  As the season quickly progresses from Summer, to Fall, to Winter, we are still completing our harvest for this year, while also preparing the fields for next season. While we’ve increased your share size slightly this week, you may still want access to additional produce for winter storage.  If that is the case, we invite you to our 3rd annual Stock Up Sale on October 4th from 4pm until dark.  This event is an opportunity for you to see the farm in it’s Autumn form, visit with your community, shop among our greenhouse and pack shed for storage crops (and hopefully some fresh greens), and enjoy some dinner (for purchase) and beverages.  Also, as a side note, Rebecca and I were debating whether to give out Green Cabbage or Yukon Gem Potatoes in this last share.  We decided on the cabbage.  Unfortunately, Rebecca got carried away with her photo this week and she mistakenly added potatoes into the photo, even though they will not be gracing your share.   Sorry to disappoint!

Thanks again for being a part of the Two Bear Farm family, and hopefully we will see you around the valley this winter.  Not to get ahead of ourselves, but sign-up for the 2019 CSA beings on January 1st only via our website twobearfarm.com