Full Share: Salad Mix, Carrots, Zucchini, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Romaine, Scapes, Basil, and Baby Bok Choy

Partial Share: Salad Mix, Carrots, Broccoli, Garlic Scapes, and Zucchini

Hello CSA members!

It’s the dog days of summer, and summer has just really started. It’s shaping up to be a long one. Between the heat, hearing about Joey Chestnut shoving 76 hot dogs in his pie hole, and the state of agriculture in this country ( and greenwashing…oh, don’t get me started on greenwashing), it’s left me feeling a bit defeated. And surly. Which never makes for a good newsletter. I wrote a long one, but then I deleted it. Just not feeling it this week. As I watch the American farmer go the way of the Dodo, and I look at a society fixated on technology, but blind to solutions that are right in front of us, I am a bit at a loss on how to proceed. I do take some solace in the small farm revolution that is springing up in the world today, but it’s a huge battle we face against a government-supported, corporate-owned industrial food system. I guess all I’ll say is we are long overdue for throwing the shades open and letting the light shine in on some of our fundamental narratives in this country. We need to pay attention to what is really happening now with wealth, land ownership, farming, water, and the power structure that is shaping our collective future. As Thomas Jefferson stated, an informed citizenry is crucial to the survival of our democracy. And it’s time for “we the people” to wake up and start paying more attention. Not to the corporate-owned 24 hour news cycle, but to the important events that are taking place in our country on these issues. In a recent Real Organic Podcast, author and farmer Leah Penniman of Soul Fire Farm commented that “we are asleep at the switch. We are going to wake up in 50 years and realize that all the things that we depend on for life…the water, the soil, the seeds, the natural resources, are all controlled by a small group of hyper wealthy corporations”. And this is already underway today. Farmland is now a major commodity for investment firms. Water is now a commodity. Seeds (and life) are now being patented. I, for one, do not look forward to a world where our only meal choice is GMO soy-based Impossible Burgers grown on Bill Gates’ farm, with an extra dose of glyphosate residue to boot. As a nation of consumers, who have become totally dependent on others for all our needs…are we in a position any more to participate in democracy and the state of our country? Or, in honor of the 4th, are we really “free”, if we are completely dependent on corporations for our food, water, soil, clothing, and shelter? What is freedom, after all?

So, this week, I think it’s nose to the grindstone. Focus on what’s in front of me. Get water on the crops. Be attentive and supportive of the crew. Keep the weeds in check. Continue to harvest beautiful, nutritious food for our customers. Take time to do things right, and take time to listen to nature. Look at puppy pictures. Take heart in the fact that we are standing in our integrity by pushing back and resisting a future we do not agree with….by taking a stand (say it with me….”The Farmers’ Stand!!). This week, it’s time to focus on the simple things. Maybe some time in the future, I will be better able to find my words with the goal of pushing for positive change. But this week, I think personal preservation is the top priority. Did I mention drinking lots of water? Yeah, that too.

And what better way to work on self care and enjoy the simple things than by eating some fresh, organic vegetables! Romaines as large as a baby! The first zucchini of the year (sautéed with garlic scapes, yum!) It’s a delicious time of year!

Well, I need to get up early to beat the heat….we’ll see you at CSA pickup!

Todd