Hello everyone, Sorry it's been a while. We're having a warm, dry stretch that seems suspiciously pleasant for mid-November and I've been trying to enjoy it while it lasts. It's actually some of the nicer weather we've had since April. It was really a wash out of a summer, in my book. But those who live in Central New York should know better than to complain, I guess.
Anyway, my garden at home is fully winterized by now- I've fenced the raspberries from the deer and rabbits, added compost and leaves to all the beds, composted all the safe vegetation from this year's crops, and covered everything with a nice fluffy layer of hay. Lucky Moon is pretty well set, too. The gardens there are much more extensive than my humble home garden, so there's obviously a lot more to do.
The focus now is shifting to planning what to grow next year, where to put it so it will do the best, how much of it we'll need, ect. And it all depends on who's going to join the CSA for next year. I don't know if any of you read my previous post where I did my best to explain the CSA concept and what you can get out of it as a consumer. The main thing is super tasty food, of course, and then there are all the other reasons that may or may not interest you. But I want to encourage anyone who's the least bit intrigued by the CSA concept to email me or give Sue and Claude a call. We're hoping to expand the subscribers to the CSA for next year and I'd especially like to introduce the idea to some of the folks here in Manlius. We're thinking that we might be able to use my house (right in the middle of Manlius) as a pick-up spot for people who live in the area. That would allow people to still take advantage of the discount for picking up their share, without having to travel all the way to Cazenovia. If you'd like to find out more, email me at luckymoonfm@gmail.com and I'll be happy to answer any questions.
It would really be great to start a local food movement here in Manlius- we live in a wonderful farming region and our local farms produce some incredible food of which we're often completely unaware. You just have to try farm-fresh lettuce, or home-grown onions, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers... the list goes on and on. And if the taste and quality aren't enough, you know that your consumer choices are helping protect a local, chemical-free, small-farm economy. These are our friends and neighbors- I trust them with my food a whole lot more than giant food factories whose main goal is to make money. Regardless of the nutritional, environmental and social consequences of doing so. I don't blame them. Large corporate companies are designed to work that way, but that doesn't mean that I want to support them with my food choices.
Alright, I'll hop off my soap box for a while... I get excited about this stuff. But it all boils down to eating good, wholesome food from local farms. Not rocket science or a social movement. I hope everyone has a really wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends-
All the best,
Sarah
