Farmer John Writes . . .                                                                                   

Greetings from Angelic Organics

Open House 9 a.m. to 4 pm, Sat, Sept 15 Bioblitz . IMPORTANT: There will be no potluck at this open house. Please plan ahead to bring your full meal. All farm shareholders will receive a free pumpkin.

Shareholders Write 

Dear Farm and Crew,

Thank you one and all for the stamina and fortitude to bring us wonderfully ripe, sweet, succulent, and just plain delicious food this incredibly hot and dry summer.  Also, a huge thanks to those of us who could see long term allowing us to support and fund the glorious irrigation system many years ago; without it our boxes would be very sparse. I do make weekly visits to the local farmer’s market and hear the struggles others are having; I am very pleased and proud to mention that we have been members of Angelic CSA for a very long time and how Angelic is getting along with the growing conditions this season. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

Caring Shareholders,

Diane and Doug Macdonald

Diane and Doug, Your warm acknowledgment sings the reciprocating spirit of Community Supported Agriculture, of belonging to a farm and the farm belonging to you. Much appreciated here at the farm. Farmer John

Road Trip!

My wife Haidy, our Finnish friend Milla and I returned from a fabulous 6 day road trip this past Wednesday. Haidy and Milla were highly entertaining and imaginative travel companions. The unfoldment of the landscape from the flat fertile Midwest to the jagged otherworldly Badlands on our first day, a 13 hr drive, contributed to the persistent mood of awe and adventure that characterized the rest of the trip (as did The Doors reminding us that The West is the Best.) We visited Interior, SD, population of 67–also once visited by Lawrence Welk, its billboard said. We gaped at Scenic, population of 9. When I visited Scenic 25 years ago, there were a few dozen homes that made up the town, most of them inhabited by donkeys, pigs and cows. Almost all of these homes are now gone.

Then to the Black Hills where the great American Indian Chief Crazy Horse is being carved into a mountain. After our experience of Crazy Horse, we somberly reflected on the Native Americans as we toured the forested mountains that were once their land of worship and sustenance.

Then to Cosmos, where balls roll uphill. Then Fort Collins, Colorado, the most friendly, colorful, easy town ever.

Shock

An unsettling part of the trip was driving by hundreds of miles of ruined corn. The crops became increasingly dire as we drove west on I-90 through Minnesota. As we headed home on I-80 through Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa, the devastation was at a cataclysmic level, hundreds of thousands of acres of corn turned brittle by heat and drought. Even much of the corn under center pivot irrigation was dead, the faithful watering systems inadequate to the challenge of sustaining crops this season.

At a restaurant in Nebraska I asked an old farmer about his season. “17/100’s of an inch of rain since May 13,” he said. “There’s nothing there.”

Sincerely,

Farmer John

Please Note: this summary is written before you receive your box—please be aware that some guesswork is involved. As always, be sure to thoroughly wash all of your vegetables.

Fruiting Crops – cucumbers, bagged tomatoes, heirloom tomato, sweet peppers and maybe eggplant
Cooking Greens –bunched Swiss chard, kale
Salad Greens – lettuce
Root crops – carrots, potatoes
Allium– onions, leeks
Herbs – summer savory and basil