Week 9, August 8th – 12th

Your Box This Week — Saturday Deliveries:

Please note: this summary is written before we pack your box—be aware that some guesswork is involved. As always, be sure to thoroughly wash all of your vegetables.

Fruiting Crops — Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, Heirloom Tomato, Cucumbers, Sweet Pepper, Melon (Muskmelon or Honeydew or Sun Jewel)

Root Crops —  New Red Norland Potatoes

Alliums —  Sweet Onions

Herbs — Parsley, Anise Hyssop

Sign up for the Free Recipe Service
Make sure you sign up for the Local Thyme recipe service we offer with your share. Local Thyme offers storage and handling tips and recipes customized to each week’s share. It has received many great reviews from our shareholders. Check out this sample recipe: Creamy Corn.

The Barn Again
I wrote about Barns up Against a Wall in last week’s issue of Farm News, highlighting Haidy’s and my commitment to lovingly usher our barns at Angelic Organics into the future.

Pack Volunteer David Crogan wrote, “…I always appreciate you taking the time to show me around on the farm. On my way home, I thought about my days on my brother in law’s farm, and how fascinated I was with barns and really the whole operation. I remember going into the barns and looking around at some of the things that were left behind by the previous owner. A harness hanging on a post, maybe a pitchfork with a broken handle standing in the corner. Then I would wonder, how did that handle break? Did the farmer curse at it and frantically look for another to get back on track, or did he just set it off to the side with the intent of adding it to the winter maintenance projects, and grab another? Who was in charge of morning watering of the horses or cows? Who cleaned the barn? Were there lots of kids to help? Would they trade off stacking and loading in the barn on hot days? Or, to keep things fun and  interesting, did they make a wager at lunch time with the loser getting the job of stacking in the loft? 

Barns do have souls, memories of all that’s happened in them over the years is part of what speaks to us. I’m grateful that I can be a part of your farm, small as it may be, it’s the highlight of my week. It helps me reconnect with the wonderful memories I have from back on the farm.”

A Reminder about the Use of Swap Boxes
We receive frequent emails like this:

“Good Morning, I was at [my pickup site] while someone else was there and noticed that this share holder was taking almost all the items from the swap box in addition to her own box, without actually swapping. I have noticed that there have been very few items to “swap” and perhaps this is why. I understand you are a very busy farm but just wanted to make you aware of it in case other shareholders were complaining that there wasn’t anything to swap. There were only 3 or 4 items when I was there around 12. Just wanted to let you know…”

We sent this below out to all shareholders recently. In case you missed it: 

“Thank you to those of you who use the swap boxes appropriately—as a place of neighborly exchange. However, for those of you who do not use the swap boxes appropriately, please note: The farm has received complaints about the swap boxes being cleaned out early at the pickup sites. As the label on the swap box indicates, the swap box is a trading place where you leave an item in exchange for something else; the swap box is not for taking extras. If you take something from the swap box, please also leave an item in the swap box in return.

Remember, you are part of a Community Supported Agriculture program—being in a community requires consideration of others.”

A Shareholder Reply to our Swap Box Reminder
 “My husband got a kick out of the letter. He said, ‘Really? They have to tell them what swap means? People just add it all to their box? It’s a huge box packed full! How do they add more?’”

…made Haidy and me laugh…

What’s Up Out There?
Ten of eleven samples of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream were found to contain the weed-killer glyphosate.  

Will you buy the glyphosate in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, or will you boycott until its gone? 

A treacherous herbicide is once again released from the bottle (can): 

Drifting dicamba deals ‘double whammy’ to US farmers – Missouri Business Alert

and

Dow AgroSciences’ New GM Corn: The Return of Agent Orange?

Upcoming Farm Video Game
Wikipedia lists 13 farm video games. There are probably more. Recently, our farm received a visitor who announced he is creating a farm video game. I said, “Don’t make it easy. I suspect that most farm video games make it easy to grow bountiful crops and acquire property. That’s not how farming works.”

He replied, “I have never been on a farm before. I came here to get an idea of what a farm is.”

Wanting to help him build his game on a proper foundation, I gave him a tour of our vegetable fields. I pointed out the various crops we grow, and asked him how he was planning to distinguish his farm video game from the many other farm video games that were out there.” 

“Well,” he replied, “my game is going to be different from other farm video games.”

I asked, “how is your game going to be about farming at all? You don’t know one thing about farming.” 

He was not forthcoming with an answer.

“Those are tomatoes,” I said gesturing towards our rows of trellised vines, loaded with green tomatoes edging towards pink. “Do you know those are tomatoes? Do you have any ideas how tomatoes grow?”

He said, “I’ve never seen tomatoes grow.” 

He added,  “The crops in my video are going to be weapons.”

“You mean, like weapons of famine—controlling people with food?”

“No, weapons of destruction. The fields are going to grow weapons. Each crop will yield a weapon that looks a little like that crop. For instance, a watermelon field will grow machine guns that look like watermelons.”

“And those tomatoes?”

“Grenades, I’m thinking.”

“What are farmers going to do with these weapons?”

“They are going to kill their neighbors.”

Hmm…,
Farmer John

Please Fold Your Boxes Properly and Return Them
The farm re-uses the vegetable boxes. Flaps are easily torn when the boxes are dismantled improperly, and then the box bottom might later burst open with fresh, organic local produce heading towards the floor. Please carefully flatten your box and return it to your delivery site. If you receive home delivery, place it in the location where your box is delivered.

Let us Know
Let our office know anything you’d like to share about this week’s box email hidden; JavaScript is required. Please note the week and day of delivery, your site, when you picked up your box, and any comments about your box.

More from Shareholders
Visit us often at www.facebook.com/angelicorganics, where we post exciting farm developments regularly, and shareholders post recipes, tips, and photos.