Season’s greetings! I wish I had more greens to offer this week for the last delivery of the year. I went out to the greenhouse this morning that the kale’s been growing in and the sub-zero temperatures has finally done it in. This is the latest in the year I’ve ever ran deliveries. When a bout of weather comes around like today it reaffirms that it’s probably best to close out the season before the winter sets in. I’ve always had a hard time with saying to myself enough is enough. That’s why I just had to go one more week to close out the season.
What else can I say but another season’s gone by and without a doubt for me it’s been a year I’ll never forget. I’d be stretching it a bit if I were to say the outcome turned out exactly as expected. In spite of making the sudden and spontaneous changes early on to get my ship back on course, the end result miraculously turned out better than I first thought. With that said next year I’m planning to try another season using my Harvie online farm store, or something similar. Paying close attention this summer to my customers buying habits I now believe an online store could be a win-win situation for everyone. I liked the fact that the farm stand gave you the ultimate control over what you purchased, and in the desired amount. For me perhaps not having a traditional CSA program I won’t have to grow some of the vegetables that many of my customers never really cared for. I can concentrate my time on growing the things that people will actually buy and eat with pleasure!
In 2023 I’ll be using my online farm store whenever, and for whatever produce I’ll have available throughout the year. The frequency of sales announcements will most likely vary in the spring. However, during the heart of my growing season between June and September I expect to have weekly store hours for ordering as I did this year. When the store opens you’ll receive an email notification with a link to the ordering page. There may be the possibility that deliveries although not weekly will start earlier than the usual mid June time. One change unlike subscribing to my regular CSA program there will be no pre-season membership fees. You’ll pay for your order at the time of purchase.
Will I ever return to my traditional subscription program? I guess it would be safe for me to say at this point “never say never”. Honestly, someday I would like to. Subscription farming as I did for over thirty years like all jobs had its ups and downs. The labor intensity of operating my farm and finding qualified help has all along been the most challenging. The increase in labor shortages nationwide for farm workers has made it even more difficult to hire help. If that ever changes perhaps then I’ll return to a subscription style program. For now I’ll use the online farm store approach to continue providing you with the produce you’ve especially liked getting from me.
Thank you again for making the best of everything and for staying on board with me through a very trying but fantastic summer. I greatly appreciate everything you purchased this summer. I would be delighted to hear your thoughts about the season and to offer any suggestions you might have for next year.
Have a joyous holiday season and a peaceful winter!
With warm regards,
Farmer Steve
