Live Earth Farm Winter Share Newsletter

Greetings from Farmer Tom
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windmill by pond

There is no way of predicting the future when it comes to farming. In September when I decided to offer a Winter CSA share I was worried about the rain but it didn't cross my mind that we'd have a whole week of subfreezing night temperatures. Overall the damage was light, since most of what we grow right now is winter hardy. The fennel froze and most of our mature cauliflower suffered some damage (you lucky winter share members will be getting the last of it, as we go through and harvest what survived). We covered the young citrus fruits we planted last year with blankets and therefore only suffered slight injuries. When nature hands us the unexpected, I like to walk or sit, and watch the tiny details all around me. It helps release some of my worries and makes room for a healthier perspective on events around me. I love my job; it allows me to step out of the business oriented analytical, concrete and conscious thought process and into a place of sensation. Working and observing the land, the air, the weather, smelling the compost or soil, watching a seed push the first leaves through the soil surface... all these things spark the instinct to move my feet and create a space for answers and a deeper understanding of the questions I have. I enjoy walking the fields during these cold mornings. It's a rare treat to see the farm become so quiet, everything temporarily suspended in a deep sleep. No one starts working before 9am and we stop working around 3pm, just before it gets cold again. We have never been able to sow carrots and beets at this time of year and I am a bit worried that we haven't received more rain. I can't recall ever having to water our crops in mid-January.

This week many of us at the farm (including Debbie and Amy) will be away attending the 27th annual Ecological Farming Conference down in Pacific Grove. So if you try to get in touch with us during the week, just be aware that we may not be able to get back to you until early next week. This conference is an event that I have attended every year for the last 12 years, to be inspired and recharged before the regular season starts up again. It is a wonderful gathering of people who are interested or actively engaged in advancing ecologically based food systems. It's a time to network with others ‘in our field’ and to learn about practical and economically viable practices in organic agriculture. It promotes and develops strategies to inform consumers and policy-makers about ecological growing practices and their direct impact on our health, the health of our communities and the larger natural environment we live in. If you want to learn more about the Ecological Farming Association check out their website at www.eco-farm.org.