Our CSA pickup on Volunteer Gardener

An old saying goes “there are two things money can’t buy- love and homegrown tomatoes.” The climax of the summer garden is the gushing forth of the tomato crop. If you garden eight acres, like we do, or just eight square feet, it’s likely you are growing this favorite vegetable. Around April 1st the seeds…

In May we had a hundred year flood. How unusual then, that here in August of the very same year, we had another one. It rained over 7 inches in that one day of heavy rain last week! In May we lost our carrots and peas, last week we lost our first planting of fall…

Already this year has been an unusual one. We had our first heat wave in March, and we got cold in late April. Most of the year has been amply wet, pushing back our planting times and leading to this start date, one week later than usual. Let’s not forget the ongoing distraction of the…

Running this CSA, (and last year Bells Bend’s), selling food to restaurants, attending farmers markets, going to potlucks, visiting farms, preserving food, and bartering with like-minded people, all characterize a life in local food. There is also a community of chefs who cook in the local restaurants, especially those prioritizing fresh, local ingredients, and they…

I was unable to get to the farm before Saturday afternoon, by which time things were in full swing. By full swing I mean there was music not only on both stages, but small gatherings of people around the farm were playing amongst themselves- every instrument and style you can think of. There were people…