Man, another final box, another end to a season. I had this experience now for 15 years and I find that each year has it’s own flavor. I’ve had years where I’m still energized and not ready for the season to end and I’ve had years where we barely made it over the finish line due to exhaustion.

This year, right now as I sit here, I’m not catching the same end-of-season relief. This darn rain has made our final fieldwork very difficult. I’m not looking forward to fighting mud. Also, have you ever had that feeling that you bit off more than you could chew? If you know me, I have the tendency to over-commit and I’ve painted myself into a new corner with my many jobs I try to manage.

I’ve learned that projecting too much into the future causes anxiety, and, at times like these, a simple reflection on the season as a whole balances me out. We had some great accomplishments and a lot of things went right:

• Even though a couple crops were total duds (what happened to you, celery?), vegetable production was mostly good. We had our highest tomato yield ever.
• We had a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund the Farm Stand at Manna Food Co-op and I started Friday markets there.
• A crazy number of people discovered the farm stand at the end of the driveway this summer.
• Wonderful members and customers. Every week I’ve had members and other customers voice their thanks and appreciation for the work we do.  We can rest assured that our daily activities produce something good on this earth and our work matters to others. I find this very meaningful.
• Great partners. I have the pleasure of working with and knowing many other people who are trying to make the world better through good food and helping others find wellness in their lives by giving their time and energy. A shout out to my fellow board members, staff, involved member-owners at Manna Co-op, fellow members of our Sustainable Farming Association chapter, and enthusiasts of the good food movement across some of the many food-related initiatives I’ve been involved in.

So, yes, we still have challenges to take on in the near future, but the heart all of you have for this work and our operation makes me feel so grateful and we’re lucky to know and engage with every one of you. 

In the box:

• Butternut Squash
• Buttercup Squash
• Long Pie Pumpkin: I added a little video to get your going on doing pie pumpkins from scratch. Mar and I stumbled upon this pie pumpkin some time ago and are big fans of is taste and texture.
• Carrots 
• Salad Mix or Spinach: (Farmers Choice)
• Black Spanish Radishes: These seem like crazy things, I know, but most peel them before slicing.
• Yellow and Red Onion
• Mix of Peppers
• Cilantro
• Bunch of Kale
• Head of Garlic