FARMING IN A PANDEMIC

In many ways, it feels like we have been preparing for this from the beginning, right? Those early yearnings towards farming were built on a desire for self-sufficiency, for living simply and having everything we needed right outside our door. We have spent years trying, failing, trying again - learning skills and gathering knowledge to ready us for such a time as this.

We have acres of land to roam, bountiful food and gardens surrounding us, animals providing for us. We feel incredibly fortunate and blessed, rich in our health and stability.

And yet! Though our family is safe and not lacking in food, our farm business has been cut off at the knees. We chose 2020 (of course!) to be the year we ended our CSA, focusing solely on farmers market sales and restaurants. And while the market is still open, we are now operating with a “what will tomorrow bring”sort of anxiety. Every news cycle seems to have us rewriting our entire business plan, reevaluating our marketing strategy, pivoting and beginning again.

So, we return to the CSA model. We are so thankful for our loyal little community of customers and past farm members we were able to turn to, finding them ready and waiting for us.

We will still be at the market, beginning this weekend, for as long as the market can be open. There will be spinach, lettuce, arugula, and LOTS of Further’s chicken eggs! We will be encouraging pre-orders and online payments as much as possible.

We are staying open and flexible, knowing that everything might have to change again. And that is OK! We are going to make this work.

We are also wrestling a bit with a paradox, or conundrum, or difficulty of sorts: we are blessed to have plentiful resources in a time when resources are scarce (food!) and we want to share that with as many people as possible. Health is wealth and food is medicine, and we want everyone to have access to that. So how can we be generous and connect food with people who need it and can distribute it, while also remembering that our family needs to survive this financially as well?

So please come see us at the market (briefly, and from a distance)! Join our CSA and tell your neighbors about us. Help us connect our food with people who are hungry. Share your thoughts, your worries, your ideas with us. We are going to keep planting, going to continue expecting this to be our biggest growing season to date. Just like every year, we will bury our seeds in the soil in faith, in hope.

- Hannah.

A REALLY EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!

So let’s just get right into the big news and then we’ll break it down: starting this summer I—with a massive amount of assistance from Hannah, of course—will be taking over as the head chef and executive farmer of a new restaurant in Versailles called Spark Community Cafe. I will still be a full-time farmer at Rough Draft Farmstead, but I will also be a chef. Let me explain.FIRST, WHAT IS SPARK?Spark Community Cafe is a nonprofit, pay-what-you-can restaurant opening in downtown Versailles, Kentucky (this summer), and Hannah and I are beyond excited to be a part of it.It is estimated that 17 percent of Kentuckians and 22 percent of Kentucky children are food insecure—that’s roughly one and five of our fellow citizens. Food insecurity exists in every county in Kentucky, and every county in the United States. Spark’s pay-what-you-can model is a brilliantly simple way of addressing this issue head on.HOW IT WORKSPatrons can pay the suggested price, or more, or less, depending on their financial circumstances. Payments are kept anonymous so no one knows how much anyone else pays. Patrons who cannot afford a meal are able to volunteer at the restaurant and earn meals that way. One can also volunteer his or her time to donate meals so others may have a meal. Ultimately, the goal of Spark and the many other restaurants like it is to end food insecurity in the community—to make sure kids and adults, single parents, poor, or just cash-strapped people alike can get a good, nutritious meal when they need it - and can dine with dignity.HOLISTIC GOALSOffering food to those people who may not have access to a nutritious meal every day speaks to Hannah and me as citizens, but also as farmers. Hannah and I have always struggled with how expensive our produce is. There is no easy way for us to grow it cheaper, sell it cheaper, and still make a sufficient living. So this pay-what-you-can model presents a very exciting opportunity for us to get our produce to those who may not normally, or regularly, be able to afford it while still making a living for ourselves. This is especially true as Spark’s founders seek to pay a living wage to their workers and support local farmers by paying a fair price for the food.My role will be to create seasonal menus and train the staff on how to prepare them. I will likewise be utilizing ingredients from our farm and others (so if you’re a farmer or artisan in the area, make sure to email me at roughdraftfarmstead@gmail.com so I can have your info—I will be actively looking for people to provide certain crops, meats, etc..). The goal will be to use as much local foods as possible, with an emphasis on farms and artisans closest to the restaurant and within Kentucky first, and pay what the crops are actually worth.This project will certainly be extra work for us, but it’s something we believe is not only important, but in line with our values, goals, and faith.Ultimately, almost a decade ago now, when we looked around and asked ourselves how we could affect the most change, Hannah and I chose farming. Now through Spark, we will be able to amplify that goal.Of course, Rough Draft Farmstead will still be running our CSA (SIGN UP HERE). We will still be selling to other restaurants, but Spark will be our other exciting (ad)venture this year. So we hope you will check out and follow Spark!If you would like to get involved, volunteer, donate, or just learn more, check out Spark on Facebook, Instagram or at sparkcommunitycafeky.org. We hope you will come support this cause while we all work to eradicate food insecurity in our communities.-Jesse.

CSA SEASON IS HERE!

Last week Hannah and I ordered the bulk of our seeds for this year’s CSA and we are EXCITED about this upcoming season!CSA members will be getting over FIFTY different types of vegetables in our CSA this year. That’s a lot of good, healthy, vegetable diversity, organically grown and delivered straight to your door.But I wanted to take a few minutes to explain how CSA works and answer some frequently asked questions.To sign up, click HERE or you can also send a check to the farm (which saves you 3%). And of course, email us if you have any other questions.How long does your CSA last?This year we have shortened the duration of the CSA from 20 to 15 weeks, starting some time in may (depending on weather).How much does it cost? The price of the CSA is $360, which works out to be $24/week, part of which pays for the home delivery.What if I can’t pay it all upfront? Hannah and I want to feed people who want good, healthy food and for that reason we are happy to work out the payment plan that’s right for you—don’t let the price be the reason you avoid our CSA! The reason we ask for the money upfront is so that we can budget for the year and buy all of the seeds and tools we need (which so far is about $2000 we’ve already spent). Your early investment in the farm is what pays for us to get the food growing! So we ask that everyone pay as much as they can before the season starts so that we can get a sense of how much money we have to work with for the year. Preferably, our members would be fully paid by the time the seasons starts BUT, you can pay in installments. Email us and we’ll work out a payment plan that works for you and your budget.Oh, you deliver?Yes! Straight to your door. So long as you live in Versailles, Frankfort, or Lawrenceburg, we will deliver straight to your door every week.How much food is in a single share?The single share is designed for a single person or couple who cook several meals at home per week, or for a small family who likes to cook a few from scratch. Larger families, especially those who cook a lot, may prefer the double share (at a 10% discount) as a single share might not be enough food.So wait, do I get to choose what goes in the CSA?Yes and no. Via a member survey, every year we make an effort to figure out what our CSA members liked and didn’t like, what they want more of and what they could do without. So in some ways you will get to help guide our planting decisions year after year, but we also have to plant the garden based on the season, so some of what you receive, and the amounts, are left to us so that we can grow foods that perform best at that time of the year. Different crops have different seasons, and by planting based on when they will perform best we 1) save water, increase biodiversity, and take advantage of seasonally sensitive crops and 2) ensure that you’re getting the most healthful and flavorful version of each veggie. This diversity of vegetables can be a cooking challenge, but we will help you there, too, giving you tips on how to store, prep, and cook your veggies with our weekly newsletter and YouTube page .What happens if I go out of town?Don’t worry. We are fairly flexible here, too. In that situation, if you would like, we can double up on a week to make up for the missed week, or we can offer you extra of certain items throughout the share to compensate. Some members like to give their share to a neighbor or friend for the week they miss. Whatever works for you, works for us!What if I have an allergy or don’t like a certain vegetable? We always encourage our customers to try vegetables that they may have disliked in the past, but we are not going to force anything on you! There are people who just can’t handle say, cilantro, and we are sympathetic to that—we will always substitute where we can! If you are allergic to something such as nightshades, the CSA is perhaps not going to be worth the cost for you as potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant are a large part of the offerings. We will happily work with you, but we will also always be honest because, more than anything, we want to get more people eating locally and diversely: if our farm is not the right fit for you we will recommend one that is!Last week I posted this video about five reasons I think everyone should join a CSA just in case you need more convincing! 

ANNOUNCING THE FALL/WINTER SHARE!

Hannah and I are super excited to announce our fall/winter CSA share. This will run for 15 weeks, starting in mid-October and ending in February (with a break for Christmas, of course).For the moment, this will only be available in Frankfort, Versailles, and Lawrenceburg.But can I talk about how much we love the fall share for a minute? I'm gonna.We love the fall share! It is, as farmers and foodies, our favorite time in the garden. There will be loads of storage crops like butternut squash, acorn squash, garlic and the best dang sweet potatoes you've ever had! Also, lots of greens, green onions, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and many other Fall goodies. And of course, we will be delivering all these organic veggies straight to your door.If you are interested please let us know ASAP as space is limited. You can send us an email at roughdraftfarmstead@gmail.com, or call (502) 598 - 8288. Once we have you on our list, you will receive an information packet about the CSA and details about delivery.The price is $350 for the 15 weeks.This boils down to an average of $23.33/wk, so slightly less expensive than the summer, if you're looking to try the CSA in but are intimidated by the summer share.If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! We can take payments in person, by check, or online HERE.Spinach, carrots and beets are already starting to germinate in the fields, y’all. Get ready! Hope to see you this fall!Jesse and Hannah.