GOT YOUR FARMER YET?

 Hannah and I truly love and cherish our CSA members, and we really hope our shareholders think of us in the way people used to think of their tailors, or butchers, or cobblers, or grocers, or blacksmiths. We want to be your farmers.We want to be those people you see every week, who tell you about the food they're growing, how the season is going on the farm, how they've been dealing with the glut of radishes themselves. We want to see your children eat our strawberries and cherry tomatoes and watch them grow from it. We want to produce the things you asked for, and the things you want but didn't ask for, because we know you.It's that relationship we feel has been lost since the market became super, the store became super, and you have to walk around a warehouse-sized grocery for half-an-hour looking for someone who knows where the carrots were grown. (No one does, it turns out). And without that relationship, a whole range of flavor and nutrition is lost in the food. You can't imagine Hannah cultivating around the plants with Further in a sling as you eat your tomatoes. You can't picture me hauling out basket after basket of fresh garlic when you're making your pesto. You can't visit the soil, see the plants, have a beer with the farmers, dig a potato. And you can't tell the supermarket the story of how your daughter, who has "never liked vegetables," requested stuffed squash again for dinner. But you can tell us, and we will laugh, or cry, or give you a high-five or hug and remember it. All of it. Because we are your farmers, and that's not just what we do, but why we do it.-Jesse.

SNOW DAYS.

We made a little video of our walk in the snow a few days ago at the farm. Currently, we are visiting the grandparents in Versailles for the weekend and are expecting up to TWO FEET of snow! Stay warm, Kentucky. 

ANNOUNCING THE SPRING/SUMMER CSA 2016.

We are beyond excited to announce that our Spring/Summer 2016 share is officially open! Starting some time in May the veggies will begin to roll in and there are many fun additions to the CSA this year (did someone say strawberries?). But first, as always, we need some sign ups so we can buy your seeds and get to planting!Here's the rundown but don't please don't stop at the price––we are introducing some new payment plans (below) to make this affordable for as many people as possible. Everyone deservers their own farmers!Single Share: $400 ($20/wk)Double Share: $760 ($38/wk)Payment Plans.In order to get the season going, we always need to receive some money upfront. That's the only way we can afford the seeds ($1000), the few tools we need ($500), etc... But we know not everyone can do it that way. So here's what we've come up with!- The Week-to-Week:In the Week-to-Week plan we only ask that you a) dedicate yourself to the entire season, through glut and dearth, and b) pay for two shares upfront (like a deposit) so that if you miss a later week, it's already covered. In other words, $40 for the first week, $20 for every subsequent (the last week already paid for). HOWEVER, we are only allowing any one family to do this for two years (starting this year, of course, for those who have done it before). The reason is that we want you to treat our farm like your own farm and budget it into your lives. So after two years, which do not have to be successive––in case you have an off year, as we all do––we would ask you to switch to the Half-and-Half plan to continue with our farm. Also, because our farmers market is the best, we can accept SNAP!- The Half-and-Half:This one is pretty self explanatory––half up front ($200 for a single) and the other half before week #11. Neither half has to be paid all at once, just paid before that half of the season begins––installments are fine. Again, our goal is to have you paying in full eventually, so any one family is allowed the half-and-half plan for three years.- The All-at-Once:The entire share is paid for before the season begins. This is where we want everyone to be eventually, which we realize may seem crazy for some. But think of it this way, if you put back roughly $7.70/week––$1.10 every day––for a year, you would be able to handle this no sweat. Just set a reminder and put the money away. We would happily take jars of change as payment if necessary–-whatever works for you!There are a few other new things about the CSA this year - including your choice of Tuesday OR Saturday pick-up, online payments, and other changes you can read more about HERE. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask! We look forward to growing you loads of healthy, seasonal, chemical-free food!J+H.

RECOMMENDED READING.

January is our leanest month around here. It just always is. We have no income to speak of and lots of expenses - seeds, new tools, greenhouse repairs, compost. Plus, some unexpected expenses - blown head gaskets, new cylinders, endless car problems. All of this is coupled with hours and hours spent planning and plotting in the garden and looking at past finances. So basically, we think a lot about money in January. We received this lovely book from our friends for Christmas, and it has been a nice reminder for us during this sometimes-stressful month. Yes, money is an important and essential element to our lives. But it is equally important to remember why we are doing the work we do. It is not just about making money. And, as this book so perfectly puts it, when we only monetize every thing that we do on our homestead, we are taking away from its overall value.So, for anyone out there scouring seed catalogs and preparing taxes and perhaps wondering how in the world it makes sense to raise chickens, I would recommend this book. It is not completely practical, considering that the Hewitt's don't need to make an income from their homestead, but it has been a welcome break in all of the number crunching for us. We can make it through this month! Farm on, good people.-Hannah.