Hi Threshing Table Farm Members!
We are about a week from starting the greenhouse, but a lot of farming has already been happening in preparation. This farming takes place in the form of planning, inspiration and building relationships. All of this is important to do in the winter, because it sets the stage for much of what we do in the summer.
Pick up sites
We have had some changes to our pick up sites. The changes are reflected in our sign up link on the website, but we wanted to review them here.
Somerset
Our Somerset site will be moved a few doors down the street this year. Instead of picking up at Somerset Rental, you may pick up your share at My Happy Place on Main Street. Cherie and staff will have the boxes available from 10:00am – 7pm. (The boxes may be available earlier- we’ll get those details worked out closer to summer.)
Minneapolis
We will be discontinuing delivery to our Minneapolis sites of: Time Out Pilates Studio and Fairview Homecare and Hospice.
Hill Murray
We are going to start delivering to Hill Murray School in St. Paul. This will only be available for staff and families of Hill Murray. An invitation for HM families to join our CSA will be going out shortly.
All other sites will stay the same. Thank you to all of our pick- up site hosts for graciously welcoming us and our farm members each year!
We want to make sure all returning members get signed up. Please sign up soon to reserve your spot! http://threshingtablefarm.csasignup.com/members/types
Relationship Building
We cannot successfully run our farm without help from many others! We’ve been enjoying taking time to meet with others who help us move our vision forward. We are blessed with SO MANY members who support us with their time and talents! Here’s a small sampling of those we’ve been working with this winter:
Aimee and Randy Staples of Frog Hollow Studio who have been helping us design our brochures, Valentine’s postcards, flyers, etc.
Minute Man Press who have been printing the brochures and cards.
Lynzy Eggen and her mom Stacie of Designer Logo who have been helping us with T-shirt design/printing. Yes! There will be farm shirts this year!
Ilisa Ailts of Ailt’s Photography who has been working on photography ideas.
And these are just a few! We’ve been building our Threshing Table Farm community for the past 9 years and we are blessed with the talent, depth and generosity that surrounds us.
We are also thrilled to announce that Gravel Road has agreed to play for the 2nd annual Pack Shed Party! They played for the 1st Pack Shed Party and were so much fun to listen and dance to. Put it on your calendars… the Pack Shed Party will be held on Friday, August 19th. Join us!
Social Committee
The Pack Shed party is a lot of fun but does take some time to pull together. We also hope to have a few other smaller, social events during the season. We are looking for some farm members to be on a social committee for the farm. If you like to plan gatherings or want to know the farm and our members a little bit better, please let us know! We love having people out on the farm. Having others help us plan and get ready will help make sure these events happen as smoothly as possible. So please send us an e-mail if you are interested in helping. Thank you!
Inspiration
We took a weekend in January to visit Milwaukee. While there, we visited Will Allen’s Growing Power. While at Growing Power we were inspired to see how growing real food was helping people in the city of Milwaukee who otherwise live in a food desert. Real food helping real people – that’s what it’s all about really. We picked up a few new ideas of things to grow, how to use the space in our own greenhouse better and enjoyed the sights and smells of plants and animals at the Growing Power farm. It’s just what was needed to wake the farmers from a winter slumber. ï��
I’ve also been spending some time reading Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter: On Care for Our Common Home. Talk about Inspiring!! There is so much wisdom and grace in what he says. If you are interested in any part of this earth, (plants to people to social issues to technology) it’s all included. It’s not a difficult read and you certainly don’t have to be Catholic to appreciate the message. It makes me more appreciative for the natural resources I have access to and the responsibility that goes with it.
The seed catalogs are also a huge inspiration to us! We had fun picking out seeds… and now it’s your turn! We’re looking at ordering something extra- something fun to try in the garden this year. Please look at these 3 items and vote on what you would like to see in your box. (We cannot promise success, but we promise to try!) E-mail us with your choice, we’ll order the seeds for what gets the most votes and see how it grows!
Yt67Angel Hair(F1) SquashSeed Convenient size, high yields. Our smallest spaghetti squash variety has 1 1/2-2 lb. fruits, and is perfect for single servings. Highly uniform, egg-shaped fruits with slightly darker shells and sweet, nutty flavor.
Pink Berkeley Tie DyeOrganic Tomato Seed
New! Unique appearance with heirloom-quality flavor.Fruits are dark pink with green striping, and the flesh is pink with yellow streaks. The flavor is outstanding – sweet and complex like the finest heirlooms. The compact, indeterminate plants performed much better than average under disease pressure in our Albion trials. Avg. 167,400 seeds/lb. Packet: 40 seeds
Autumn Crown(F1) Pumpkin Seed
Miniature Long Island Cheese type.
Fantastic squash with excellent eating quality. Avg. fruit yield is 3-5 fruits per plant. Medium-long vine. Extremely uniform, buff-colored fruit. Combines the attractive skin and flesh characteristics of a butternut with a superior shape and great flavor. Internal color is bright orange with a small seed cavity. Fruits have the aroma of sweet melon when cut. 2-4 lb fruits.
I’ll end on a bit of sad news. Oreo, our farm friend and rabbit, passed away this winter at the age of 6 years. He was a two time Grand Champion at the St. Croix County Fair and a Supreme Grand Champion in the hearts of all of us. He’s taught our daughter responsibility and what it takes to care for an animal that is completely dependent on you. Each year Oreo visited the St. Croix County nursing home where he brought smiles and memories forth from people who missed the warmth of a rabbit. He gave Claudia the opportunity to teach others about rabbit care and as a result of his quiet spirit, she found her voice and a way to connect with others. He will be missed by young and old alike. We haven’t decided yet if we will get another rabbit. Time will tell.
Lots has been happening around here and there is so much more to come! Thank you for being a part of our community and allowing us to be your farmers.
We couldn’t do it without you!
Mike and Jody Lenz
Threshing Table Farm
www.threshingtablefarm.org
threshingtablefarm@frontiernet.net