A Wet & Soggy Greetings From Hidden Springs Farms
We can certainly tell that Spring is here. We have one beautiful day with lots of sunshine followed by what seems like days of rain. The spring flowers are starting to bloom. There are babies everywhere, and the horses are happy to see their pastures getting greener! The broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and spinach are doing beautifully in the cold frames and the greenhouse is filled with young tomato, eggplant, pepper, and herb plants. On the few sunny days we've had, we are in the garden cleaning up and preparing to plant.
We are up to 10 baby boer goats now with more nannies due to deliver. It is so much fun to watch the babies running, jumping, and playing in the pasture. And Trooper, our guardian dog, is an excellent babysitter
We still have a few spaces in our CSA for those interested. We have also had a lot of questions like "what exactly is a CSA" so let me explain a bit better:
Community-Supported or Community-Shared Agriculture (CSA) is also known as "subscription farming." You buy a subscription from a local farmer just like you buy a subscription to Time or Newsweek. But instead of receiving a magazine each week, you receive a "share" of fresh, locally grown or raised fruit and/or vegetables.
Community Supported Agriculture brings us back to an earlier time when people knew where their food came from, ate what was in seasons, and enjoyed a delicious, healthy diet of pure, fresh foods.
"In season" is what CSAs are all about. The grocery store knows no seasons. Local grocery stores are disconnected from nature. You can buy tomatoes in January-but that tomato was picked green 2000 miles away and weeks ago, then blasted with ethylene gas to make it turn red just before it landed in the produce section of your store. What we have gained in convenience, we have lost in flavor, freshness, nutritional value, and human connection.
A CSA subscription reconnects you and your family to the flavor, freshness, and farm connection that is missing.
You'll never get tomatoes in May in a CSA. In May, your vegetable CSA share will be full of lettuce, spinach, and other spring delights. Then in August you will experience an explosion of true tomato flavor with your first bite of a juicy, just-picked, sun-ripened tomato!
CSA subscribers don't so much "buy" food from particular farms. They become members of those farms. CSAs provide more than just food, they offer ways for families to become involved in and supports local farms. You share the excitement, the food, and yes, even some of the risk. We hope that gives everyone a bit more information on our CSA program. If you have any questions, please call or email us.
There are many, many classes and workshops coming in April. We'd love to have you join us. Bring a friend or neighbor along. You'll find all of the details under our Events page but here is a quick listing of our most popluar classes:
Homeschool Program: Our homeschool program begins April 20th.
Planning Your Vegetable Garden: April 10th 10-noon
Cluck, Cluck, Chicken Workshop: April 17th 1-5 pm
Growing Culinary Herbs Workshop: April 24th 1-4 pm
We will also begin shearing the Angora goats the beginning of April. We'll include some photos in next month's newsletter.
Until then, stay dry and think "sunny" thoughts
The Staff of Hidden Springs Farms