Here we are again at the liminal point of the calendar. We are joyful, tired, resting, and excited to be here. We’re also glad that you’re here. 2022 certainly held its challenges for us, though there was so much of it that we are very thankful for as well.
As the chaos of the times continues to swell and unravel, it is so evident that there is wonderful power in the creation of local food systems. There is simplicity, reciprocity, stewardship, community, equality. There is a way not only to sustain, but to thrive. It is also the case that building that system, in all of its excitement, feels like a tremendous uphill climb. (Fortunately for us, our favorite getaway activity is hiking.) Farming no longer simply feels like the enterprise of raising food and trucking it to market; it has become the work of recreating a future that works for all of us, and that we believe in. We feel oh so lucky to get to be a part of this work, in this place that we get to call home, and with all of you who we get to call our community.
Surely 2023 will be another year full of the hectic and uncontrollable joys, grievances, headaches, and laughs that are inherent to life. In it, we strive to continue to examine our ways in the world, in hopes of making a little more room for the laughs, the joys, and the good food. The actual list says something like, cut back on unethical consumerism, avoid single use plastics, donate more produce to the food pantry, and strive for a little more time to relax and have fun.
Over the past few weeks, our seed orders have been arriving in the mail. This is an astonishing event, because ALL of them fit into a few small packages. The entirety of the farm’s productivity in the coming season condensed into just a couple cubic feet - most of which is air and packaging materials. Seeds are one of the miracles of our world that will never cease to amaze me. They are the magic in our operation. Every time I drop them into soil and then wait a day or two (or in some cases a week or two) until they pop, I am doubtful of and then made giddy by the phenomenon of germination. Ultimately, we are humbled and grateful that this Earth we get to be a part of works so smoothly. And we want to do all we can in the coming year and beyond to take care of it, to be kind and reciprocal enough, that we might continue to be able to share in that fantastic cycle.
We realize that buying food directly from the producer takes a lot more effort than a trip to the grocery store (hopefully it’s a little more rewarding as well). Really, it’s that effort from all of you that is the most important part of this work that we are doing, creating a local food system. We cannot thank you enough. You are allowing us to do the work that we love, but far more importantly, you are making our community stronger, healthier, and more whole.
Happy New Year!