Hello Food Farmers,

Happy Spring! It seems that Christmas and Easter have gotten themselves confused once again, but things are hopping here on the farm. Dave has been hard at work in the greenhouse since early March, and Jeanne and our new intern Karin just started work two weeks ago. The early season transplants are looking great—the first tomatoes went into the ground in the hoop house on Monday, onion transplants are about 8” tall, and the third planting of broccoli is already a week old. It’s hard to believe that April 19^th is our normal plant-out (as in, outside) date for the first broccoli; last year was the first year in memory that we haven’t gotten it in the ground on time and we decided to not even bother seeding it in this year. So with all this snow and cold, when will summer shares begin? We’re planning for a typical start-date of June 16^th, but we’ll make a final judgment in a month or so and keep you updated as the season gets going.

We also have a couple of exciting announcements: First, on Tuesday we finalized the purchase of the new land across the road. What better way to celebrate Earth Day than the introduction of new land into organic farming! Big thanks to members Patricia Clure, Jackie Falk, and Kathy Ziells. Without these Food Farm leaders and their vision and support this growth would not have been possible.

Second, we just found out that our root cellar grant was funded! That was just one component to our fundraising for the project, but a very important one. We’re just developing the rest of the plan, so stay tuned in the coming weeks for more information.

On a personal note, Annie and I are excited to announce that we’ll be having a baby this fall! We’re thrilled to add a new aspect to life on the farm and will be glad to have a little helper around!

That’s all the news for now from the slushy wonderland that is the Food Farm.

For the farm crew,

Janaki