We are now in the third week of our season and I thought it might be a good time to touch base with you. Despite the extreme early wettness and the fact that we started a week late, I, and I hope you, have been pleased with these first markets. There have been some casualties; the earliest peas have contracted a “blight” thus yielding less than expected and some of the tomatoes are still marking time looking somewhat pallid at this late date. The potatoes finally went in on the 4th of July so, there will be potatoes they will just be late. But, the chard, spinach and lettuce have been plentiful. Of course, the strawberries have, without a doubt, been the biggest hit of this early season, which brings me to my next point.
By now everyone has had an opportunity to pick their share even though not everyone has done so. There are still berries to pick and so at this point I am opening up the patch to first-come-first-serve pickers. ther is no limit but I encourage you to be considerate. I also encourage those of you who have not picked yet to do so NOW because the berries and your fellow subscribers will not wait for you.
The other thing I would encourage all of you to do is to READ THE WHITE BOARD and the notes that I put on the table. In most cases these notes will answer most of your questions. I try to make these notes clear but if anything is unclear you may ask me or Matt for clarity. The reason I encourage you to pay attention to these notes is twofold. First, reading the notes will help you to make the most of this experience.The basil sign-up being a good example. Second, the quantities that are indicated for you to take are based on the total quantity harvested or an estimate ( in the case of strawberries and shell peas) of the quantities available. If you pick more than your share or weigh out more than indicated it may result in someone else not getting theirs. So again, I ask that you read the board carefully, weigh accurately, and be considerate of that last person coming to the market. The main reason for sending this e-mail is to direct yyou to our new web site at HOPESEDGEFARM.COM . Your fellow members Sean Carnell and Holly Noonan have created a beautiful interactive web page and I encourage you to visit and make comments. Those of you wh attended the pot luck may even see yourselves on the internet.
Finally, I am looking for a half share Tuesday member who would be willing to switch to Friday. If this would workfor you please let me know as soon as possible. Enough for now. Continuing to grow on the Edge of Hope.
Your Farmer , Tom
This is a beautiful site.