I want to start with the fact that we still have CSA shares available and all our delivery sites have room for more members! Send your orders to us before the end of this month to receive the early bird coupon (more information below). Now, onto the farm’s ‘off’ season and what we have all been doing!
Our long-time members know that winter does not slow our workload, it simply changes it to different tasks. If you have been watching our Facebook or Instagram pages, you have seen some of the team and what they are doing now. Including, Gerardo and Adelaida working together in the greenhouse starting seventeen varieties of onions, shallots, and green onion seeds. What I did not mention online is that Gerardo and Adelaida are married and they are working in complete harmony. Watching them both grow in their responsibilities on the farm has been pretty cool. Some couples cannot work together and that is NOT this couple. They complement each other and push each other in an effective way. More plantings are happening as soon as we have room and have cleaned and sterilized the next greenhouse.
And speaking of planting, Mellissa has been busy ordering seeds, then inventoried and entered into our database that Kelly saved from a near total loss, and pulling seeds to get ready for planting and/or storing until needed. With onions and shallots already planted, we are ready for the leeks. She is also sterilizing a couple celeriac and parsley varieties as well as performing germination tests on Daikon radish seeds. And if that was not enough, she has also been updating our Food Safety and Packing shed manuals. Taking the time to slow down now and helping to train Ana Laura in most of these tasks will free up some of Mellissa’s time just in case there are more projects she wants to take on in the future. Here is a hint: there are plenty of other things that she is working on when she has time.
Isidro, Ramiro, Gudelia, Adelina, and Catalina have been busy cleaning, washing, and sterilizing the totes, trays, and other areas of the farm. Javier is taking on the responsibility of cleaning and maintaining/greasing the machines we use to wash and pack vegetables in the packing shed. Soon we will be trimming more willow branches. We do not have many this year but hope to pass some along to our CSA members as we can. Adrian and Javier have also been taking care of our farm animals. Sometimes it is hard on animals in the Wisconsin winters, but with caring hands, they are happy and healthy. Miguel has been taking care of all the farm equipment and building repairs, including repairing, and painting the ceiling in our seed cooler. I can attest to the fact it is no small job either. We have a lot of equipment that needs regular maintenance and Miguel has been doing a wonderful job, and that should help keep us moving throughout the season too!
This week it is Sedona’s turn to be on vacation. We hope she is enjoying her warm climate trip but can’t wait for her return next week. Even though she is gone this week, she has been remarkably busy this winter with writing her manuals and wholesale sales calls with Richard. They have set prices and received vegetable wish lists/promises from our wholesale and retail accounts. She has also been updating the sales processes to make sure everything runs smoothly through the season this year, including power point reference guides. She also helps keep our packing shed supplies stacked, including keeping our cleaning/sanitizing mixes, and the towels and gloves being cleaned and ready for use every day.
Jimena has been busy learning a ton of information. Not only is she finishing her college career this semester part time, but she has also been learning the sales and inventory from Sedona. Together they are generating systems to keep our farm supplies ordered and fully stocked at the appropriate times. She is starting to work with Kelly and has been entering CSA orders into the delivery software. In June, when she finishes college, she will be learning more about what Kelly does on the farm, both on the CSA side and the bookkeeper side. So that leads us to, what is Kelly up to? Well, I am writing this update of course. Aside from that, and teaching Jimena parts my CSA jobs I have been busy getting ready and planning for the CSA season, as well as finalizing the 2025 accounting books. We are one step away from scheduling consulate appointments for our H2a crew, meaning we are right on our planned schedule. So far, the process has been running smoothly, and all indications are that we will be on track for the first and possibly the second group to be at the farm before the end of March. That means a larger payroll for me to process, but I do miss having the crew around. We all breathe a little easier once the crew is here!
I cannot forget to mention Richard and Rafael. If you saw my last email, you know Richard was on vacation and I ran a recipe contest while he was gone. He is back now and not mad at me at all for the contest or for cleaning up his emails (I think the emails may take longer for him to be happy about). Richard and Rafael have almost finished finalizing the field and planting plans for the season. I will tell you that we are planning on planting Jicama again this season, as that was one of our most requested ‘vegetables’ in the end of last year’s survey. Thank you to those members who filled out and returned your surveys, we heard you and loved some of the suggestions! What other surprises will you see this season, join our CSA program, and watch our website for updates throughout the season.
As you can tell, there really is not an ‘off’ season on the farm. The work responsibilities and workload changes with the season, much like the vegetables we eat with each season!