This, that and the Other…
Lots going on this week and next—here’s a summary, in no particular order:
- Tonight (June 7th, 2012) brings us Dance to Save our Springs with the Impostors, June 7th, (held by the Water Action Team). The event starts at 08:00 PM at the Smokehouse Downtown Barbecue, 103 South Main Street (352)505-0352, and is a fundraiser to help protect our water supply.
- Opening Reception—Beyond the Classroom is also tonight.
- Tomorrow night brings us Jesus’ Love Bomb. Remember when Dove World Outreach burned the Qu’ran? Yep, those folks are out on a weekly basis. We hope you consider joining us in peacefully countering their message with one of love. Read more here.
- Want to go out to eat, but can’t think of where? Don’t forget to check out No Soup For You.
- WGOT Benefit on Saturday! Don’t know much about WGOT? We’ll have to take care of that soon, but in the meantime, read more here.
- A new coffee house has opened in the Northwest/Newberry corridor. Stop by and show your support for Cymplify.
- One of the only things in this world that makes us almost wish we were teenagers again.
- Keep shopping at the Co-op! Yes, this means you!
- Learn how to keep cool this summer while in the kitchen, courtesy of Hogtown Homegrown’s Stefanie Samara Hamblin!
- And perhaps you can help our friends at Rosie’s Organic Farm?
Dearest friends and patrons,
Many of you have been asking us about our plans for next year, and up until now, we have been reluctant to inform you that this will be our last season at Rosie’s Organic Farm, because we were hoping that we might find a farm of our own and transition the CSA to our new farm seamlessly. But, alas, the search for land has been difficult and slow, and we do not have the option to continue farming at Rosie’s for another season. The reality is that, unless we find some land very, very soon, the CSA, as it exists today, will be no more.
Rose and Tom have decided that it would be in our best interest to not let us farm for another year on their land, and though we were hoping we would have the option in case a piece was not forthcoming, we agree with them. Though we would have loved to continue farming here, the time and energy we spent managing the business on a daily basis made it difficult for us to look for land. Furthermore, Rose and Tom have plans to plant fruit trees and to do some spring gardening with their children, so that they may transfer some farm knowledge before the children leave home and begin their college careers.
We are deeply indebted to Tom and Rose for the opportunity they have given us. During our four years, living and farming on their land, they have taught us how to run a successful CSA and farming operation. Without this great opportunity, we might have suffered greatly, and perhaps failed at trying to start a farm without any prior knowledge or training, as we were aspiring to do before we arrived here. They have endured having perfect strangers living within just a few feet from their home for more years than we have been here. More difficult still, they endured four years of watching us landscape what they didn’t want landscaped. They watched us unleash an epic plague of potato beetles and weed seed, and endured the loud grunts, yells, and barbell clanging emanating from my home gym. They welcomed my best friend to come stay with us, though I know it was tough for them, and they endured a plethora of unannounced and unrecognized annoyances, I am sure.
Our future, right now, is very uncertain, but we are looking hard for a piece of land so that we may continue our passion for growing and for the farm lifestyle. This is a very big decision for us. Buying land and committing to farming is a long-term investment, and the fact that we will be spending large sums of money to continue a difficult and laborious career which promises low profit margins, makes us want to take our time to ensure that we feel blessed, rather than cursed, when we take the plunge.
Once we find a piece, and we are ready, we plan to continue a CSA model at our new location, and we hope that some of you, if not all, will return to us. This may happen as soon as next Spring, or as late as the Fall after next, or beyond. Until then, we hope you will continue to support farmers by shopping for produce at the market or through outlets which source locally.
We thank you dearly for supporting us in our endeavors, and we will keep you up to date as our search for land continues.
Sincerely,
Michael and Mariana
What a great list of things to do! Thanks for the reminder about the fund raiser this evening! Water is too important a topic not to take action when another plan to pump millions of gallons out of an already stressed aquifer is out there.