July Newsletter
Dear Subscriber,
The Spring 2009 season has come to an end, and what an exciting and bustling season it has been! We hit the ground running last winter with great hopes, but uncertain of what to expect, only to watch our membership boom over the last few months, find ourselves benefiting from wonderful press, and become caught up in more excitement surrounding local foods than we could have anticipated. Thank you for being a part of our program—we have so much to look forward to and are glad to have your support!
We believe that our first season with the CSA program met with resounding success, largely from the encouragement of our friends and members. It has certainly been a learning experience, and we thank you for keeping us on our toes! We have strived for the best product and delivery service that we could offer, and we thank you for your patience as we worked to solve issues related to our online ordering system and drop-offs, and for informing us with any problems with your deliveries. Every comment and suggestion—positive feedback and constructive criticism—has been read and taken into consideration, and hopefully everyone has heard back from us at some point via email or phone call. Please continue to stay in touch—this is your CSA program!
The past twelve weeks have flown by, but after the intense period of harvesting and deliveries, plus all the pre-season work and preparation, we are ready for a much-needed recess. The next few weeks offer a bit of a breather for us, as we will not be preparing deliveries, but we will be very busy planting, preparing soil, irrigation, and the like, and brainstorming for the fall. Many fall crops are already growing; we planted corn and pumpkins a few weeks ago, and it is amazing to see how much they have grown already. We just planted several varieties of winter squash—acorn, butternut, and spaghetti—that we are very excited about. We will be sure to tell you more about them and how to enjoy them, come fall. As a reminder, the fall season will start on the week of August 24th and runs through November 13th. We have a few items to share about the fall season, as follows.
Many people are writing to request information about the fall produce offerings. We have addressed this for many, but not all, of you in previous communications, but will include a brief summary here. Our website includes information on this as well, on the FAQ, Farm News, and Seasonal Calendar pages. Produce listed below will arrive in deliveries as it is becomes in season and we harvest it. We will again be providing a weekly box contents list to give you our best approximation of what will be in each box.
Expected Fall 2009 Crops
Earlier (late summer-early fall): beets; cucumbers; field peas, Lima beans, string beans, Roma/snap beans; cantaloupe and watermelon; eggplant; green onions; tomatoes; summer squash and zucchini
Later (fall): broccoli; cabbage; greens—chard, collards, lettuces, kale, spinachs; root vegetables and tubers – carrots, potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, sweet potatoes; turnips; pumpkins, winter squash
We welcome the newest additions to our delivery pickup locations: Casual Gourmet Market in West Ashley, Grove Park Pharmacy in Orangeburg, and the Cross School in Bluffton. These sites have generously opened their doors to the CSA program and you may choose to pickup from these sites for the Fall 2009 season. Thank you to our Spring 2009 pickup locations, all of which have joined us again for the fall season.
Please spread the word about our CSA program and encourage your family and friends to consider joining us for the best in local, South Carolina produce. We belong to a small group of Lowcountry programs that have started up over the past two years, and are currently one of only two CSA programs serving the Columbia area. The market is growing, but we—and other local farms—are still in need of support to sustain our efforts for coming seasons. We’d like to see you purchase local produce wherever available, but remind you—as you may share with others—that a CSA program offers a reliable, weekly delivery of a variety of produce to a convenient location near you. If you are interested in establishing a new pickup site closer to your neighborhood, please contact us and we will definitely take your idea into consideration. All of our current pickup sites are listed on our online order form and FAQ page at www.pinckneysproduce.com/faq/entry/14/
In the interim between seasons on our farm, we hope that you will enjoy what is available at your local farmers markets and roadside stands—peaches and watermelon are still a-plenty! Please contact us if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions; we look forward to hearing from you!
All the best,
Jody, Pinckney, and Trevor
Pinckney’s Produce CSA Program
