NOTE: This blog is posted by a volunteer. No one from the farm checks or responds to messages here. You must contact the farm directly with any questions, comments, etc
Dear Friends of the Farm,
This is our last week of Distribution. You could see the following combination of produce in your bags: Yukon gold potatoes, onions, turnips, broccoli, beets, leeks, bell peppers, Anaheim peppers, Jalapenos, tomatoes, honeydew and muskmelon.
Honey: This is the last delivery of honey for the year. Those of you who ordered monthly and bimonthly will see jars sitting at your distribution center. Please do not take anything unless checking in with your distributor.
Mushrooms: We apologize, but there will not be a final delivery of mushrooms. The grower says that because of the colder temperatures the mushrooms did not fruit like they expected. There just isn’t enough to warrant a delivery to the farm. We will work on this for next year and hopefully, the grower and us, will have a better understanding of what we need to do to get mushrooms on a regular basis and how many we will need.
Hogs, Lambs, and Steers: We are starting to take animals to Valley Packing of LaSalle. We use this processor because we like the fact that they wrap the meat with plastic to keep air out and then wrap it in paper to keep light out. This procedure will extend the life of your stash in the freezer. Hogs are going in first, then the lambs and finally the steers.
All animals should be paid in full by now. If you receive a bill this month, please pay it in full. The only exception would be for those of you who have also ordered a Winter Share and are spreading out your payments over the next three months (including October).
If you are interested, we still have half a hog, one full steer (four quarters) and 0 lambs available. Contact the office for more information. A quarter beef costs $750 if purchased through the office and take home is around 125 pounds. Valley Packing charges by the pound for processing, so we cannot tell you what that will cost. You will pay those charges when you pick up your cut and wrapped meat. Approximately your cost per pound is right around $7.50.
Half Hogs cost $325 through the office. Take home will be around 75 pounds. Processing is by the pound and what type of sausage you get. Approximately your cost per pound is right around $6.50 to $7.50.
Winter Share: There are still some shares available. I know that $500 sounds like a lot of money, but we are talking about the cost being $27.78 a week for the best tasting winter vegetables around. As far as we know, we are the only CSA that has an 18-week season. The first week of distribution will be Oct 26th and will continue through February 22nd. We have 20 spots left, so don’t wait to join the farm for the winter!
Workdays: Please join us for the next three Sundays to work on separating garlic and/or harvesting beets, turnips, or carrots. Wear layers that can be removed and clothes & shoes you don’t mind getting dirty. Bring water, hat, and gloves. You will appreciate having them. Contact the office as soon as you know you will be joining us so we can keep a record of it just in case we have to cancel. You are welcome to join us if you discover that day you are available. We start at 8am.
Jerry: Thank you for all the notes and cards giving Jerry well wishes in his recovery from his back injury. A special thank you to all the members who contributed to the gift cards at the Monaco DC. It was a big surprise, and we will find something special to do with them.
Jerry is doing really well. He has very little pain but still cannot pick up anything. He is halfway through his recovery, and we are ecstatic about his progress. He has been told he will make a full recovery. Yippee!!!
Overview: This has been a trying summer for Kyle. First, we had crazy strong (and consistent) winds in the spring, and it blew out many of the first crops planted. All of which had to be replanted, for instance potatoes and carrots. The transmissions went out on both of our main tractors. This cost a cool $10,000 each to replace. One we got back five weeks later, the other four months. Just about every truck, tractor and water pump broke down at some point this summer ~ making it a very expensive year.
It was also a very hot and dry summer. This year was the third hottest in Colorado history; #1: 2012, #2: 2020, #3: 2022, #4: 2021, #5: 1934. (Now isn’t this a scary statistic!) We did not get the nice rains many of you received. We had a beautiful fall, but our water was shut off early leaving many crops without water to finish the season. Needless to say, this was an interesting year to be a young farmer!
Even with all these setbacks, the farm produced a wonderful variety of produce. Everything was so tasty. Wouldn’t you agree the tomatoes were possibly the best you have ever eaten? And those melons! Wow, fantastic!
We know you will miss the great produce and the weekly deliveries. But here at the farm, we are ready for a break. Kyle and crew have been working diligently six to seven days a week since the first week of March. It’s starting to cool down and the days are getting shorter. It is such a nice reason to harvest winter veggies and get them into storage and shut down the farm for the winter.
Monroe Organic Farms 