The farm looks forward to this week all spring-the first CSA delivery! The relationship between CSA members and the farm is unique and is cherished by both farmers and crew. It has always been one of the farm's deepest held beliefs that food is sacred nourishment for the whole human being. In this time when our collective human experience is undergoing major shifts, that belief is brought into sharp focus. In this time when so many things seem unsure, feeling confident and secure that the food we eat is grown safely, regeneratively and with love seems essential. The dynamics between the farm and its CSA members serves to further strengthen the farms mission.
What a wild ride this spring has been! It roared in, warm and early in March, only to turn cool and rainy as the days have gotten longer. The plant life of the natural world is gaining so much vitality and momentum, as the Earth continues to breathe out, exhaling all the dreams of the long winter nights. There is so much unfolding and opening during this time on the farm, and we hope that this abundance resonates in the farm’s veggies.
In other farm news, the farm welcomed a trio of Highland cattle a few weeks ago. These animals serve a very different role on the farm than the small herd of Herefords that the farm raises for beef. For starters, the Herefords are part of a family agricultural heritage for Holly. Her great great grandfather raised Herefords in Ashe County, where her father still raises them today. Herefords are efficient grass converters and produce high yields of excellent quality beef. The Highlands, on the other hand, are one of the farms "heart enterprises." They are not an enterprise that the farm expects to pencil out financially, and instead they help carry forward the Biodynamic impulse on the farm. Farmers and crew members will definitely eat the beef that the animals produce and utilize the manure for the compost, but overall, the herd's presence on the farm is what's meaningful.