Week #20 Tuesday, Oct. 23rd - Saturday, Oct. 27th, 2007 Downloadable Word .doc for printing

In your bag
Yellow Onions, Garlic, Cabbage, Winter Squash –variety, Potatoes, Brussels sprouts, Carrots, Collard greens, Thyme, Parsley

This Week's Recipe
Curried Cabbage with Rice and Garbanzo Beans
I’d love for you to send us some of your favorite ways to cook Spring Hill veggies so that I can share them with other members.

Dear Spring Hill Members,

As this season comes to a close, Mike and I, and Katie, David and Maggie want to tell you how grateful we are to all of you for your support of this farm, our family, and your participation in this community. We’ve been doing this for 16 years now and we are no less grateful – in fact more so – to each of you for the commitment you make to Spring Hill. When the farm began, I think we imagined that as people joined the farm, ate its bounty, visited and worked here, they would feel connected to the farm. We know from your comments that for many of you, this has been true. What I don’t think we realized was how connected we would feel to all of you and how we would carry those connections to the fields and in our lives. I know in the field you are always with us – if we’re in the Swiss Chard, we’re sure Kate will appreciate it in her bag, when it’s the celeriac, I know Robin will be glad and wish there were more. Harvesting the garlic, we’re reminded of the previous fall planting with Lynn and Scott and picking peppers and tomatoes brings thoughts of our Spring Work Day and the many hands that planted and watered them. Cooking Kim’s and Dayna’s kale & potato gratin dish makes me think of them and their wonderful cooking and mixing up Angela’s arugula salad brings me back to the day she and her family were here. I love that sense of connection.

Local foods have been getting lots of attention lately. There are books, newspaper & magazine articles and events highlighting local foods for all kinds of reasons. There are, in fact, all kinds of good reasons for supporting local businesses, including your local farmers. In addition to all the tangibles of supporting local businesses, what I find so interesting about local foods in particular is that when we bring real food back to the table, all kinds of intangible things happen. For me, again, it’s about connections. Knowing and thinking about where your food comes from connects us to farmers, plants, animals, the land, seasons, each other. And when we feel connected, we bring caring back into the equation – and that is a good thing.

I do want to make sure and thank a number of people who have helped the farm and this community in special ways this year. First, of course, are our delivery site hosts. Please take a moment to thank your host. Their generosity is an important and wonderful thing. We also have a terrific group of planners, our Community Events Committee, that plan and work on Spring Hill’s community festivals each year. They are: Sandra Haff, Kate Hage, Pat Haga, Sue Poore, Erica Perl, Helen Torrens and Marian Wright. Thank you. Thank you. Our Core Group helps with overall planning, budgets and numbers and vision. They are a wonderful group of supportive folks. They are: Marilyn Johnson, Jess Fischer, Brenda Beyer, Kim Laudert, Cathy Dolan, Brian Devore, Joe Knaeble, Kari Kleven & Wendy Fassett. Another big thank you to Michele Gersich – the woman you contacted to sign-up for your harvest day. She has done a superb job once again! We’d also like to thank Jess Fischer who gave our web site a new look and kept it updated all season long. We are so pleased. Thanks as well to our beekeeper, Bob Wright. Without those bees and Bob, we’d be in real trouble.
Finally thanks to all of you for your support all season long. Have a good & restful winter. We’ll be in touch soon.

Patty & Michael