Hello Shareholders,
It’s nearly one month into 2018 and we are still on track with our resolutions! Last winter was dreary and hard in many ways, so it made sense to be proactive this time around. The healthy habits have lent themselves well to helping us sort out the details of some delicious share options.
We (Bob & Flip) are excited about the potential for the you-pick share. In many ways, we feel like we are swimming against the current. In an age of convenience and the vast expansion in demand for prepared foods, we are instead offering a share where you have to harvest it yourself! Funny that. To us, this unique share serves worthwhile goals. The share also meets consumer choice criteria since the design allows for members to select the quantity and variety of vegetables and harvest on the timeline that best meets your schedule. The farm is still dedicated to feeding households in the community and making it easy to be involved beyond the economic transaction. The share has been re-named Greens & Beyond, You Pick and 2018 brings expanded offerings, longer season and lower overall price. It’s the only share of its kind in the region! To follow all the improvements, check out our recent Farm Journal Post. We are not raising the price of the Fresh, Fall Share or Egg Share. Both shares are structured similarly as last year and we’ll continue to plan for a diverse fall harvest.
The participation requirement, a mainstay of littleGrasse has been phased out. We still enjoy and encourage participation, but it is no longer a prerequisite for joining the farm. Our most recent Journal Post discusses that as well. We will host two Garden Mornings with potlucks this season, rather than monthly. We hope this will allow each event to be a whimsical celebration. Mark your calendars for June 2nd & September 8th!
Some folks expressed interest in the pre-2017 Homestead and Fresh, Full Season Share that we offered. littleGrasse will not be offering those shares this season. There’s many reasons for this: the larger footprint required in the fields is a lot of labor and we are still interested in minimizing the use of mechanization/fossil fuels. We remain passionate about fostering an interactive community space, yet want to be realistic about long term wear and tear on our bodies. In tandem, Flip is 9 months into being the Local Foods Program Leader at Cornell Cooperative Extension. The job is a great challenge and we’ll keep you posted on the fun cooking classes and workshops throughout the year. Bob continues to serve on the Canton town board, most recently appointed Deputy Supervisor. Our off-farm pursuits dovetail nicely with littleGrasse operations and our strong commitment to this Community.
To you, we ask for assistance in recruiting new members. Who better to explain our community farm? Consider your friends, neighbors and colleagues. Do any of them:
- Dig local but do not have the time or energy to grow food on their own
- Enjoy preparing home-cooked meals
- Live close and could take great pleasure in convenient you-picking all summer
- Interested in bartering for summer or fall share
- Value keeping their $$ in the local economy
Are there other items that would be desirable to include in the share barn? We are in conversation with some high-quality non-vegetable producers in the area, discussing offerings (as we do now with the eggs from the Bartons at Eight O’Clock Ranch in DeKalb). We will update the website and send out an email if additional offerings come to fruition.
Here’s the Summary of 2018 Shares and the Share Signup is live! The farm’s upfront costs have already begun and signing up in the winter covers these expenses. There is the option to pay in 1-3 installments.
Thanks and stay in touch!
Flip & Bob