It’s the last CSA pickup for this year, marking our 8th season of growing vegetables at Gorman Farm. We can’t express in words how grateful we are as a family and a business to still be here – be thriving – and have a bright future ahead of us. It was a great turnout for the potluck last Sunday! A season full of harvest was deserving of an evening of dance, food, and community! Special thanks to Caleb Stine and friends for playing some great tunes as the farm stand barn promenaded all of us, young and old, alike. If you missed the potluck this year we hope to do it again next year! 2017 CSA Program Signups will resume in late winter Jan/February of 2017. You will all get a notiMication via email when we open for new memberships. You will all receive a returning member discount, with priority over new memberships. Should your email change over the winter season please
notify us so we can be sure to let you know of the signups. Be on the look out for our CSA member survey which we will email out in the coming weeks. We are always looking for better ways to enhance what we do and better serve you. Your participation in the survey is highly appreciated and helps us provide the best program we possibly can. When we started this farm in 2009 our goal was to follow a CSA model. We have experimented with different avenues and the CSA model is what has prevailed. With this program, and most importantly, our members, our farm would not exist. Your conMidence in us as your growers and your prebuying commitment this gives us the ability to efMiciently run the farm for the season. We feel proud to be your farmers and we love what we do. Thanks to all of you for a wonderful season, we hope to see you back with us again next year! - The Gorman Farm Team
One of the most common questions I get asked this time of year. People tend to think we just stop and rest. I wish that was the case!! Winter is actually quite busy just as much as the season, but in a different way. Outdoor Mield work will resume often right past thanksgiving. We need to mow off and incorporate into the soils all the remaining veggie plant residues, remove plants with pest issues, pre-bed for early spring, get cover crop Minalized and spread compost. All the irrigation systems need to be dismantle, and rolled up. All the equipment and supplies need to be thoroughly washed, sanitized, and stored for winter, all engines need to be stabilized as well. The equipment maintenance takes places from now all the way up into spring. The winter maintenance list by this time of year is a bit daunting and those process’ are already under way. The organization and pre-planning for next year will take place on those blustery winter days when working in the Mields or the shop is just unbearable. Next year’s cropping plan and Mield rotations must all be mapped out prior to breaking ground with precision and approval from Nutrient Management. Excel spreadsheets a mile long are now being edited and prepared for next year. Reviewing and adjusting records on planting and crop yields is critical to a successful next season. So is a vacation to the tropics (we do squeeze that in!!)