|
|
 |
|
|
I must admit that I am not the best with Christmas cards but I do want you to know how grateful I am for the chance to create the CSG together with you this past year. I certainly feel blessed to have folks like
yourselves in my life!
I wish all of you the happiest of holidays and a bountiful harvest of love in the New Year!!
Perhaps the Christmas parties are now winding down for you...and possibly you may have interest in another celebration that has deep meaning. One way that I would like to express my gratitude is by inviting you to
our celebration of the Solstice of Winter This shortest day of the year has been observed by humans for thousands of years...... we'll reflect on the ancient and still timely themes of darkness/light as well
as the chance to begin anew.
Our Winter Solstice here at the Oblate Novitiate will begin at 7:00 PM this Saturday evening, December 21. We will gather in the lower end of the main building (follow the luminarios -lamps). Part of the ritual will take us briefly outside, so dress casually but warmly.....otherwise expect good cheer, thoughtful meditation, and a feast of Winter drinks and desserts to conclude (please bring one or the other to share).
|
|
|
|
November 20
|
|
|
|
As I leave Friday to Texas for a couple of presentations in Houston and then home for the holiday, I'd like to say that I give thanks for so much, especially for the great spirit and enthusiasm of all of
you coming together to form the Community Supported Garden. Our efforts are being noted near and far and we have accomplished so much. I wish you peace and blessed contentment this Thanksgiving!
Our next shareholder meeting will not be the first Sunday of December (as it falls on Thanksgiving weekend). Therefore, we will meet the following Sunday, December 8 at 2:00 PM
. Amy Cloud, our newly hired head gardener, will be moving in from Dec. 2-11, so she will be able to attend.
I ask as well that everyone also mark the January meeting on their calendars. Fr. Seamus Finn, OMI, my "boss" from Washington, is coming for the meeting and it would be good if
everyone would make an effort to be there. Back to the first Sunday, so, Sunday, January 5 at 5:00 PM.
Our deer fence materials are being delivered today!! Otherwise, the post setting is coming along in Field #1. We will take the next 2 Saturdays off and resume, with Amy's being present to assist, on
Saturday, December 7 at 8:00 AM. We will try and make some headway that day, so if you can loan a couple of hours or more, please do.
My best to your and your family during these days giving thanks!
|
|
|
|
November 14
|
|
|
|
Planting in the Fall ? ! You betcha' !
Garlic is planted in Autumn so as to overwinter. It is one of the first plants to come up in late Winter-early Spring. We can look forward to a share or two of "garlic curls" in late
May-early June (these are the tops of the plant that curl which are snipped off so as to direct the energy to the root...to the garlic bulb. You can dice these garlic curls and add them to recipes calling for
garlic).
The garlic bulb is harvested in late June- early July. We had a wonderful harvest this past summer. I have saved most of that crop for planting this year so as to have a real bumper crop next
summer.....for our shares.
So, it's time now to plant. Whoever would like to come out for breaking up the garlic bulbs into cloves and helping plant....we'll go for it this Sunday, Nov. 17 at 1:00 PM.
We'll plant in the small garden next to the barn....come on out anytime in the afternoon and learn firsthand where our food comes from!
|
|
|
|
November 4
|
|
|
|
What a GREAT celebration we shared in Saturday afternoon/evening!!
Congratulations to all of us and the project as a whole!! We ritualized the welcome of our new head gardener Amy Cloud (and she was so energized as to actually wake up on a misty Sunday morning and go out to the fields to measure for her growing beds!!).
After our welcoming ritual for Amy we together blessed our new greenhouse (with a handful each of soil) and walked through the gate of our deer-proof fence (under construction) and wound up at the cover-cropped field
where our vegetables will soon be coming from.
Then, returning to the barn, everybody was thrilled at the immense array of diverse covered dishes and desserts.
It was a reflection of the diverse gifts and personalities we all bring to this project! And there was more than enough!! The hot apple cider brewing over the campfire was a popular spot and the hay ride provided thrills (look mom, no headlights!) for the young and young at heart.
On Sunday afternoon Amy boarded
the train back to her last 2 weeks of working at Angelic Organics north of Rockford, IL. She will return here to move her belongings down in early Dec and formally start as head gardner in early Jan.
Thanks once again and congratulations to one and all! We continue to paint a beautiful picture with each step we take along the journey!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
October 30
|
|
|
|
hello to the shareholders of la vista csa,
thank you for giving me this opportunity to be your head gardener.
i am currently working on the largest csa in the country (over 1,000 members) in upstate illinois, bringing in all sorts of root vegetables in this unusually cold, brutally cold fall. i am here at angelic organics in body only; my mind is always roaming ahead to next year. i am so excited to grow the best vegetables i can for you all. i don't have one doubt in my mind that this first year will be a success from the spring spinach to the last bunch of kale i bring in from the field in the fall.
i am looking forward to meeting many of you soon in november. take good care and soak in all the color.
peace,
amy cloud
|
|
|
October 16
|
|
|
|
Head Gardener
The search committee came to a consensus regarding the finalist out of our two highly qualified final candidates last Wednesday and presented this to the rest of the original core group on Friday evening. After due discussion, the entire core group had consensus to offer the job of head gardener to
Amy Cloud. I called Amy last evening as I returned from an Oblate meeting in DC and made the offer. Amy was excited to accept the job.
Amy is currently farming at Angelic Organics in northern IL---the largest CSA in the country (www.angelic-organics.com).
She has also spent other growing seasons at two of the leading CSA's in Massachusetts that are well known for their apprentice programs, Brookfield Farm (www.brookfieldfarm.org)
and Caretaker Farm. We spoke to the head farmers of these operations during the search and one went so far as to say that Amy was one of the best apprentices that had ever worked on his farm in over 30 years.
Amy impressed us with her lifelong experience in farming. She grew up in Michigan on a dairy and grain farm and began farming organically just out of college.
She is committed to the CSA vision and knows how to put in long hours in the field. She loves her plants!!!!
This Saturday!! The work on the deer fence will begin this Saturday, Oct 19
at 8:00 AM and continue thru each of the next 3 Saturdays that follow--Oct. 26, Nov. 2 & 9. The first two Saturdays will largely be getting the fence posts plotted and placed. The Nov. Saturdays will be the actual stretching and tieing of the fence.
 Greenhouse The Rotary Club has done an expert job of
putting up the frame of the greenhouse. They also installed the electric and water lines as well. They plan to pull the plastic skin of the greenhouse over the frame this Saturday, Oct. 19
from 8:00 - 11:00AM. (Due to wind and wet conditions, the covering of the greenhouse has changed to Tuesday, October 22 at 1:00PM.) We'll take a break from the fence
to assist with this and to learn how it's done (we'll need to cover it with new plastic around 5 years from now). So come on out with your cameras and grab a hand on
the plastic to assist in pulling it over ---- something like an old-fashioned barn-raising!!!!!!
|
|
|
September 29
|
|
|
|
Much has been happening in the Community Supported Garden at La Vista!!!!!
Here's a sampling:
The grant-writing committee is submitting another grant application tomorrow, let's keep our fingers crossed.
Last Wednesday, we were able to successfully hand seed (yes, the old fashioned way) both fields with a winter cover crop mixture of hairy vetch and winter rye!!!
Now, all we need is a little rain.
Mike Campion has generously donated well composted manure for the fields. We're full of it!
We look forward to joining this coming Sunday, October 6
for our monthly shareholder gathering. We will gather from 5:00 - 7:00 in the barn....this will be another important meeting as we will come to consensus on the price of a share of food. We recognize that this food comes from a sustainable source which ensures a just compensation for the head gardener---so, it's an inherently alternative project...in fact its a win-win-win project that will be a model for many. We're creating the future as we go along!
|
|
|
|
September 23
|
|
|
|
Well, fellow shareholders, here we are in Autumn!! And it seemed, at times, like Summer had no end!!
This past Friday, shareholder Tony Norman got assistance from Maher's Automotive to haul several telephone poles over from St. Louis Ameren UE. These will be cut in half and used as the sturdy posts
for our deer-proof fence. We are trying to get the lowest price for the fence wire, steel posts and gates that we can by asking local dealers for a discount.
I have been busy spade plowing the fields
to get them ready for seeding the winter cover crop seed of vetch and rye. Might a few couple of hardy souls come and assist with that task?? Its the seeding I need help with: ...the old fashioned way of walking and spreading the seed by hand. I will finish the plowing by Wednesday noon if we can plan to spread the seed this Wednesday afternoon-early evening (Sept. 25). Please call me at 466-504 if you can assist (or come lend moral support or snap a photo or two).
The greenhouse donated by the Rotary Club should be arriving any day now and their work on the construction of this should commence shortly thereafter.
|
|
|
|
September 7
|
|
|
|
BUCKWHEAT
Shorn, but not forgotten. I had the best time on this sunny afternoon using the old Ford tractor (don't worry, the John Deere still works, I just didn't want the oldie but goodie to feel forgotten) and mowing down the buckwheat (summer cover crop). The buckwheat did so well that it was time (in less than a month) to cut it down!! Walt Gregory will bring his European spade plow over on Sunday and spade in the remains of the buckwheat in order to nourish our soil. The goodness of this soil will be producing the vegetables for us in just a matter of months. We will plant a winter cover crop of hairy vetch (not some tropical disease!!) and winter rye early this coming week.
OTHER UPDATES
Greenhouse, Grant Writing, etc etc to be shared this Sunday. The budget committee has been hard at work as well and will share with us the budget, which will facilitate our conversation on what makes for a successful and stable CSA project and why (this includes the setting of the price of a share).
|
|
|
|
August 28
|
|
|
|
|
I know the communications committee will be contacting you soon to remind you about our upcoming meeting for shareholders on Sunday, September 8, at 5:00. This meeting and the October meeting are really vital
...as we will be deciding how to determine share price and then actually doing it.
The budget committee is preparing diligently and will assist us in making these decisions. Folks are now back from their vacations and we hope to have 100% participation as we continue to shape this project together.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
August 26
|
|
|
|
Things are coming along nicely as we move towards Autumn.
The hermitage porch is being renovated this morning and the windows should be replaced next week. The buckwheat cover crop in the two fields is already 8" tall and growing! The greenhouse
is ordered and the parts should be here in a couple of weeks. The Rotary Club will let us know when they plan to assemble it. I measured for the deer proof fence
yesterday. Just to do so is exciting!
|
|
|
August 18
|
|
|
|
|
Greenhouse Prep: Things are moving along as we got our 52 loads of greenhouse foundation delivered yesterday!!
|
|
|
|
August 16
|
|
|
|
 Mule Fence Prevails! The beautiful 4
strand fence erected by a team of shareholders last Saturday is doing its job magnificently!! The little mules are happy on their side
(and have not thought too much, yet, about the grass being greener...) and the greenhouse prep site is happy on its side.
Buckwheat Is Up!!: Fortunately, we got both fields sowed with buckwheat (a warm weather cover crop) before last Sunday's 2 and a half inches of rain. It is
coming up nicely with the mixture of rain, sunshine and warm weather we have had since August 11th.
Maybe we'll stay lucky and this kind of weather will continue (buckwheat will do well as long as it does not get too cold). We'll get a nice stand of buckwheat by
October, then plow in under to add fertility to the soil. Then we'll plant a winter cover crop of hairy vetch and winter rye. (Garlic to be planted the day after
Thanksgiving--mark your calendar and come have fun!!)
We're Full Of It!! Eight loads of manure came down the road yesterday donated by the mayor and hauled by a fellow named Terry Dixon. Thanks so much to both gentlemen!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
August 8
|
|
|
|
Our new John Deere 4510 tractor has a 39 horsepower engine, 4-wheel drive, a front end loader and a 6 ft back mower.
...and what a deal, half-price, with the Novitiate paying the other half.
|
|
|
|
