2022-04-12 newsletter

Greetings,

Florida has such a long growing season and we are now just about 2/3s
through this current season, having begun harvesting and selling in
mid-October. Thank you for the success thus far through your continued
support.

The Bonita market at Promenade is now scheduled to run through the
end of May. We are glad for this and will likely open up a stand again
at our own farm for the month of June. I think the Captiva market will
end the last Tuesday of April, but we are still awaiting word on that
market.

The strawberry season is definitely winding down. However, we should
be getting a steady supply of organic blueberries for a good while
longer.

If you order online, please remember to put your requests in the
customer notes if something is out-of-stock.

Place orders at 12seasonsfarm.com

Our schedule remains the same:

** ** ** ** ** Thursday** : Please order by
8 pm tonight (Tuesday), April 12, for Thursday, April 14, farm pick up
or delivery to Bonita Springs, Naples, Ft. Myers Beach, Ft. Myers, N.
Ft. Myers, and Cape Coral.

Saturday: Bonita Springs Farmers’ Market at
Promenade Shops (8am- noon). You may also select a preorder option each
week (by Thursday 8 pm) and pick up your prepared orders at the Saturday
market, preferably after 10:30 am.

Tuesday : Farmers’ Market on Captiva
(9am-1pm at Starbuck’s Parking Lot, Captiva ) and
Sanibel/Captiva home deliveries on Tuesdays. Place order by Sunday, 8
pm. You may also select a pre-order option (order by Sunday 8pm) to pick
up at the market.

****We are currently harvesting:

• Cherry Tomatoes

• Heirloom/Specialty Tomatoes

• Red Beefsteak Tomatoes

• Summercrisp Lettuce

• Large Leaf Butterhead Lettuce

• Arugula

• Curly kale

• Flat kale

• Mixed kale

• Broccoli

• Cabbage

• Cucumbers

• Zucchini

• Eggplant

• Sweet Peppers

• Round radish

• Daikon radish

• Green onions

• Italian Basil

• Italian Flat Parsley

• Curly Parsley

• Valencia Oranges

• Grapefruit

• Papaya

• Strawberries (limited)

• Blueberries (certified organic from farm in Central
  Florida)

• Bananas

• Sunflowers

• Orange blossom Honey

Benjamin realizing Justin is back and giving him a giant hug. Justin
had to go back north for a week to begin his work at another farm, but
returned again to help us for a short while longer. Benjamin was super
happy to see him! Justin is like an uncle to our children and a brother
to me. He has been such a tremendous helper– working with us I think 8
of the last 9 seasons.

Eric Hall moving a giant limestone rock that has been in the middle
of our tangerine orchard for a bridge project. Eric and Susanna Hall
were an unexpected surprise this season, joining us in late November. I
met them around 25 years ago when I worked at ECHO and they were running
a children’s home (serving as long term foster care parents) on Cat
Island, Bahamas. We helped them plant an orchard and set up gardens
there in the early 2000s. They now have settled back in the United
States and joined us this season on the farm. They are a very talented
couple and such a wonderful presence on the farm.

Noah and Meredith removing the lower yellow leaves on the bunching
broccoli plants. The kids do a great job on these kinds of tasks. On the
left, the avocado trees have just set a large crop of fruit and are
leafing out with their new leaves. The avocado trees exchange their
leaves each season. The trees provide a nice shade to the broccoli
allowing for a longer harvest season. This system of interplanting
vegetables with fruit trees is often called agroforestry. We call it
sensible farming. The trees benefit from the well nourished and watered
vegetable bed while the broccoli is benefiting from the beneficial shade
and wind protection provide by the avocado trees.

Off to work! Carrie and Benjamin are heading out to work. We use a
lot of wagons and carts on the farm. Benjamin enjoys being with Carrie,
helping out with work, and often getting extra snacks. Carrie is like
mother hen on the farm, always looking after others, super industrious
and capable, and encouraging others.

Autumn and the entire Anderson family (Derek, Amber, Autumn, and
Noah) have been a great addition this season. Derek contacted us this
past summer and let us know they wanted to start a new career in farming
and wanted a place to learn on a small production based family farm.
They were planning to sell their house in Texas and join us before
looking for land and beginning a new life in Tennessee. So they did just
that– sold their house and came to us at the first part of January. The
whole family works each day and are excellent workers. They are a kind
and edifying presence on the farm. They will be with us through the
first part of May before moving on to Tennessee. They certainly have a
bright future. Some of you may have seen Autumn and Amber at Saturday
market.

The kids are enjoying break day while sitting on a bouncy bamboo
pole. Fun to be a kid at 12 Seasons Farm!

We had a gathering this past Sunday evening at the farm with several
former and current ECHO staff and the co-founders of ECHO, Martin and
Bonnie Price. ECHO played a formative and significant role as I worked
there over 16 years, mainly as their farm manager before Vicki and I
ventured full time here at this farm. While at ECHO, I got to travel and
visit farmers in parts of Africa, Central America, the Caribbean, and SE
Asia. Through those rich and inspirational experiences, meeting so many
capable folks from all around the globe, and working under Martin Price,
together these conferred a profound confidence in the great capacity of
this magnificent creation to produce nourishing food and abundance for
all. We try to be a small part of that vision here at 12 Seasons
Farm.

We thank you for your continued support!

Danny, Vicki, the kids, and the 12 Seasons Team