2022-05-10 newsletter

Greetings,

Life on the farm is definitely quieter these days. A number of
families have left and now we have a much smaller, lean, but still
strong team.

While the weather is hot, certain crops like tomatoes, cucumbers,
peppers, eggplants, Summercrisp lettuce, basil, dill, parsley, Swiss
chard, and daikon radishes do well. We have good supply of these and
expect to have production into July.

We have 3 remaining Saturdays at the Bonita market before we open a
stand at the farm for June and first part of July.

We will continue to do home deliveries on Thursdays in SW FL and
Tuesdays for Sanibel and Captiva.

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 is as follows:

** ** ** ** ** Thursday** : Please order by
8 pm tonight (Tuesday), May 10, for Thursday, May 12, 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). BONITA MARKET
EXTENDED THROUGH MAY. 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 : Sanibel/Captiva home deliveries
on Tuesdays. CAPTIVA MKT. CLOSED FOR SEASON Place order
by Sunday, 8 pm.

****We are currently harvesting:

• Cherry Tomatoes

• Campari Tomatoes

• Heirloom/Specialty Tomatoes

• Red Beefsteak Tomatoes

• Summercrisp Lettuce

• Arugula (limited)

• Curly kale

• Flat kale

• Mixed kale

• Broccoli

• Cucumbers

• Zucchini

• Eggplant

• Sweet Peppers

• Round radish

• Daikon radish

• Sweet onions

• Italian Basil

• Italian Flat Parsley

• Curly Parsley

• Papaya (limited)

• Strawberries (limited)

• Blueberries (certified organic from farm in Central
  Florida)

• Bananas

• Sunflowers

• Orange blossom Honey

Here the Young Family is getting ready for their departure to
Wisconsin. Tim (far right back), Julie (blue ballcap in back), and their
2 boys Jett (left of Julie) and Atlas (front right) were such a
significant help this season. They have been here since November and
helped us through the bulk of our selling season. They plan to return in
the fall!

When we first began to look for workers on our farm many years ago,
we had no idea how significant families would become in providing such
great help. It is such a privilege to see kids grow up here and develop
new skills in farming, stronger more able bodies, a better work ethic,
and confidence and maturity.

Susanna and Eric Hall in front of their bus. They also left a few
days ago to make their way back toward Maine. They were a tremendous
help this season. Eric is a builder and craftsman and Susanna did most
of our drying of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. They too plan to return
to help again next fall for which we are grateful

Zach with a decent harvest of tomatoes. We harvest tomatoes 3
days/week. We make sure they have good enough color before picking to
ensure proper flavor development. Then we store them usually between
60-70F. There is research confirming that storing them below 54F causes
reduction in both the texture and flavor quality.

Chef Raden with a delivery of delicious red tomatoes from 12 Seasons
Farm. They get excited at Sails Restaurant in Naples when we deliver.
They know the quality will be excellent. The fellow in the background of
the photo tells me they are almost as good as the ones from his mother’s
garden in Serbia! We aim for the best but it’s hard to beat your
mother’s tomatoes from the garden. I have trialed over 200 tomato
varieties between our farm and my previous job at ECHO and am always on
the hunt for the best tasting, best performing varieties. Overall, we
are very pleased with the tomato quality this season.

We also deliver to Continental, Bay House, Osteria Tulia, Sea Salt,
Bay Colony Beach Club, Hyatt Resort and Spa, Vi at Bentley Village,
Diamondhead Beach Resort, Sweet Melissa’s Cafe on Sanibel, and Harold’s
Restaurant in Ft. Myers. We are very grateful for the business we have
with these restaurants.

It is mulberry season and the kids get their fill every day. Here is
Benjamin and his friend Havilah this morning feasting on mulberries. I
was driving by on the golf cart and found them under the tree having
their fill of mulberries to their heart’s content! The mulberry trees
are a big hit right now on the farm with the kids. Mulberries bear when
hardly any other fruits are in season. They bear usually April and May
which is kind of a drought for fruit production in SW Florida.

Here was our team at the market last Saturday before Vicki left with
Annika and Benjamin to set up a market stand for a one day event at
Cambier Park in Naples. We were grateful to have Myrah and Jack Small
for another Saturday. They plan to head north soon, possibly sometime
next week. They plan to return in the fall for their 5th season!

Thank you for all the support this season. We continue to strive to
bring you fresh, super tasty, and healthy produce!

All the best!

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