2023-03-11 newsletter

Greetings to the residents of Sanibel and Captiva from 12 Seasons
Farm,

The farm continues to yield well in most crops. This is the most
strawberries I think our farm has ever seen. It is a lot of fun to see
strawberry plants so full of fruit. It also means a lot of time and
effort to pick them! Cherry tomatoes are doing much better. Leeks have
sized up enough that we can begin to harvest those as well. They are
available online and I hope to bring some to market as well. We also
have a decent supply of cabbage for those who use it in their
celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.

Thank you to all who have been placing orders from Sanibel and
Captiva. This really helps, especially at a small market. Thank you.

In the foreground you can see the leeks intercropped between a double
row of strawberries on raised beds.

We look forward to being at McCarthy’s Marina again this Tuesday,
9-11 am. We will have a market stand of produce for those who want to
buy off the table. For those that pre-order, we will have your orders
prepared for pick up.

Thanks to Captain Bob and Jenny Rando with Captiva Cruises for this
continued opportunity!

If you would like to place an order for Tuesday pick up,
please do so before 8 pm Sunday at www.12seasonsfarm.com.

Here is our weekly schedule:

TUESDAY PICK-UP FOR SANIBEL & CAPTIVA: Place an
order online before Sunday, 8 pm, if you want to pick up an order at
McCarthy’s Marina in Captiva on Tuesday, 9-11 am. Extra produce will be
available for those who want to buy off the table. ****

 ** WEDNESDAY LAKE’S PARK FARMERS’
MARKET:** We will be at the Lakes Park Farmers’ Mkt. each
Wednesday from 9 am to 1 pm. in Ft. Myers. Parking is free during the
farmers’ market.

THURSDAY DELIVERIES & FARM PICK-UP: Please place
an order online before Tuesday, 8 pm, if you want home delivery or farm
pick-up for Thursday.

SATURDAY FARMERS’ MARKET AND PREORDER PICK-UP

Market runs 8 am to noon. Please place an order by Thursday, 8 pm to
pick up your preorder at the Bonita market. If preordering, please pick
up preorders after 10 am.

Orders can be placed online at ** www.12seasonsfarm.com**

This is what we are harvesting:

• Strawberries

• Summercrisp Lettuce

• Baby Butterhead Lettuce

• Romaine lettuce

• Large Leaf Butterhead lettuce

• Cherry tomatoes

• Heirloom/Specialty tomatoes

• Red Slicing tomatoes

• Arugula

• Curly kale

• Flat kale

• Mixed kale

• Broccoli

• Broccoli greens

• Cauliflower (limited)

• Rainbow carrots

• Cucumbers

• Zucchini

• Sweet Peppers

• Eggplant

• Round radish

• Daikon radish

• Watermelon radish

• Green onions

• Large sweet onions

• Dill

• Cilantro

• Italian flat parsley

• Curled parsley

• Saw Palmetto Honey

• Nasturtium Flowers

• Sunflowers

Here is Jedilo with some beautiful, organically grown berries! I once
taught an undergraduate fruit production course at Warner University to
students in the ag. department. One of the students had an internship
for one of the largest strawberry producers in Florida. He said that
farm would spray the strawberries with a cocktail of pesticides every
few days. At night when the pickers were done, the spray rigs would come
out. In contrast, we have sprayed our field once since October with an
organic spray treatment. I can’t imagine the health effect of a spray
every few days with a combination of potent conventional pesticides on
such a soft-skinned fruit not to mention on the folks working around
these chemicals on a daily basis.

Here is Justin helping sort the berries. He has been with us now 9
seasons and is a wonderful friend, mentor, and farmer. He has worked on
organic farms since high school. On this day, he turned 40. Justin is a
wealth of information on a variety of crops and raising them under
organic standards.

Here we have a bed of sprouted broccoli or “broccolini” in between
orchard trees, mainly avocados that are in full bloom. Despite the heat
and prolonged dryness, the broccolini continues to do well.

Here is a close up of the tender sprouts that we harvest 3x/week. The
stems, leaves, and flowers are all delicious.

We enjoy growing food at a standard that is safe and delicious so you
can partake of the goodness of fresh produce and knowing that it is
contributing to your health! In the same way, I as a dad wanted to have
that same confidence with our own kids… in this case, my son, Benjamin
enjoying a fresh carrot– dirty face and fingers and all. For moments
like these is why Vicki and I chose many years ago to move our farm
toward growing organically. We wanted our children to be able to eat
fruits, vegetables, and even dirt safely.

Hope to see many of you on Tuesday!

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