2023-03-27 newsletter

Greetings from 12 Seasons Farm,

Last week we were able to get the first supply of organic
blueberries. The quality was excellent.

The blueberries are coming in at a good time as strawberry crop
production is beginning to decrease. We should have strawberries for at
least one more month and hopefully have blueberries consistently now for
the next 8 weeks.

If you would like to place an order for Thursday home
delivery or farm pick up, please do so before 8 pm Tuesday 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

• Blueberries (from certified organic farm in Central
  Florida)

• Summercrisp Lettuce

• Baby Butterhead Lettuce (limited)

• Romaine lettuce

• Large Leaf Butterhead lettuce (limited)

• 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

• Italian Basil (limited)

• Greek Basil

• Rosemary

• Saw Palmetto Honey

• Nasturtium Flowers

• Sunflowers

We had a work team here last week from Taylor University in Indiana.
In years past I worked as an adjunct professor with Dr. Grace Ju Miller
teaching a course in Tropical Sustainable Agriculture. The course would
take place both at ECHO in N. Ft. Myers, Florida and in either Honduras
or Guatemala. The course has been on hold for a few years. I still keep
in touch with Dr. Grace Ju and this spring break she led a work team
down to volunteer at ECHO and included a tour of 12 Seasons Farm and an
afternoon of the students working with us.

Here are Taylor students pruning tomato vines. We were grateful for
their contributions on their spring break.

The kale express! Myrah and Jeanna Small bringing in the kale
harvest.

We have a good supply of the sweet Italian bull horn peppers. I
prefer to grow these over the traditional bell pepper. The Italian bull
horn peppers have thinner walls and a real pleasant flavor. They seem to
be less demanding on the soil and get less sun scald than bell
peppers.

Shelby with a very interesting shaped eggplant.

We have been getting such a big cherry harvest that last week we
called in reinforcements to help with the picking and also catching of
stink bugs that have gotten into the tunnels. The kids have been
catching and releasing lizards in the screenhouses to help with control
while also doing their own part to eliminate these devastating
pests.

This weekend we went camping after Saturday market to Okaloacoochee
Slough State Forest. It was a short but pleasant time with our good
friends, the Watkins Family. Elena (on the right) has worked for us over
5 seasons and our kids are growing up together as close friends.

We stayed at a remote campsite deep in the forest that came with its
own pitcher pump water source. It was so wonderful.

In the background is a portion of the Okaloacoochee Slough. It is a
super important watershed in Hendry and Collier Counties that sheet
flows into Big Cypress Preserve and Fakahatchee Strand, two other places
our family enjoys visiting to experience some of the pristine wilderness
of Florida.