2023-04-24 newsletter

Greetings from 12 Seasons Farm,

The SW Florida growing season is long for us. Our season normally
begins in October and continues until July. The season is bookended by
heat which limits what kinds of crops will prosper at the beginning and
toward the end. But there are enough crops that do well in the heat and
creative solutions for some of the cooler season crops that we are able
to grow into July. We take advantage of shade, low-lying moist areas,
and focus on varieties that are better adapted to these warmer
conditions.

We are grateful for the recent meaningful rainfall events. The extra
moisture and cloud cover are very helpful for season extension.

As summer approaches here in SW FL, we have seen a perceptible change
in traffic and market presence as many people seek cooler locations in
the country. For those of you who remain here in SW Florida, we hope you
are enjoying a slower pace of life. We look forward to continuing to
serve you.

One of the privileges of being a family farm where our children join
in the day-to-day activities is having them accompany us to markets.
Annika has been pivotal at the Captiva market where the above photo was
taken. We enjoy going to the market together. She has come a long way
this season since I put a money bag on her in January. Thank you for
your patience with all our kids and helping them learn math and become
more comfortable assisting you all.

If you would like to place an order for Thursday pick up or
home delivery, 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:

• Blueberries (from certified organic farm in Central
  Florida)

• Strawberries (very limited)

• Summercrisp Lettuce

• Baby Butterhead Lettuce

• Large Leaf Butterhead lettuce

• Cherry tomatoes

• Heirloom/Specialty tomatoes

• Red Slicing tomatoes

• Arugula

• Curly kale

• Flat kale

• Mixed kale

• Broccoli

• Broccoli greens

• 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 a bin of recently harvested turmeric. We have it available in
both 1/4 lb. and 1 lb. quantities online. We grow the turmeric under the
shade of trees in our citrus orchard. Here it seems to prosper well.
These ones were harvested after their 2nd year.

Last week Michelle Li joined 12 Seasons Farm as a volunteer through
WWOOF, Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms. She is a computer
professor from a university in Iowa. She wants to someday have her own
organic farm and found us through the wwoof website where we are hosts.
We are grateful for her contributions. She is bunching today’s harvest
of broccolini.

We have a good cucumber harvest right now.

At the Saturday Bonita Springs market, we served people kale massage
salad. This is our preferred way to use kale. We usually use the curly
kale for this.

Annika was again a trooper at market and together with her brothers
probably served around 150 or more plates of kale massage salad. It was
fun to introduce people to a new way of using this wonderful green.

Here are the signs we had hanging up at market. The one on the right
gives the general instructions/recipe for making it. Massaging the kale
really makes it much more tender and enjoyable to eat! You can even
enjoy it the 2nd day as it keeps well, even after having dressing on
it.

Fritz and Wally and Dan and Brittany left today. They have been with
us since mid-October. Their boys have really grown here. They learned to
climb trees, ride pedal bikes, and start and take care of a beautiful
diverse garden. We will truly miss them.

They are on their way to a high altitude homestead in New Mexico
where they will help a family build an earth bag house. We truly wish
them well.

After Saturday market we celebrated the birthdays of our good friend
Tim Watkins and my wonderful wife Vicki whose birthdays are one day
apart. Journeying through life with such great family friends and a
faithful wise wife is a precious gift. We cherish moments like this as
the season is long and demanding.

May you all enjoy meaningful moments with family and friends around
the table. Hopefully the food you receive from 12 Seasons Farm allows
you and your friends and loved ones to taste the goodness that is
possible while also being nourished.

Take care.

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