2023-05-01 newsletter

Greetings from 12 Seasons Farm,

We hope you all are ok from the high winds yesterday morning. The
farm took a decent hit– nothing that can’t be repaired, but still a
setback. It certainly is minor compared to what we went through in
September. It should take Ek several days for repairs and we should be
back to near normal. As many of you know we use a lot of screened
structures to minimize loss from insects and disease. They are, however,
exposed and vulnerable to severe winds.

While we are still harvesting from a decent number of crops, our
diversity is starting to pare down as the heat and longer days does not
favor the cool- season crops like cauliflower and cabbage.

Our schedule should be the same for the month of May at Bonita
Springs and Lakes Park. We plan to take Tuesday, May 16, off from the
Captiva market before resuming the following Tuesday, May 23. We are
planning our annual trip to see Vicki’s family in Oklahoma.

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:

• 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

Part of one of our 475 ft. long mini tunnels was pushed over from the
strong winds. Thankfully the crops were finished in this particular
location. We just need to repair for next season. While wind gusts in
the 40-60 mph range is fine for most houses, they are particularly hard
on our farm.

We had several locations where the plastic and/or screen was blown
off structures. We are working to repair these areas promptly to prevent
stink bugs and other pests from entering.

On to more positive news… Benjamin is a great helper. I will pick and
he will gather the quarts for me. We are a good team.

We still have a good supply of most herbs, especially curled and flat
parsley. Here are Michelle and Emily with this morning’s harvest.

Last week we seeded the final and 40th crop of lettuce. 40 weeks of
lettuce– that is a long season!! Thanks to Elena (in the foreground) and
especially Mary Ann (in the background). With all the extra workload and
distractions this season from the hurricane damage, Mary Ann has been a
major help season. She grew up in Clermont, Florida on a citrus grove
and is an exceptional gardener/farmer. We are so blessed to have her as
part of this team at 12 Seasons. I turned over the weekly seeding
operation completely to her this season and she did a marvelous job,
averaging during the peak season 40-50 trays/week. It is a lot to
coordinate with all the various crops and varieties and understanding
proper seeding depths, individual crop preferences, etc.

We have all kinds of fascinating wildlife on the farm. Here the kids
found a turtle a few days ago in one of of the creeks that flows through
the farm.

The Mashburn Family is back after the surgery of Levi. It is great to
have them back here. Levi appears to continue to improve. We are
grateful for all the ways they contribute to the quality of life at 12
Seasons.

Sometimes at the end of a long day, it is nice to just be able to go
pick strawberries and bring them home for the kids for dessert.

Thanks to all of you for allowing us to serve you produce this
season. We recognize you have many options of where to source your food,
and we are grateful you allow us the opportunity to serve you. We take
serious your trust and strive to bring you the best and healthiest!

Have a great week!

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