2024-04-22 newsletter

Greetings from 12 Seasons Farm,

The farm continues to be productive even in this intense heat. It is
cutting short certain crops like Baby Butterhead lettuce (forcing us to
harvest at a much younger stage), celery, and strawberries, but most
crops are doing fine.

Our current plan is to do the Captiva market through the month of
April (2 more Tuesday markets) and resume deliveries on the islands in
May and part way into June.

We will continue with the Bonita market through the end of May and
thereafter at the farm for June along with continuing home
deliveries.

Here is our schedule for this week:

TUESDAY CAPTIVA MARKET : Tuesday, 9am-1pm at South
Seas Island Resort , Captiva. Buy directly from the
stand or place a preorder online by Sunday, 8 pm and
pick it up at the market.

THURSDAY FARM PICK-UP & HOME DELIVERY FOR SW FL (NOT
INCLUDING SANIBEL AND CAPTIVA): Please place an order online
before TUESDAY, 8 pm. For farm pick-up on Thursday, please come to 14840
Old Olga Rd., Ft. Myers, FL 33905.

SATURDAY BONITA FARMERS MARKET **** ****: Saturday,
8am-noon at the Promenade Shops at Bonita Bay. Buy directly from the
stand or place a preorder online by Thursday, 8 pm. If
possible, please pick up after 10:30 for pre-orders as
this will reduce the long line that often forms early in the morning.
When picking up, you are welcome to skip the line and go down the south
side of the tent to the back of our van where Annika will help you get
your order and grab any add-ons you might want.

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

This is what we are harvesting:

• Strawberries (nearly done)
• Summercrisp Lettuce
• Baby Butterhead Lettuce (nearly done)
• Large Leaf Butterhead Lettuce
• Romaine Lettuce (limited by the heat)
• Arugula
• Curly Kale
• Flat Kale
• Mixed Kale (multiple varieties)
• Swiss Chard
• Zucchini
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Sweet Italian Bull’s Horn Peppers
• Broccolini
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Green onions (done)
• Large onions
• Celery
• Cherry tomatoes
• Campari tomatoes
• Heirloom/Specialty tomatoes
• Red Slicing tomatoes
• Round radish
• Daikon radish
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Curled Parsley
• Flat Parsley
• Lemongrass (preorder only)
• Ray Ruby Grapefruit
• Papaya
• Starfruit (just about over)
• Banana
• Sunflowers
• SW FL Saw Palmetto Honey
• SW FL Wildflower Honey
• Strawberry Butter

At the Captiva market last week with my special girl! This was my
first time doing a market alone with Annika since the Captiva market at
the marina last season. Wow, Carrie (who anchored the Captiva market
this season) trained her well as Annika would often join her. Annika
really has a good knack for setting up and running a smooth market.
Proud of her. These are the moments in the week I cherish!

We had our first delivery to The Island Store on Captiva. We are
grateful and excited they are now carrying 12 Seasons grown
tomatoes.

We are currently getting heavy production on the red tomatoes.

Beautiful intercrop of curly kale and avocado. We think the curly
kale is best for making the kale massage salad. This is one of our
family’s favorite salads for dinner.

Here is the curly kale massage salad recipe we shared last season. So
scrumptious especially with tomatoes, dill, and fresh sweet onion! We
sometimes add garbanzo beans and parmesan cheese to it for a fuller
meal.

12 Seasons team hard at work cleaning freshly harvested produce on
the processing deck.

Justin left Saturday morning to make his way back to Pennsylvania. We
so appreciate him joining the 12 Seasons Team the past 10 years. His
skill in crop management, leadership, and attention to detail have
really helped the community over the years and certainly the farm become
increasingly productive. He is good with our children and a friend to
all on the farm! He will be missed.

Ann Kerr left on Sunday after spending nearly 6 months with us. She
was new to “wwoofing” and we are grateful she chose 12 Seasons Farm as
her first place. We are a host farm for WWOOF USA (Worldwide
Opportunities on Organic Farms). It is through that organization that a
number of volunteers find us. Ann is a business owner in Duluth, MN and
her work is somewhat slower during winter. So she chose to come here to
Florida and follow one of her goals to try wwoofing on a farm. She is so
hard working, steady, and does things at a high standard. She planted
lots of lettuce and harvested many of the crops– herbs, chard, arugula,
and peppers. She will be missed. We are grateful she plans to be back
next season.

Josiah walking around in daddy’s boots!

And now Josiah and Benjamin coming back home from a hard day of
having fun!

Here is a photo of Annika (left), in the middle the three Mashburn
girls (Charlotte, Bella, and Victoria), and Meredith (far right). The
Mashburn family joined us for the team lunch break on Friday. They were
with us all last season while trying to find land and a home in SW FL.
They were a wonderful presence on the farm offering critical help on the
farm and after the storm. James was uniquely helpful doing much of the
remodel work in our home and on greenhouses after Hurricane Ian. He is a
super talented craftsman. Now they are just finishing renovations on
their own home they purchased in Punta Gorda. James is a pilot for
Allegiant Airlines and flies out of the Punta Gorda airport. They were a
giant help last season and it is fun they are close enough for us all to
still get together and for them to still get produce from the farm.
Their son, Levi, who had the cranial surgery is doing very well.

Life on the farm is ever changing. So many folks have come and gone.
We are blessed to have a place where we can do life together and work
hard on the common and noble pursuit to caretake the soil and crops and
providing healthy fruits and vegetables to the SW FL community. Your
support of 12 Seasons Farm is an important part to enabling this
community to farm and grow together. Thank you!

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