2024-12-22 newsletter

Greetings from 12 Seasons Farm,

We finally have a good supply of heirloom type tomatoes, carrots, and
kale! The weather has been favorable for good crop growth these past few
weeks. The majority of the vegetable crops we grow do best in mildly
warm daytime temps (mid 70s to low 80s during the day) and cool night
time temperatures in the upper 50s to mid 60s.

Thank you to all who attended markets and placed orders this past
week. We return to the Captiva market on Tuesday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve
Day. The market runs from 9 am to 1 pm at the north end of Captiva in
the Starbucks’ parking lot.

We will have a normal schedule of home deliveries and farm pick-up on
Thursday. However, all Thursday orders must be placed before 8
pm on Monday so we can harvest and prepare your order in advance of
Christmas Day. ****

Saturday preorders are due by their normal time of 8 pm on
Thursday.

If you have questions, please feel free to text or call Danny at
239-229-3579.

Here is our schedule for this week:

TUESDAY CAPTIVA FARMER’S MARKET: Market runs from
9am-1pm. For those wanting to preorder for the market, please do so by 8
pm on Sunday for pick-up at the Tuesday market.

THURSDAY FARM PICK-UP & HOME DELIVERY: Please
remember to Place order online before 8 pm
MONDAY for Thursday all day pick-up at the farm or to
receive a home delivery. For farm pick-up, use original farm entrance,
14840 Old Olga Rd. Order is usually split between cold produce in
walk-in cooler and the air conditioned structure just left of walk-in
cooler.

 SATURDAY BONITA SPRINGS FARMER’S
MARKET: Market runs from 8am-noon. For those interested in
preordering for the market, please do so before 8 pm on Thursday for
pick-up at the Saturday market.

 Place orders at
12seasonsfarm.com

This is what we are harvesting:

• Swiss Chard
• Arugula
• Summercrisp Lettuce
• Heirloom and specialty tomatoes (still extremely limited)
• Cherry tomato (very limited)
• Carrots
• Beets (very limiited)
• Round radish
• Watermelon radish
• Daikon radish
• Broccolini
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini
• Eggplant
• Basil
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Papaya (very limited)
• Passionfruit
• Navel oranges
• Lemons
• Pummelo
• Starfruit
• Avocado
• Sunflowers
• Saw palmetto honey
• Wildflower honey
• Sea of Cortez salt
• Mango, Monkey, and Strawberry Butter

Here is a photo of Justine and Carrie– our anchors at the Captiva
market. We plan to be there Christmas Eve Day!

We had a cool but still busy morning on Saturday. Thank you again to
all who came!

Customers Steve and Linda Brown at the Saturday market with a
basketful of fresh produce! We are happy to play a role in providing you
all with healthy, fresh, and delicious food.

We finally have a steady supply of tomatoes.

We are also getting a good supply of carrots with beets hopefully
soon to follow as seen in far left of photo.

The curly kale, flat kale, and mixed kale plants are large enough to
begin harvesting. The mixed kale is a blend of at least 8 varieties of
kale seen in the middle row that I purchase from Fedco Seed Company in
Maine.

There are a lot of hard workers at 12 Seasons Farm. Every day there
is ample progress in our goal to keep a steady and abundant supply of
healthy crops.

This past week we dismantled our 2 largest bamboo tunnels that Ek
built many years ago. These tunnels were engineering and construction
masterpieces. It was hard to see their useful life come to an end.

Here is a photo from several years ago. The 2 tunnels were each 475
feet long by 10 ft wide. These tunnels allowed us to grow superb
tomatoes. The plastic cover on top created a dry environment for the
tomato foliage, therefore avoiding the diseases that come in a humid
environment with occasional heavy rains and daily dew. The screened
sides helped exclude white fly that can carry a harmful tomato virus and
stink bugs that can render fruit unmarketable. Their narrow profile
allowed for good air flow and heat evacuation.

Here you see a couple examples of the tunnels when they were in their
glory. Ek is on the left with a former volunteer worker from France.
These tunnels endured extreme weather events and grew tons and tons of
produce. Ek’s skillful work in constructing these tunnels helped 12
Seasons grow bountiful crops in structures that were more affordable
than the metal greenhouses, especially in our beginning years when funds
were very limited. The mini tunnels as we call them are a good template
for how small scale farmers can begin an operation with high value crops
like specialty tomatoes!

Benjamin had his 6th birthday with special breakfast rolls from
Carrie!

The above photo is in front of the Sydney & Berne Davis Art
Center in Ft. Myers after the kids’ recital last Thursday, with Simeon
on violin and Annika on piano.

We hope you have a blessed time with family this season. I close with
the final verse of one of my favorite hymns, ‘O Come, O Come,
Emmanuel’.

O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to thee O Israel.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas.

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