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| Ford showing guests the strawberry patch during a farm event while Farmer Finley picks berries to share . |
Hello fellow CSA members! I hope you are as excited as I am
about getting some of those delicious strawberries next week. Whether you are a
first-time or returning member, you are in for a treat this summer!
For those who have been with Sustainable Harvest before, the
blog will continue to work as it always has. On Monday evening, before the
first shares go out, there’ll be a post about what is contained in that week’s
share, storage tips and information. We have several seasons worth of recipes
accumulated and will be sure to include links. You’ll also receive at least one
email each week from Ford and Amanda, as well as information about upcoming
farm events. You can like the Sustainable Harvest Farm Facebook page for
various farm updates and super cute pictures of the Waterstrat boys.
There will also be some new additions to the blog this year.
First of all, me. My name is Amy.
While this is my first season contributing to the farm blog,
it is my third as a CSA member. After a few moves between Kansas and Kentucky,
my husband, Johnie, and I were thrilled to settle in London in 2014. Last year
we welcomed a sweeter surprise than we could have imagined with the birth of
our son, Matthias, in November. I am still adjusting to the many blessings and
burdens of motherhood. A self-proclaimed foodie, I grew up in Beattyville, KY
in a family that loved and celebrated food and grew a small garden each summer
with enough bounty to fill our table and share with neighbors.
I love all food – cooking and eating (not so much cleaning
up afterward). But I have a special appreciation for fresh, local produce
because of the work and the care that goes into growing it, the reassurance of
knowing where it came from and the beauty of safer, gentler farming. And it
just tastes better.
I chose to become a member of the Sustainable Harvest Farm
CSA because I knew Ford and Amanda since before they were farmers. Amanda since
we were children, and Ford… Well, I don’t remember the first time I met him but
I heard about him when Amanda’s aunt
told me she had started dating a cyclist she met at college. And then shrugged
her shoulders. Though schedules and miles have separated us during certain
seasons of our lives, I have been blessed to watch their sweet family and farm
grow over the years. A CSA share is a great way to get to know your farmers and
I know none finer than Ford and Amanda. Except for maybe their oldest son, five
year old Finley and his twin brothers – Silas and Josiah.
I may have first become a member because I was excited to
share this endeavor with my friends, but I am STILL a member with multiple
shares throughout the year because the food is absolutely delicious. It’ll be
easy to spot my favorites as the season progresses.
And though I appreciate fresh, local, organic produce I
don’t always know what to do with it. More kale leaves than I care to mention
have withered away in my crisper along with my best intentions to try some new
salad or smoothie or juice. After a colossal fennel failure in 2011, I’ve been
afraid to try my hand at any other fennel recipe since. And I married a very
picky eater who doesn’t share my same adventurous palate and gusto for trying
new dishes, flops or not.
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| I had to also sneak in a picture of my boy. This is at an SHF event. Matthias plays in the dirt for the first of what I'm sure will be countless times. |
And, I’m here for you. If you have questions or concerns,
I’d be happy to help you in whatever way I can to make the most of your share! If
there’s something you’d like to see on the blog this season, let me know.
Some of you may already be well-versed in all things organic
and exotic (to us here in Appalachia). If so, help a girl out, please! I sincerely
welcome all tips, tricks and recipes. You can email me any time at
amyrosekarr@gmail.com.
A CSA share is an adventure. And we’re all in this together.
Here’s to a great 2016 season!
