2018 Wrap up

The winter solstice is approaching and I'm swimming in a mix of gratitude, awe, disbelief and relief. I've officially finished my second year of full-time farming and while there were enough mishaps and mistakes to keep me humble, there were also enough successes to keep me motivated and looking forward to 2019.

One of my biggest motivations is you dear supporter. Yes, you. When you run a small business you know your customers by name or at the very least recognize a familiar but seldom seen face. If you've visited our farm stand you know this to be true. People are surprised when we remember a favorite veggie of theirs but for us, your favorite veggies are a big part of who you are to us because we genuinely love everything we grow. When someone shows fondness for what we do, it becomes a part of our memory of you. We'll always think of Sam, a weekly customer when we seed our jalapenos, she loves to ferment them and also makes a delicious pickled version she calls "cowboy candy". When the Italian Plum trees blossom we think of Mirela and her family up north. Every year they drive over an hour to pick up wholesale quantities of plums for making jam and eating fresh. For them, these plums are a taste of their home country. We so look forward to their visit every year. It reminds us that the old world way of life isn't gone quite yet. We hope it never is. The food traditions you hold are part of our daily lives. Your food ways affect us. We are humbled to be a part of them. It's the small farm, independent business owner privilege.

When I start dreaming and planning for 2019, I'm thinking of the weather, the uninvited guests that feed on our crops, the life in the soil and what it might need to stay healthy with crops it hosts, what you enjoy eating and the meals we love to make. It's a big happy swirl of nature that creates the essence of what we do here at Sunbow Produce. Thank you for being a part of our annual routines and daily bread. 

The photo featured with this blog is of Nate and I making Christmas Tamales with my mom in 2017. Whatever your traditions might be at this time of year, we hope they are full of meaning and love.