Wednesday, February 20, 2013

the 2013 season

It usually takes us until about mid January before we are settled down enough to begin to think about the year ahead. This year it has taken a little longer. We have been contemplating some dramatic changes in our personal and professional lives. It is with great trepidation that we have decided to not make veggie deliveries to Cookeville this year.

For a number of years we have been trying to find a balance of what really works in our farming adventure. As many of you know, our land base is quite small. The total space of our gardens is a little less than one acre, and there's not really any room left to expand. Because of this, there are efficiencies of scale in farming that we cannot take advantage of. So, we have tended to work our little space quite intensively. The soil continues to improve and the food is good, but the process ends up working us hard too (maybe we should say 'too hard'). The year we tried having an intern was helpful, but that too was difficult in our small space.

We have been looking for a larger farm for about five years now, but haven't found one that feels just right. We seek land that will allow us to expand our farming operation without sacrificing the natural beauty and the amenities that we appreciate at our current home. The plan is to spend more time looking for a new farm this year, regroup, and hopefully be back in a year or two.

That said, our hearts are heavy. It has been wonderful to be CSA growers. We have so much appreciated the relationships we've made with each of you over the years. We love tending to the land, growing food, and sharing quality food with the Cookeville community. We will continue to work our land, less intensively, and your invitation to visit the farm – even to get food from our gardens – is still standing. It's just time for us to make some changes, and some changes really take time.

Thank you for the time we've spent. We hope you continue to eat well, and hope to see you again, one of these fine days.

Warm regards,

Paul, Coree, Lulah, and Levon Entwistle

PS - We will persist to keep some updates posted on the blog and Facebook sites, and you can also check out the blog that Coree is working on with some friends: radicalfarmwives.com.  Thank you!

2 comments:

cella neapolitan said...

to say you will be missed is a classic understatement. i was shocked to read that your space is under an acre!!! you have done amazing things ... and i know our paths will continue to cross. i've enjoyed radical farm wives ... one of my first publications was in Farm Wife News, way back in the fabulous 80s! love - cella

Anonymous said...

Oh Coree....

I wish for the family's best this season.

Maybe you could experiment with cows this season? Goats? Milking, culturing, selling those products locally? Of course, Cookeville is a great in between for making enough money and not traveling too far.

Update me when you're able. I've been staking out my place on Jeju. I'll be trying to culture food and sell it at the local foreigner's green market. I'm actually scanning your blog for culture recipes because I don't have a fermentation book handy.

With that said, you'll be fine this year and land will settle into your paradigm, I trust that. Continued wellness. Thank you always for your support.
Branden