Since I moved back to Sedona last summer, I haven’t had much time to visit the farms that provide the vegetables, fruits, and eggs that we enjoy through the CSA. (School drop-off and pick-up really carves up the day!) But this week I had the pleasure of heading to Camp Verde twice to visit Willowbrook Farm, as well as Windmill Gardens, Frank Geminden’s impressive pecan farm. It feels so great to get out in the fields and see the scale and productivity of these small farms!
During a field trip for my son’s school, Running River School, the students and accompanying parents got a chance to harvest apples and tomatoes and take their spoils home. Several of the children and one of the parents are CSA members, and they truly loved the chance to see where their food comes from. If any of you would ever like to tour one of our farms, please let me know. Farmers love to show where they grow. Selling produce at the market is usually their least favorite time of the week. So catch them at the farm, where they are doing what they really love.
This past week, Whipstone Farm planted the last of their field crops for the year. While the winter is a slower season for their farm, it is definitely not the off-season. They do a lot of greenhouse growing in the winter and their cool-weather crops are always a delicious way to start off our own CSA season. Shanti, Cory, and the rest of the Whipstone crew are really amazing farmers and we are so happy we get to enjoy their wonderful produce each week! Maybe someday we can rope them into providing a winter-season CSA.
Speaking of the winter-season, we have just four weeks left for our CSA this year! It really feels like it is sneaking up on me. In the coming weeks I will include information about next year’s CSA season, as well as a list of options for buying local produce this winter. For now, let’s just enjoy these last weeks of spectacular fruits and veggies!
Enjoy your week!
Meghan
What’s in your basket – September 20th
Beets – Whipstone Farm
Cocktail tomatoes – Willowbrook Farm
Garlic – Willowbrook Farm
Salad mix – Willowbrook Farm
Summer squash – Whipstone Farm
Tomatoes – Willowbrook Farm
Tomatoes everywhere!
Willowbrook Farm gave a great tour to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders from Running River School.
Some winter squash is ready to harvest.
Grasshoppers are still going strong and munching on whatever they can.