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Farm Fresh Produce - Naturally Grown - Stewardship of the Land

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E-Newslett= er June 5, 2008

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>New But Slow Beginnings!<

This year is getting off to a slow start! The weather has been less than cooperative to say the least and has pushed our first delivery schedule bac= k a couple of weeks. We and the g= arden plants are waiting on warmer soil temperatures and more sunshine. As a result of this slow start, we= are planning to be a little creative about the first delivery that will be comi= ng your way next week. Some of t= he produce in the first delivery will be grown by another producer who has used hoop houses to get an earlier start. This was our plan for this year but the winds we have had made getti= ng those up impossible on our hilltop location. Some of the none produce items you= can expect in your first delivery will include:

1.) Hone= y

2.) Bees= wax candles

3.) Home= made soap

Produce items are yet to be determined but will includ= e some early items such as green onions, radishes, and perhaps some leaf goods for salads.

>Coolers Instead of Boxes<

We are also trying something new this year that we thi= nk will be a big improvement. We= have purchased enough 28 quart Colman coolers so that each member will be assign= ed two. No more cardboard boxes = that get wet and allow the veggies to get too warm. The coolers are easy to clean and = should last for years. It will make = it so much easier to deliver the veggies too as they can be left at a drop point = that is handy for members and will stay cool for an extended time. We don't have many extra coolers s= o it will be necessary for members to have the return cooler cleaned and sitting= out where we can find it when we drop off your new cooler of veggies at your ho= me (or designated drop-off point). Each cooler will be numbered and will have an "a" or a "b" in the number to indicate they both are assigned to you. You will be the only ones using the coolers but they will remain the property of Annie's Acres. We just feel this keeps things sim= pler in the long run.

>Getting Together on the Farm<

We are still planning on getting folks together on our= farm for a picnic sometime in the near future.&= nbsp; We have a few family events that we need to get past first including Vannesa's graduation party (to be held at The Fist Baptist Church in Darlin= gton at 4:00 PM on June 8th). We h= ave moved the bee yard that was within a few yards of the main gardens so that = will make a gathering a little more doable!&nbs= p; We'll still have bees on the property for pollination of the gardens etc. but they will now be about a quarter of a mile away. We have yet to meet some of you an= d will be looking forward to that either during normal deliveries or on the farm.<= /p>

>Mark to Give Children's Presentation on Bees at Darlington Library<

I will be giving a children's presentation about bees = that will be held June24th at 3:00 PM at the Darlington Library in the children's/young adult area. = There has been a lot about bees in the media lately and kids are always so intere= sted to learn more about this unusual topic.&nb= sp; The beekeeping industry is in deep trouble and has been severely stressed for the last few years. There are VERY few young people becoming beekeepers and this of cour= se isn't healthy for the industry as a whole.= It is the hope of some of us "old timers" that interest ca= n be renewed in this very interesting craft.&nb= sp; I am in the process of writing an article about what is going on in = the industry and will present it to the Annie's Acres members first via the newsletter and web site. Perh= aps you can give me some feedback before I further publish it.

>So Where is the Annie of Annie's Acres Anyway?<=

Well, Annie is one very busy and hard working lady! Our little farm has been severely affected by the nationwide failure in the beekeeping industry so Annie has = had to seek employment off the farm. She gets up at 3:00 AM and makes her daily trip to Dodgeville 5 and sometimes 6 days a week. This doesn't leave much time for anything else so I'm helping where I'm able. Annie is here though and spends bu= nches of time in the gardens! She j= ust isn't very high profile right now so to speak.

>Health Care Providers May Pay Portion of Annie's A= cres Memberships!<

We have sent duplicate invoices to members (not all se= nt yet) so you can send one copy to your health care provider. Some have incentives for healthy e= ating that include covering a portion of your CSA membership dues. It's worth a phone call to your pr= ovider to see if they have such a program. I have not been able to do that research for you as there are too ma= ny variables involved. It is bes= t that you contact your provider yourself to get the scoop on this.

>More News to Come Soon<

I fight my ongoing battle with computers! You don't want to hear the gory de= tails but it involves downgrading from Vista to get rid of some of the technoinsanity! I've finally = been able to get things resolved but have not had reliable access to e-mail or t= he ability to update the web-site for a few weeks now. Hopefully that is behind us and ne= ws will be coming your way more frequently from now on. I want to thank you for your patie= nce with us as we jump these hurdles. Look for news on the first delivery soon. We'll keep you posted.

Your Gardener,

Mark