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Aug 23 , 2006

Farm Tour - Thaddeus

Aug 16 23

The farm tour went fabulously this past weekend! There were about thirty Farm Fresh customers from Sacramento to San Jose who enjoyed the day on the farm. At the end of the farm tour we gave everyone a bag and helped people pick perfect melons, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes and figs. By the time we hauled all that produce back to the garden it was time to retreat from the encroaching heat for a lunch in the shade. Noah, Chris, Georgette, Connie, Laura and I enjoyed having a chance to chat with our supporters while showing off the beautiful farm that grows the food for Farm Fresh to You.

If you were on the farm this past weekend you saw the thousands of little yellow butterflies inhabiting the farm. With out a doubt the number of butterflies on the farm this past week has been the most I have ever seen. Looking across the farm the air is dotted with these little yellow insects - batting their wings as they softly bounce through the air. On the ground they would congregate in groups around puddles of water or in places where the farms irrigation had left the ground moist. While on the ground they were perfectly still, both wings put together pointed toward the sky while they took a break to remove some moisture from the soil. Walking up on these groups they would remain still until you came within five feet, then the entire group would explode from the ground into a softy furry that looked like a group of fall yellow leaves that has been kicked up by a passing vehicle. And the puddle that previously looked like a little lake packed with uniform little yellow sailboats was once again just a puddle.

The harsh reality of the little creatures is that the harvesting of our neighbor's alfalfa field left them with no place to live. They make their living feeding off the sweet purple alfalfa flowers that exist until the combines harvest the alfalfa into bails that are used to feed livestock. The butterflies came to our farm in search for food and with the exception of the subset that found the flowering basil, many of them just bounced around until they could fly no more. This week the ground is colored yellow by the butterflies as they begin the process of being put back into the ground and ecosystem that created them.

The farm has settled into a steady hum of harvesting tomatoes, squash, melons, cucumbers and eggplant while planting carrots, leeks, bok choy, beets, chard and kale. Chris and I are working on putting together the irrigation pumps needed to irrigate everything until the fall gives way to the early winter showers. We hope this is not until the middle of November but we realize that all our dancing and chanting will not change the date.

Enjoy your box this week - Thaddeus

Farm Tour Update
Date: Saturday, August 19th
Saturday, August 19th we will be opening the farm up for a tour. Mark your calendars, tell your friends and be ready for the heat. This event is exclusively for our Farm Fresh to You customers, their family and friends. A tour of the farm will start at 9:30am. Bring a sack lunch and enjoy the shade of our yard in the afternoon. We will provide fresh tomatoes to add to your sandwiches and salads, drinks and fresh fruit snacks.
We look forward to seeing you!

Please contact: Georgette at Georgette@farmfreshtoyou.com or call 800.796.6009 to
reserve space for you, family and friends.

Plan on arriving at the farm early in the morning, as close to 8am as possible. There will be actvities and walks planned for the whole family.

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