The Farmer Who Dreams of Eggplants

2011 is almost over. We have had record rains this year and yet, Steve has been very pleased with how the 2011 Summer/Fall harvest went. There were a few disappointments in 2011 such as the loss of our corn crop and apples to the raccoons. For the most part we have had a very successful year. Our membership in our C.S.A. increased in a manageable manner and we hope we will continue to grow in 2012. We try to take it slowly and we try not to over extend ourselves so we may learn and improve each year. This year also brought an experiment to our door step. We have begun to experiment with season extension, specifically here in Southern Illinois. Southern Illinois brings some challenges with it and right now we are all trying to learn what will grow inside our new high tunnel during our winter months and what will winter over in the fields and retain a high quality for our C.S.A. members. We have taken on a few Winter/Spring members to test the waters. If all goes well we will continue to grow this section of our C.S.A. like we have been doing with the Summer/Fall section. We will make any adjustments that are necessary to have a productive season extension in the future.

When I met Steve, I had no idea the extent of his passion for farming and supplying the community with healthy organically grown produce. I found out, quite rapidly I might add, one evening when Steve began to mumble in his sleep. What was he mumbling about, you might ask? Well, it was not about me, I can assure you. Most men dream of warm places with beautiful women - Steve was mumbling about eggplants, yes, EGGPLANTS! That is when I realized that Steve has just about the largest passion for farming than anyone I know and his talent for it meets his passion. It was then that I decided to hop on board to help Steve to realize some of the goals for the farm that he had not been able to in the past. Now, we are about to enter our fourth year with the C.S.A. (Community Supported Agriculture), we received a grant to put up our second high tunnel green house, and we are considering goats, chickens and ducks for the future! It all happens because of our dedicated members and supporters! We can all be proud that we are a part of the growth a of sustainable, healthy food supply for our community and we can be proud that we are examples for others to join in on cleaning up our worlds food supplies.