Like a long overdue Christmas card, I am finally updating the blog in mid January.  So much has been going on in the months since the finally post of the CSA season.   Each week I delayed writing, my list of updates grew longer and more onerous to tackle.  Rather than trying to cover everything all at once and exhausting both myself and my intended readers with a wall of text, I am going to try and easy back into the monthly blogging habit.  I’ll keep this fairly short and focus only on especially important or relevant updates.
First I need to announce that after acting as a manager at the CSA for the last four years, I have decided to pass the torch.  I have loved my time working at Appleton but feel ready to move onto a new adventure.   I am going to stick around for the next several months while a new CSA manager can be found and trained and I have offered my help beyond this point in a more limited capacity as a consultant, machine operator, chief weed puller and bug squishier, or in whatever way I can be most useful.  Our goal is to make this transition as smooth as possible.  The Appleton CSA has seen many managers come and go so I have no doubt it will only improve with some fresh blood.
Speaking of fresh blood and smooth transitions, I will begin turning responsibility for the blog over to assistant CSA manager Leah Jurman.  Most of you should be familiar with Leah from her past two seasons at Appleton and I have every confidence that she will be able to accomplish here what I never could: keeping these posts short and sweet.  Leah will also be available as the contact person in all CSA matters in the interim as we seek a new CSA manager.
In other major farm news, construction has finished on our second greenhouse and it looks amazing!  With more than double our greenhouse growing space for next season we should be able to overcome one of our major production bottleneck with plenty of room left over.  We are considering different ways to utilize the new space such as growing for a spring plant sale or growing vegetable transplants for other farms.    
We are moving forward with repairs to our irrigation pump which should return Appleton’s water supply to full capacity.  Reduced pump efficacy is very likely the cause of our water issues but if it turns out that we have a secondary problem, these repairs should also help to pinpoint what and where the problem is.   Even with this rainy winter we have only just move from “Extreme Drought” to “Severe Drought” so setting up effective irrigation systems  continues to be a top priority and a challenge we want to be ready for next season.
Finally, I can’t pass up the opportunity to remind everyone again that the window for a guaranteed CSA renewal has closed!  We are beginning the process of offering CSA shares to our waitlist.  If you are still interested in renewing your share, please do so now to reserve your spot.  If you are having trouble finding the link to our online renewal page, please check your spam folder first.  If you need any additional assistance, please call Susan Lewis in the farm office at 978.356.5728