Community Supported Agriculuture=OMG, get me a beer!

Hey all! I know I skipped all of the Holiday well wishes and all of that hoopla...but I do hope everyone had a stupendous holiday and are all geared up for 2009! I know, I'm just sentimental like that.



We left the frigid Panhandle of Texas on December 29th for Austin, TX. We left home, it was like, 17 degrees, got to Austin and it was only 52! Downright tropical! We had some pretty weather for the 6 days that we were there. I went out one morning and sat in the sun and read my book and felt like a cat on a windowsill...it was yummy!



Now, I know most have you have heard about my BFF, K. (check the waterbed story and other's...it's in the archives, I'm not good enough enough, or patient enough to figure out the whole linkage thang!). Well, K has always been the level head between us. As children, I would come up with the most outlandish idea....and she would make it practical...and we would do it. We needed a third friend who could figure out the angle where we wouldn't get caught! We didn't always get caught....but we soon learned our parents weren't as stupid as we thought!



Anyhoo, she was the brains, I was the crazy chic. Ergo, she got a degree in Accounting and I got one in Psychology. See a pattern here? Now, she had her own bookkeeping business, and then she went and fell in love with one of her clients.



She married him (I may sound blase, but I love him a lot...!) and wound up being the sole accountant for their business! (She's not a dummy, it's now a partnership!). Well, she decided that all that pretty land they have there near Lake Travis ought to start making money. She's ever the accountant!



So, she's doing a CSA. What's that? Community Supported Agriculture. She is going to grow organic vegetables and fruits in raised beds, year 'round, and deliver this bushel basket to 50 people per week. I thought it was an awesome idea!



So, on my trip down there, we sat down with the Farmer's Almanac open to "planting dates" and the Travis County Planting guide, and like, four seed catalogues and 136 magazines with "helpful" hints to try and and plan this thing out.



"Okay, how many weeks to you want to put bunching onions in the basket? Okay, 50? And how many per week? Okay, 5? So, if you sell 20 shares...that's 250 onions per week..." That's when she tells me she is going to sell 50 shares instead of 20! Okay! No problem! That's only 250 onions per week...and let's see here...that's only, um 12,500 onions TOTAL! Yikes!



I'm all freaking out like it's my business. After breathing in the paper bag for two minutes (okay, that's a lie...I got a beer instead!) she calmly reminds me that they will be planted in stages, not all at once. She lays a cold cloth on my forehead...but I still think she's nuts!



She's planting like, over 60 varieties of stuff, lettuce, peppers, okra, squash, tomato's, melons, herbs, onions....it's amazing....and she's got this chart (which she thanked me so much for helping with before she had to sedate me).



It's amazing, and completely do-able with a lot of back breaking labor...but she digs that stuff! It's all "naturally" grown (she's making worm juice and compost...ughhh!). It'll be "organic" once she gets the government approval! (don't hold your breath...if I was her I wouldn't even bother with with the govt. certification...after all, what does that even mean unless she's looking for a bail out?). Trust me, she will not allow any pesticides or anything. She's using certified organic seed (I wanted her to grow "broccoflour" but it's a hybrid, therefore, unorganic and unacceptable! The fun haters...)



So, I spent a lot of my vacation in the kitchen with my best friend, buried under paperwork and tons of possibilities until I got a headache. It was great! It was business yeah, but it wasn't MY business so it was a break! I think she's onto something here. I would love to have naturally grown veggies delivered to my doorstep year 'round. I love what I get from my garden but my climate doesn't let me have a fall or winter garden....she loves me but she veto'd the 500 mile weekly delivery. I'll keep you posted on her progress but trust me, it's a no-brainer...if K puts her mind to something? It's as good as done. She's a pit-bull and a redhead. Easygoing as they come...until A) you piss her off, or B) she gets her mind set on something. Then you need to : lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way. As soon as she gives me the go ahead I will link you! But once again, gotta figure that out!



I am supposed to rise and shine early tomorrow morning and go haul poopie again. I am so excited.



About to don my K hat and say...."I will continue to support our business and drive truck whenever warranted....but at this point next year? My writing time will at least have the same respect. 'Nuff said!" I suppose I should suck it up and try to sell my writing, huh?!



I'm going to go check out what you all are doing now! Missed you guys...hope we all have a fab 2009!