Lloyd Craft Farms Fresh Produce, Locally Grown

WE HAVE A TON OF MELONS!–AND MORE TO COME–

A FULL SHARE includes 20# of canteloupe and 36# of watermelons–Honey Dew and Galia Inbar are included in the 20#’s. Any extras that you have taken during Pick-Up day, or we have offered for you to try, are not a part of the SHARE–more GIFTS!

So–what are we going to do with all these MELONS? Hopefully supplement the CSA income through sales at FARMER”S MARKET and elsewhere. It is the elsewhere where we need your help–After a couple of weeks of Farmer’s Market we have come to realize we are only moving about 130 melons, less than 30% of one picking. So here are some ideas I’ve had:

1. Consider being a ‘retailer’ for us…we’ll provide you the melons at a discount…sell in your neighborhood, to co-workers, other family members, the mailman. Any of those wonderful people you come in contact with on a daily or weekly basis. Take names one week, send us an email or call by Sunday with the amount you need, and we will have them picked for you for pick-up on Wednesday. A caution: cantaloupe (especially) need to be kept cool to prevent deterioration. We will have them cooled the night before at 45 degrees–if you keep them out of direct sunlight and are just driving to town, you should be okay. If you live in one of the outer reaches we’d want you to consider some ice in the pick-up box, or other creative ideas.

2. How about a Fund-Raiser? Get the school kids involved or your Youth Group–Same idea as above: take orders for delivery the next week. You should be able to keep 50% of the sale price–that is a higher percentage than other fund-raising programs, and a lot less work than a Bake Sale. We will help you get things set up.

3. Consider ordering a DOZEN for a family reunion–picture the watermelons floating in the still waters of the creek as family and friends play horseshoes or just horse around. Going on a retreat, or a camping trip? Watermelons transport easy and are refreshing when away from home. Discounts apply for volume purchases.

That’s all I can think of right now…and it is better than what The Farmer is thinking: All he sees is the loads of melons headed to the dump. Bob Vines, when he interviewed us for the newspaper article, asked us what the hardest thing about the CSA and garden has been. The Farmer and I looked at each other with a total blank…now we know: The hardest thing is throwing away any produce–whether it is over-ripe and past its time, or whether it is deformed or disfigured. My refrigerator is full of those little orphans…today I had a funeral for a discolored head of cauliflower that had ‘riced’, and three bulbous cucumbers that were hard as a rock on one end and full of too big of seeds on the other. We will learn.

The Farmer’s Brain-storming Wife