Summer 2025 CSA Newsletter - June 24, 2025 (Week 5)

HAPPY SUMMER SOLSTICE!

The sun is essential to life. We all know this.  For a moment think about how it feels on your skin.  Warm, right?  You feel the light and you see the light!  It penetrates your skin, even with your eyes closed you can see it!  For plants, the sunlight moves nutrients throughout the plant, a process called photosynthesis.  Lets break apart this word. Phos in latin is “light”  Thesis meaning “ a setting down” or “something put forth” So together its something like ”coming forth with light”.  Earth, Water, Fire, and Air are all essential elements of life, all of these forces are a part of photosynthesis.  Without the sunlight we would be in a world of darkness void of life.  Photosynthesis is a foundational part of the food chain, the food chain is our basis of existence. Nearly all living organisms rely on photosynthesis.  Photosynthesis is a process! 

So it’s been overcast and now it’s sweltering!  What do you think this does to the plants and us?  When there isn’t sun we don’t feel the warmth on our skin and in our eyes, and the plants?  There is a lot less movement of nutrients in the plants, therefore berries and roots you name it aren’t as sweet, the brix levels aren’t as high.

Brix is the measurement of sugar content in a plant. The brix level reveals the amount of sugar that is being produced by photosynthesis.  This is a direct measurement of how healthy the plant is in a given moment.  Certain pests are attracted to plants as their brix levels change due to weather, lack of sun, lots of rain, lots of sun & dry soil you name it.  It’s a constant movement, a process.  The fine art of being a living being.  Feel the ups and downs, the sway, the coexistence.

With this weather, as farmers we are feeling the sway as we coexist.  Last week we had a deluge of rain in the last couple of days. The soil was waterlogged, we had major erosion happening in freshly tilled fields, as well as fields that are contually being cultivated for weed management.  It’s extremely hard to witness and feel the effects of the extreme weather...  Now it’s hot and we are coating our transplants in Kaolin clay.  We use this as a sort of sunscreen to keep them from stressing too much in the extreme heat.

Empathy and Coexistence are in full fledge SWAY here on the farm.  

May the sun shine on all of us.
BRING THE LIGHT!
HONOR AND CALL IN THE LIGHT!
For all of us, for everyone, for coexistence!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stay cool!  Keep Hydrated!

Have a great week!

Your Farmers, Chris, Aeros & the Who Crew

The waterlogged footrow between a bed of beans and tomatoes.