The Harvest Bee Blog

Good Morning, Friends: Often times, this season, and in seasons past when I was involved with another farm, people would sometimes make comments at the farmers market that suggested or assumed that we were in competition with other local organic farms. Sometimes these comments were serious and sometimes they were sarcastic. Either way, they really couldn't be further from the truth. I owe a great deal of gratitude to other farmers around town that have set a standard I believe other aspiring and young farmers can also learn from. Many of you already know that Frank Oakes was incredibly influential in my decision to join the farming profession almost a decade ago and that relationship with Food and Thought and the people that help operate their beautiful farm continues today despite the departure of Frank's bodily presence on Earth. We have shared a great many laments together regarding the ups and downs of this season, specifically. It definitely helps that we farmers can lean on one another, if not for anything else but emotional support during crazy times. Furthermore, Jameson Johnson, their manager, was crucial in connecting us with some hard to get and uncanny fruit trees in organic form that would have been hard to find without his assistance. Nick Batty, the owner of Inyoni Organic Farm, another small local organic farm, is also a friend of mine, whom long before I became a farmer I purchased veggies from at local farmers markets. The many talks we had at those markets were very inspiring in my farming pursuits. This past Monday, it was a pleasure to share a tour of the Hive and the new fruit grove with him and one of his young farmers, Christy. It really, in many ways, brought my journey in full circle. To have an experienced farmer like Nick marvel at the current progress of the potatoes in the field was humbling. He was so excited when he dug around a few plants and found the beginnings of some tiny taters budding (so far so good and are still praying to the tater spirits for a harvest at the end of this month if all goes well!). His excitement in turn created some excitement for me as he exclaimed that he would now seek to try to grow potatoes himself next season using some of the tips we've used at The Hive. We're not stealing secrets, but rather sharing knowledge so that together, we can provide as much local, organic food as possible...more than what we could do if we stood alone. Of course, that is not to say all of us small farms act as some sort of conglomerate, but rather as committed farmers with similar beliefs in many ways, but also some very different view on how to approach this whole growing thing so that ideas can continually bounce off one another like a bag of bouncing balls being dropped all over the floor or like that weird bouncing ball game on the old Atari computers. Anyone have any idea what I am talking about? Anyways, the point is, there is a very small community in Naples of local, organic farmers, but a growing population of more conscience eaters. Working together rather than against one another, we can encourage growth in each of our approaches to farming so that ultimately, you, the people, truly get the best and realest food possible. Suffice to say, you deserve that authenticity in what you feed your body, mind, and soul. In this week's shares you will find the following to feed your BMS: -Bananas -Baby Kale Mix -Head of Lettuce -Fennel -Bean or Snap Peas -Pack of herbs Here is a recipe for braised fennel, which you could also adapt by adding the finished dish, along with some sauteed onions and mushrooms to some pizza dough for a quick vegetarian pizza. Halve the recipe if just cooking for 2. http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11426-braised-fennel-with-meyer-lemon-and-parmesan Enjoy the rest of the first week of March and see you all at pick-ups! As always, thank you all for your support for real food! Onen, The Bees