Last week we mentioned we'd begun the process of testing the health and condition of the blueberry plants for the 2014 season.  Well, the results are in: not only is there no evidence of damage from the extreme cold and winds we've experienced here at the farm, the plants we've dissected are full of vital, green tissue and covered in an abundance of healthy, fruit-producing buds.  This winter has been particularly hard on people and plants alike, but thankfully we have a healthy, delicious crop of blueberries to look forward to.

During his tenure as Walmart corporation's head of sustainability, Andy Ruben was witness to promising initiatives aimed at industrial-scale goods-production which emphasized increased efficiency and reduced waste. While these initiatives certainly mitigated some of the environmental damage caused by the manufacture of consumer goods, there remained a nagging question for Ruben: why produce so much stuff in the first place?  Because of the availability of inexpensive consumer goods, few of us think twice about buying what we need, when we need it. Yerdle, a California-based startup begun by Andy Ruben, aims to reduce consumption, and, in turn, demand for production of consumer goods in an innovative manner; members of the Yerdle are able to give perfectly usable items, say a spare toaster, to someone who's in the market for one and receive credit for doing so. This credit can then be used to acquire any other item they desire from the free-to-join Yerdle community, say a power drill.  No money changes hands, no additional toaster ovens or drills have been manufactured, and both parties have the satisfaction that they've personally helped someone in need.  Check out the link below if you're interested in learning more about this innovative sharing model.