Lions and tigers and bears, oh my.  I loved getting emails last week with your tales of the critters you have battled in your gardens.  Hard to choose, but the one where she was determined to save her fig crop might have been the best.  She wrapped each ripening fig on her tree with a small draw string netting bag only to find the next day each and been ripped off and the fruit eaten!  I suspect those pesky raccoons again.  

I'm really serious when I say there's an army of predators on the farm that want to eat your food before we can get it to you.  And yet we do..and all without chemicals or petroleum products.  No small feat when you consider that each year, approximately 60 BILLION tons of chemicals are applied to field and foliage in our current model of 'food' production.  And then we wonder from where cancer comes..

On a brighter note, it's becoming more 'fallish' on the farm.  Leaves are starting to turn.  And the honey bees and monarchs grace our air space twisting and turning and flapping their wings most merrily as they flutter from flower to flower drinking and eating their fill.  This week we're hoping we have enough pomegranates and baby pumpkins for all.  They should get you in the 'mood'.  

Here's a note from one of our military families that receive your donated delivery when you need to 'skip' or go on vacation:

" I want to tell you how much it meant to our family to receive our donated bag of produce.  I haven't had a bouquet of flowers in so long!  That's what I saw first.  And then, with the children, took out each item and marveled on the scent and freshness of everything.  We haven't had such wonderful fresh food direct from a farm before. You made us very happy. Bless you and thank you."