Rain, rain…… here’s a bit of”sunshine” !

Good afternoon All,

Violet thought she would share her holiday costume with all of you…. You can tell she is not too terribly thrilled with me to be wearing it, but we all need a little bit of sunshine to help brighten the day….even IF she is not all that thrilled to be wearing it!

Sad days for our state, the loss of so many community members from the shooting last Wednesday. One of those is a neighbor just down the street from me, and as many of you know, there are not that many houses along my road. L/A is a very small community, and this event brings it all home very closely.

I thank all of you that have contacted me over the past 5 days, please also know, that when the legislature returns in January , I will be a voice among many that will be working to tighten or change our gun laws. I own a few firearms, they are a necessity here at the farm, but there is no reason ( in my opinion) to personally own weapons capable of creating so much devastation and heartache. None.

So, this week marks the official beginning of our winter season,the outdoor markets in Falmouth and Cumberland have wrapped up, the cold storage bins are full, next week we will offer up the bulk root vegetable seasonal deals .

AND , we now go back to Wednesday order deadline with a Friday delivery day, sometimes routines are so very comforting!

Cranberries are lovely and ready for jelly and jam, our turkeys….. oh my gosh are they growing , and , if you have been on the fence about ordering a fresh bird from us, well……… too late, they are all spoken for!

Thank you to all that reserved a bird…I will add names to a waiting list, but very very rarely do folks cancel on us.

Grateful for all of you and for the conversations I have had with so many concerned over the past few days. Our reality has shifted and that reality is that is CAN happen here…. Now, how do we prevent it from happening again, and not only to us here in our wonderful state, but around our nation.

Stay dry,

Kath

What's up this week....

Good morning All,

Not quite sure where the days and weeks are going but they sure seem to be flying past!

This session of the legislature is wrapping up (hopefully) in the next 2 weeks, and i certainly appreciate all of your patience as I navigate this new chapter in my crazy busy life! So much to learn……….

We have been at market again, last Wednesday and Saturday, I enjoy catching up with all of my market friends, it is unbelievable to me that I hav been working with the Cumberland farmers market for more than 15 years ! AND where have all those years gone? Lots of tent setting up and taking down and an incredible amount of fresh produce ,meat and eggs have travelled through my hands to yours…

So, let me know how we can help to fill your food list this week, we will gather orders tomorrow evening for Wednesday market pick up and Friday for Saturday pick up !thank you again my friends, you are gratefully appreciated!

And take a few moments our of your busy day to visit you local farmers market,there is a lot going on!!!

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Kathy Shaw Valley View Farm 1200 Sopers Mill Rd. Auburn, Maine 04210 Email: kath@valleyviewfarm.me Phone: 207-320-1969

Long Weekend Rememberance

Good evening All,

Memorial Day weekend, start to our summer fun , and for me, a time for reflecting on all the wonderful folks that have come in and out of my life, that have given me the gift of their time and learning, that gave without hesitation their love and honesty …. So many souls, all hard working farmers,fishermen,homesteaders,foragers,generous folks that were souls of the land and sea and offered to me many many life lessons. Some I learned easily and others……well, they might have taken me a bit longer, but those are the lessons that I remember and use greatfully. I am and have been blessed by friends gone by but also friends that I can call upon today.. thank you all.

We are headed to market this week, and we will gladly assemble your orders for you to pick up at market..our market days are Wednesday 10-1 in Falmouth and Saturday 10-1 in Cumberland . Please send me your orders at least 24 hours in advance ! Come on over to market, we have so many great vendors selling excellent produce and crafts… let’s fill up the pantry…. I know that many of you begin to welcome summer visitors , fresh local food is always in great demand…

And on another note, my former farm helper ,KC, came back to spend a bit of time with his family before diving into the world of career driven work in IT at John Hopkins university. KC is going into his junior year next year and he stopped over for a visit with us, what a great bright young fella… I miss him lots and lots, he was capable, responsible , worked hard and loved my big dog boys who practically became unglued at their delight in seeing him! Two big dogs at about 125 pound each could not get enough of his attention, and let him know how much they missed him…. Made me kinda jealous!

I have a good supply of fiddleheads and ramps, baby lettuce and spinach, we do have herb seedlings and I will get that list out to everyone in the next day or so….

Happy summer, and know that I am greatful for all of you and for your support of local foods and our fabulous small Maine farms!\

Keep on watering !

Kath