CSA models are not suitable for everyone, but if you love super high quality ingredients, knowing that your food was produced ethically and in a way that respects the integrity of the land and living communities in and around it, then we’re off to a good start !
Tomato Talk
What do you do when you just can’t find the perfect tomato varieties for your specific needs? Breed your own! Over the years I’ve been working on dehybridizing and refining a few varieties of tomatoes. What I’m looking for is when I do this is:
A – Incomparable, unbelievable flavour – sweet, but not too sweet, full bodied
B – Days to Maturity – tomatoes like it hot and sunny which mean selecting for varieties that begin producing fruit early is important here
C – Yield, disease resistance and over-all vigour – while taste and days to maturity are super important, as a commercial grower I need plants that will hold their own without too much pampering and set heavy yields to boot!
This brings me to my first reason why a share in Kolapore Gardens CSA may just be an excellent investment for you:
1. You can’t find some of the varieties I grow anywhere else! I include a wide selection of heirloom and heritage varieties to keep things interesting. In a way, the gardens here are like a living museum, preserving historical (and some jeopardized!) varieties of plants. Cool, I know, that’s part of why I love doing this!
2. Participation in our CSA can help you follow through on those resolutions and goals to eat a healthier diet by making sure you regularly have good ingredients to work with. At in-town pick-ups we offer full choice of which veggies you take home, which actually works quite well since my CSA partners know their own unique food preferences better than I do (although I’m learning Ha!)
3. While making good on your commitment to your own personal health is a great reason in and of itself, by signing up for our CSA share you can also help create a resilient local food system that supports local ecological farmers in their responsible stewardship of the land. We need a culture that places the long-term health of our soil and water right here at home first and foremost! Younger generations will have no shortage of seemingly insurmountable challenges to deal with, let’s try to leave them with the healthiest soil, the cleanest water, and the most resilient, cohesive communities possible!
*This fuzzy photo is a portrait of the first parent in a line of tomatoes that eventually became the new varieties I’m planting out this year – so even though it looks small and cute, it’s kind of like a great-great grandmother or grandfather!
Kolapore Gardens 
Thank you Anke! See you soon
LikeLike
Great post, Mike! We love your produce, attention to your customers’ needs and dedication to healthy farming and living in our community. CSA is integral in developing a sustainable and healthy way to maintain a healthy environment. We are all part of it! Happy growing! 🙂
LikeLike