April 8

Our season began in March. We have pruned the apples, cherries, and will start the peaches soon. We have our crew lined up for the summer. We are planting our farm garden and propagating starts. We will be planting strawberries and rhubarb for market also. We are replanting pinot gris and meuniere this spring, also sweet cherry tree replants.

We had a springtime bonus — Ben (photo, left), a Minnesota horticultural student, completing intern hours for his degree on our farm. It was wonderful having Ben's help us off with a kick start. Also of note: He is the first person who has raked our orchard prunings single handedly!

Our big news!

We're enhancing our sustainability by adding animals to the farm. Sheep and geese will keep the alleyways mowed and add fertility to the soil. They will also add food to the table. We plan a starter flock of 16 or so with six lambs for the freezer in the fall. I'm not sure how the weeder geese will work into the mix, but hopeful we can figure it out. We obtained a small grazing conservation grant with the help of (famous) extension agent to offset cost electric fencing in return for publishing what we learn about grazing sheep in the vineyard. Our vineyard sheep are a special heritage breed, babydoll southdowns. They are ridiculously cute!

2010 Fruit CSA (community supported agriculture)

Peaches, apples, table grapes and more! We have lowered our price a bit, and expect to add more variety. We look forward to a successful fruit growing season and chance to meet new folks who want to share our healthful harvests. Download details of this year's CSA Mesa Winds Farm Fruit Shares.

All the best, Max & Wink.