We have made it through 2/3rds of the CSA season. Though the world continues to be on fire, with dismal amounts of rain, and several personal challenges have arisen for each on the farm, the farm keeps giving, and we all continue to show up with the land. Yes- because it’s our livelihood but also because I feel many times the farm can be a source of care and safety that we all crave and deserve. 

On the farm, care can feel like great communication, flexibility when personal matters need to be addressed, a space to cry, coffee on all days, and the yearning to meet different access needs of the team. For me, during a season when my life has felt uncertain and unsettling, Ironwood has been a place of serious refuge. Even if safety is not something we can access all the time, I can find moments to settle my nervous system on the farm. Burnout is real, and pouring rain makes me seriously wish I could stay in bed, but both the land and the people of Ironwood’s orbit call us back together. 

A couple of days ago, many of us gathered at Nora’s home. To paint the scene: we’re laying in Nora’s cozy living room, rain is pouring, kids are running around, lighting is somehow the perfect glow, the cat is curled up, we have been prepared a warm meal, and even though there’s maybe 10-12 people packed in the room, the conversation is just soft enough to hear the rain. I feel settled. And I hope each one of you can access that feeling at some points during your week too. For the carelessness that reigns this land between borders, due to neoliberal agendas that prioritize profit over care, it has been what one may call healing to be part of such a place like Ironwood. 

Maybe there are a host of reasons you signed up for Ironwood CSA; perhaps you wanted to support the local food system, develop a relationship with a farming community, or have access to tender greens grown with a lot of love. Whatever the reason may be, and whichever farm you choose, you are supporting the ethics of that farm. And each farm in this area has their own culture and tenants, such as the tenants clearly expressed by Sweet Freedom or Herbana cura. From my experience as a crew member of Ironwood, care is a pillar of this farm, so much so, I feel I have learned how to better provide care….So here’s to a future full of communal spaces alongside a universal basic income, that prioritize networks of care.

Enjoy your veggies, 

Con cariño

Paloma