I have a massive case of cabin fever!
This is a Vermont condition that usually sets in around early April, when winter still has its grip on the weather and all you want to do is get out, travel and enjoy the outdoors!
Well, the pandemic created a whole new level of cabin fever for all of us!
Like many of you, I have not travelled at all in the past year. The most exotic trip I took was to Burlington, Vermont—30 miles away!
But this week I came down to Boston for a visit to see some of you in Somerville and it was so nice.
Like many of you, I am going on a vacation. Next week I travel to Port Townsend, Washington to visit my daughter and grandson who I have not seen for over a year. I’m very excited to see them and for the adventure, especially since I will be travelling by train.
We have been hearing the stories of completely booked vacation rentals, and fully understand this pent-up desire to get back out in the world and enjoy ourselves and the company we keep.
We also know that summer is a challenging time for Farmers To You, as well as for our farmers. While we all go on our well-deserved vacations in July and August, productivity is peaking on the farms. It is a real dilemma. How can we continue to support the farmers and food producers who feed us all year when we go away?
Here are a couple of things I do that help me and my farmer partners:
- I order staple foods and pantry items to take along with me on my trip. I have become so spoiled by the quality of the food our farmers produce that food on the road just does not taste as good! In particular, I stock up on meat items, eggs and fish (if you are an omnivore) or beans, flour and pantry items. They all store or freeze beautifully and the difference in quality and flavor is huge.
- I also recommend activating a weekly donation when I suspend my order, so that surplus food can go to those in need both here and in Boston. This supports families in need as well as our farmers and food producers.
Lastly, I know that for many of you your schedules change completely when summer arrives. The last thing you may want to do is go to your children’s school to pick up your order, or visit a pickup site in the late afternoon when the sun is high and warm in the sky and you may be enjoying a hike or a day at the beach or out for a hike or bike.
Well, please indulge a bit and sign up for home delivery. Your time to rest and recharge is definitely worth letting us bring your orders right to your doorstep! Consider yourself warned: many of you who have switched to home delivery in the past for the summer have never looked back. What a treat to have your dinner and groceries on your front step when you arrive home from a wonderful summer day out.
Someone mentioned a concept I had never heard about before: the IKEA concept. If you have ever bought a piece of furniture at IKEA you will love this! The concept states that the more you participate in a purchase or relationship, the more you value it. And let’s just say that IKEA furniture takes the idea of “assembly required” to whole new heights. Many parts, cryptic instructions, engineering degree required for assembly.
Farmers To You requires your active participation if it is going to work for all of us—families, farmers, and our fabulous team. If we all work together, we will all be able to feed and support each other indefinitely. And after what we have seen this past year, we know how important mutual support is, and we have all seen how powerful and resilient a community we have built.
Happy summer!!! Enjoy the food you love from farmers you trust.
With Gratitude,
Greg
