It has been some time since we shared news with you by way of a newsletter, with our last newsletter written in February. Perhaps it is fair to say that instead of newsletters a number of funding applications were written (for the making of a book, as well as for Oma Maa educational program – with further funding rounds being anticipated), whilst also a good number of other efforts were kept up in full gear towards our summer season.
During this spring on Lassilan tila we got all benches going in the greenhouse with an increasing amount of greens in our foodbags at regular intervals. At some point we commenced sowing in the smaller greenhouse, whilst in the last weeks a third greenhouse/seedling house was resurrected after it collapsed under snow. At the moment the sowing of a large variety of seeds, frequent watering and more seedling table making is in full swing constantly ongoing in all the three greenhouses. To name but a few things, at the moment different root vegetables like carrot, beet and parsnip, a variety of cabbages, pumpkins, tomatoes, cucumber, salad greens, radishes, onions, garlic and different herbs are all on their way shooting up, with much more to come. On the surrounding land day-in-and-day-out a tractor can be heard spinning around with birds swarming around it preparing the grounds for the transfer of the seedlings, for which a new on foil transplanting machine has been acquired. Broad bean and potato seeds have already found their way into the ground. The same activities are ongoing in our second farm of the coop Kaukon tila concerning among other our forthcoming berry and hemp season.
During this spring we already harvested a variety of delicious roots as burdock and marsh woundwort as well as wildherbs, which ended up in our food bags, as well as during our beautiful monthly Farm Dining dinners for members and friends on Kaarlenkatu. Our working with the roots and wild herbs will be further developed this year, with some fermentation already ongoing. Our aim is this year to yet grow, harvest and conserve a wider variety to be able to add yet a larger variety to our foodbags throughout the year.
Our Farm Dining dinners bringing forth besides delicious meals also delicious talks and conversations were also held for instance during the recent Finnish Social Forum, with different guests from close and afar. We will be continuing our monthly dinners for members and friends. A next member and friends dinner is planned for 14.6, while we are aiming at opening for the public for (first of all) Saturday brunches and dinners after summer.
And perhaps to mention last but not least – we founded (and soon registered) Kumpanuusmaatalous ry! Read here this new organisation’s first pressrelease, which currently has five Finnish CSA’s underwriting its objectives. Besides this also a first joint campaign has been set up.
Intertwined into the above story must be read the fact that several crucial moments in our process were made possible because of the coming together of a good number of our coop members, on and behind the scenes. Besides our farmers, several other coop members have also on a continuous basis put in considerable efforts for our coop. We have had wonderful talkoot days together, embodying a core envisioning of Oma Maa : All is Possible, Together. With this we also point to another core envisioning of Oma Maa which has remained to be brought to the forefront also in the last months: Food is a social and environmental change maker, IF in the hands of people.
The above is nothing but a brief overview of the things that happened in the last months and weeks. But hopefully it will be an encouragement for you to want to place your foodbag order for this summer. We are currently standing at a small 60 full bag orders – Our target to come to sustainable level enabling renumerations as well as further necessary investments remains a 100. For Oma Maa’s beautiful potential to further realize itself, we need you. Tervetuloa (taas) mukaan! (kiittos mentalminimalist for the below food of one of our recent winterfoodbags!)
Ruby, Jan, Ulla, Mikael