Judging by the sales this week, many of you were able to enjoy the new grass-fed beef program that we launched last week. This kind of demand really helps offer a consistency to our ranchers at the Ranney Ranch. We want to help find support for all of the wonderful work that they are doing for animal husbandry and for wild grassland restoration. And none of that work can be done without financial backing from customers who enjoy the products from us and all of our family of producers.

Backpacks, lunch boxes, and soccer cleats all mean one thing around our house; it is back to school time. And I have to admit that I celebrate it. Summer is a blast and pretty carefree, but there is something almost comforting about getting back into the routine of the school year. I eat better, sleep better, and probably just live a little bit healthier than the chaos that we call Summer Break. And to ease you back into the routine, let me point out some pretty cool things that we have been working on recently.

OK amigos, the launch of the Same-Day Delivery is upon us. Sunday, 7/24, marks a pivotal point for the future of the farm and for food distribution for our region. No other grocery store or delivery service that I know of (besides cardboard Pizzas) will be bringing you food so efficiently. Order by Noon, Delivery by 6pm. Shoot, not even Amazon is trying something so ambitious.

We make sure to hold one thing very consistent around the farm, and that is change. If folks are adverse to change, I can tell you that working here would be like listening to nails on a chalkboard for 8 hours a day. But I am a firm believer that if we are not progressing, then we are dying. There is no room for complacency in the marketplace. Grow. Innovate. Or get used as a speedbump.

So hopefully last week’s first round of cherries has got your palate primed for more. We have over 1 ton of fresh cherries coming to you this next week. Well, not a ton per person, although that would be a nice visual of filling a tub with cherries and then eating your way out.

I have to say that a couple of my favorite words in the English language are “Cherry Season.” In that order of course because if you say Season Cherry you just sound like you fell off the turnip truck. So when our head orchard dude, Paul from Excelsior Orchards, called me and said Cherry Season is on, I got a little misty eyed.

I have been thinking a lot recently about our upcoming Independence Day. Well, actually I have just been thinking about the word Independence and what it means to us all. And what is at the root of independence?

First off this week, just a slew of amazing fruits continue to roll in this week. You will be enjoying the blueberries, nectarines, and peaches. But one of the late comers to the fiesta were the grapes from the desert. Along the border of Arizona and California, in a very hot and dry region, come some of the most amazing grapes that you will find. Water is a scarcity, so the plants (and skilled farmers) pack a lot of flavor punch into the fruit. You will see these for a bit.

As we head into June, I have 2 words for you, I love fruit. Ok, maybe those aren’t just 2 words, but I just want to make sure you are paying attention because the fruit season is about to get very real here amigos.

 

I have to say that I love the first week of June. By June 1st all of the summer plants are in the ground. When you get too far into June, any long season plants like tomatoes and melons will have a hard time producing before the nip of Jack Frost will kill their momentum. So we really use the first week of June as the end of our summer planting.