Dear All,
weather change is in the air and I am harvesting those endless seeming beans and tomatoes with gratitude and love, knowing their time is coming to an end soon. The frost covers are in place next to peppers, eggplants and beans. Tonight I picked cherry tomatoes. There are about 100 tomatoes in a quart, 100 times gentle picking, rolling them between my fingers off the plant, careful not to squeeze them and placing handfuls at a time in the green cardboard boxes for sale. Six quarts in a box, not to be tipped or knocked about on to the garden cart and off to the barn, where the light is on to welcome me to the end of the day. Dinner was called a long time ago, but the good Birdsfooters left the containers out so I can easily get some warm rice and a lentil, collard carrot veggie dish and fried cauliflower, yummy.
In September the workers find other work and things to go to and I get very busy trying to do it all. It is time to let go and not harvest what can not be sold and tomatoes hang like red Christmas ornaments on the green plants, beans get fat and fatter, other crops like potatoes or carrots can wait and grow some more.
On the weekends we process tomatoes, peppers, broccoli and lots and lots of apples for the farms winter storage. The heavy smell of oh so ripe tomatoes and apple cider lingers in the air and many hands make pesto and apple sauce.
I want to say thank you to Elise, Jacky, Chris and Bob and Erin for keeping the gardens weeded, harvested and the barn in order. Jacky still comes Mondays after college classes to harvest, so I can make it to Cinema 10 and finish sorting what goes to market and what stays for the CSA after the movies. Chris moved on to San Francisco when we ran out of housing. Elise is still part time here saving the day and gives me good company, so I don't just get lost in my own thoughts and poetry all day long. Bob comes when called and likes to pick cherry tomatoes and beans and goes to market on Tuesdays.
weather change is in the air and I am harvesting those endless seeming beans and tomatoes with gratitude and love, knowing their time is coming to an end soon. The frost covers are in place next to peppers, eggplants and beans. Tonight I picked cherry tomatoes. There are about 100 tomatoes in a quart, 100 times gentle picking, rolling them between my fingers off the plant, careful not to squeeze them and placing handfuls at a time in the green cardboard boxes for sale. Six quarts in a box, not to be tipped or knocked about on to the garden cart and off to the barn, where the light is on to welcome me to the end of the day. Dinner was called a long time ago, but the good Birdsfooters left the containers out so I can easily get some warm rice and a lentil, collard carrot veggie dish and fried cauliflower, yummy.
In September the workers find other work and things to go to and I get very busy trying to do it all. It is time to let go and not harvest what can not be sold and tomatoes hang like red Christmas ornaments on the green plants, beans get fat and fatter, other crops like potatoes or carrots can wait and grow some more.
On the weekends we process tomatoes, peppers, broccoli and lots and lots of apples for the farms winter storage. The heavy smell of oh so ripe tomatoes and apple cider lingers in the air and many hands make pesto and apple sauce.
I want to say thank you to Elise, Jacky, Chris and Bob and Erin for keeping the gardens weeded, harvested and the barn in order. Jacky still comes Mondays after college classes to harvest, so I can make it to Cinema 10 and finish sorting what goes to market and what stays for the CSA after the movies. Chris moved on to San Francisco when we ran out of housing. Elise is still part time here saving the day and gives me good company, so I don't just get lost in my own thoughts and poetry all day long. Bob comes when called and likes to pick cherry tomatoes and beans and goes to market on Tuesdays.
 cherry tomatoes |  an ocean of kale |  Chris harvesting summer squash |  Jacky bunching carrots |
 Bob and giant cauliflower |  Elise picking wax beans |  lettuce to be transplanted |  baby lettuce in the ground |
