In the blink of an eye we find ourselves at the top of the roller coaster track that is every growing season. In the final days of February (before times) we fired up the pellet stove and carefully placed thousands of onion seeds into trays in the greenhouse. Onions, leeks and shallots are always the first crops that we seed... a distant memory by the time they are ready to harvest at the beginning of August. And ready to harvest they were last week! They are some of the best looking onions that the farm has cultivated to date.
We have officially entered 'peak harvest', a joyous and exhausting time of year. Tomatoes are coming on strong, melons are getting sweet, and the harvest list is long. While it is good to have a heavy load to harvest, it is better to have many hands to help bring in the crops. The farm crew has been robust in the last weeks, with help from new friends and old, dedicated employees and determined volunteers. It is a marvel to see everyone engaged with the food that fills your share, the sum that is greater than its parts. With so many positive and productive people pouring their energy into the field, I think you can taste it.
People power has made it a great growing season so far, but we would be remiss if we didn't also honor the land that has born the fruits of our collective labor. We ask a lot of the soil at the farm, already having harvested literal tons of food from just 1.5 acres since the beginning of the year. In return, we have lavished the growing beds with compost, 12 dump truck loads this season alone or about 240 yards. Before each crop is planted, the bed is aerated and blanketed with about 1" of black gold. Our goal is to not only replace the nutrients we remove with the crops, but to go beyond that by banking fertility in the field. The more the bank account grows, the more resilient and forgiving the land becomes, and the more nutrients end up in your kitchen.
The clicking of the roller coaster has quieted...deep breath...now we hold on tight and enjoy the ride!
-Mat-
