If someone had told me when I was in high school that I would grow up to become a farmer, living and working in Green Lake county, I would have laughed. No way, no how. I had things to do, places to go, people to meet. How would I have ever guessed that I would come to love growing food and feeding people? How could I have known that farming would make me feel like a horticulturist, an artist, a student and a teacher, all at once?
Somehow my arts and education training led me down a side road, and eventually landed me on a farm. After a few seasons, it became clear that vegetables, in all of their forms, are works of art. Patterns in nature, combined with the science of plant breeding, create stunning shades and spectacular shapes. Cut into a purple carrot and reveal a striking yellow core, or run your fingers along the curvy-smooth skin of a shallot and you will experience the simple beauty of a shape like no other. Most of the time, I am digging, hauling, and washing vegetables in an effort to reveal and share their essence. In a single moment I am the farmer and the artist, studying the subjects that so humbly make their way to your plate.
My awe gains momentum when I arrange and photograph them. Gathering these bulbs, tubers, shoots, leaves, roots, fruits and flowers makes me giddy with purpose. To capture a still life with this line-up of characters is to preserve their fleeting lives and honor the beauty and life-giving nutrition they offer us. Gather and disperse.
I recently spread out the contents of 3 random shares, just to see what a week in September looks like for our CSA members. We are all so fortunate to have access to these works of art! And to think, they are also edible!! As always, Nature provides. And as your farmers, we are grateful.
