Farm-ily,
Like most tasks on the Farm, there is an ideal time to harvest. We carefully test potatoes, gauge the size of developing cabbage heads, and calculate the regrowth of leafy greens. Planting also has a timeline and rhythm, designed to keep the flow of various crops steadily available for our veggie boxes. Sometimes, however, the weather has other plans! In November, it seems natural that we should be working to stay ahead of frost; this year, the cold days have been few and far between, and our greatest adversary remains the rain.
Root crops, like carrots, come more easily from soil that is neither waterlogged nor packed. Our usual method is to drive a tractor with a blade that cuts through the soil beneath them, lifting and loosening so that the carrots can be plucked painlessly from the ground. When the ground is too wet, the massive ridged tractor tires damage the fields instead of lightening our workload. Planting in the rain is likewise more difficult when the machines pulling transplant rigs are confined to the barn.
Each week, we start with a comprehensive digital to-do list, based on a wish and a weather forecast. As the days roll on, the tasks shift and the clouds gather. Sometimes, we find ourselves in a game of chess with the forces of nature. Farming means pulling carrots at sunrise to beat short days made shorter by cloudbursts! The bookends to these rushed and rainy hours, however, are morning meetings over donuts and grey afternoons spent cleaning garlic together. Camraderie is the best tool on the farm, immune to heat and chill, rain and drought.
Eat well and be well,
Ashley, Collin, John, Alexandra, Rory, Gabe, and the hens, hogs, and dogs
