Earth Dance, Week #27

Weekly Produce List
Earth Dance Newsletter, October 14, 2010

My LAST day on the farm (!) starts in the 40s with the promise of the mid 60s by mid afternoon. Genna, Mark, Skyler and I gather in the early morning sunlight to discuss our upcoming day.

The herb garden is where we go for our first harvest ...

... braising mix.

It's definitely October ... we have to keep stopping and warming our hands.

The sun comes up over the farm, as a V of geese flies over.

Next, we go to another garden to harvest kale. We end up harvesting three different kinds of kale in three different locations today.

Today is Skyler's last day on the farm as well.

Kale.

One of the farm cats visits us while we work.

Genna picks weeds and grass out from among the braising mix and kale.

Mark bags braising mix while Skyler washes bok choy.

The sun is getting higher in the sky. Genna hauls crates up to where she, Skyler and I will harvest more kale.

Skyler harvesting kale.

Time to break for lunch. On our way down, this is the view out over the horse pasture.

Surprise! Norm takes us to Spring Valley and treats us at the A&W!  (Skyler, Norm and Mark)

It's warm enough to sit outside and enjoy our root beer floats and freezies.  (Skyler, Mark and Genna)

Thanks, Norm, for celebrating Skyler's and my last day! (Skyler, Bev and Mark)

Back to the farm and back to work. Genna places potatoes into crates ...

... so Norm can wash the the dirt off of them with his power washer.

Then, Mark picks out the best ones ...

... so Genna and I can carry them by small bucketfuls to the members' boxes.

Norm suits up to work with his honey bees.

The day is coming to an end.  Here, I work with Genna on my final harvest ... flat-leaf parsley.

One of the farm cats pays us another visit.

I take one last look up to the farm from one of the fields that I have worked in since April of this year.

Turnips.

A view into one of the boxes as we fill them. (I never knew brussel sprouts grew on a 'stick!')    : )

Riley arrives after school, and we start packing the boxes. (Genna, Mark and Riley)

These are the final boxes of the regular season. (Riley, Mark and Genna)

We finish packing the boxes and load them into the cooler to await delivery tomorrow.  Norm and Laurie along with Riley, Genna and Mark gather around me to say good-bye.  I say good-bye to each one in turn, and there are lots of hugs (and tears, of course, on my part).  Norm and Laurie express to me their thanks for my work over the last six months (I can't believe my first day was way back on April 14!), and I thank them and tell them what the experience has meant to me.  I tell them that, of course, I have learned so much about the whole organic farming process ... but what I hadn't anticipated was how I would feel about the people I would come to work with ... fabulous people ... everyone of them different ... but every one of them very special.  Norm and Laurie tell me that they would like to have me and my husband back out to the farm for dinner sometime soon.

And, then, just like that, I'm driving down the driveway, as the sun sets, saying good-bye to the farm ... and on to my next adventure ... whatever that may be!    : )

This Week's CSA Box:
Potatoes, rutabagas, braising mix, kale, celeriac, parsley, squash, turnips, cabbage (or broccoli as farmer's choice), romaine (or bok choy as farmer's choice), brussel sprouts, pie pumpkin.

Earth Dance, Week #26

Weekly Produce List
Earth Dance Newsletter, October 7, 2010
(includes a piece written by Mark)

It's 7 a.m. on a beautiful October morning! The sun is just coming up, and Hannah gives Mark a friendly greeting to start his day. : )

Our first harvest is arugula.

Arugula has become one of my favorites since working on the farm this summer.

We get the arugula harvested and into crates ...

... and Genna takes it down to the washing area.

The temps start in the 50s, but with all the sunshine, it warms up quickly into the 60s, and then into the 70s later in the afternoon!

Skyler arrives, and we get to work washing, spinning and bagging the arugula.

We pair up in teams this morning. Skyler and I harvest greens, while Genna and Mark wash and bag them.

Skyler and I head over to the herb garden to harvest mizuna.

Gorgeous rows of mizuna in the sunshine.

Next, we harvest bundles of cilantro.

Genna loves cilantro!  She used it to make fresh salsa for the Fall Harvest Celebration this past Saturday.

A view of the farm from the cilantro field.

Skyler, bringing up the harvest.

After a morning of harvesting and packing greens, we break for lunch. Hannah lounges on the front lawn while Genna and I eat at the picnic table.

The fall colors are becoming even more vibrant.

Skyler plays a video game on his phone, and Mark reads a book, while the chickens contentedly hunt for things to eat.

I just love watching the chickens at lunchtime.

Okay, back to work. Our harvesting is done, and Genna starts bringing crops (stored in the cooler) to the packing house.

Norm washes potatoes, while we pack cabbages, radishes and carrots into the member boxes.

Here's a picture of me packing carrots into the boxes.  We sampled some of the smaller ones, and they are SO sweet!

A variety of sweet and hot peppers are divided among the members' boxes this week.

Big beautiful leeks go into the boxes, too.

Riley shows up after school, and we get this morning's greens packed and close up the boxes.

Genna hauls the boxes to the cooler ...

... and we finish up by 5:00 today!

It's been such a fabulous fall day! Norm has left to help Adriana pick out a dress for Homecoming, Mark leaves to go play basketball in Rochester, and Riley takes off, too ... so, it's just Genna and me. We're just standing there talking, and this chicken walks by. Genna picks it up (the chicken doesn't look like it minds at all!), and then she asks me if I want to hold it ... and she takes my picture. How fun!

Next Wednesday is my last day as a 2010 volunteer at Earth Dance Farm, and I told Genna I'm working on bringing the perfect weather ... one more time!

This Week's CSA Box:
Potatoes, paste tomatoes, Butternut squash, garlic, onions, radishes, leeks, carrots, cabbage, arugula, cilantro, mizuna, peppers.

I made this main course salad out of 10 ingredients from this week and last week's CSA boxes (mizuna, arugula, cilantro, cabbage, radishes, sweet potato, cucumber, tomato, green bell pepper and carrots).  Delicious!   : )