Spores on the air

Hello Members and blog readers alike,

This week's blog is coming to you from apprentice #3, Megan. I came to the farm May 15th, and saw the rains take us through to what seems to be only quite recently. Long warm afternoons were replaced with soggy mornings, and we are still seeing the effects of this weather in our fields. So far this week the popular phrase has been, "spores on the air." Yes, there are spores on the air of all types that are creating many new and amazing small problems in our most excellent field, namely in our cucurbit field. I tell this short tale on behalf of our squash. These unfortunate little beauties seem to have attracted some of these bodies creating what I like to refer to as a case of polka-dot-itis. With this knowledge, my recommendation is to eat these delicious vegetables with haste. When eaten soon after the harvest their condition will not affect their flavor, only their appearance . This is your opportunity to have fresh squash and sautéed onions tonight!

Moving on to life on the farm... Camp is finished now for the year. I was a counselor for 3 of the 8 weeks and really had a great time. My cabin is now outfitted with a few of my favorite drawings from our campers. I have a drawing of our ducks playing in and around and under their baby-pool pond, I have an abstract in purple of a ghost in the field, a few handmade birthday cards, and only the very best and inspiring of our leaf prints. The kids and I did some weed identification along with the leaf prints, and I now have a somewhat reliable knowledge of the weeds of this region; and while I know I hate them and that they make our fields and lives difficult, I can't help but find them quite fascinating. They are beautiful, edible, unwanted, poisonous, and they don't need more than a casual suggestion to grow healthy and strong. We have sometimes spoken of how weeds and their eradication can really shape the activities of an organic farm. Maybe this is the reason that I find them to be so interesting. They are our bane, and they are our itinerary. It seems foolish not to consider them more fully. We continue to weed, to seed new crops, to harvest, to make food, to eat, and sometimes get in a swim.

Looking forward to seeing you on harvest days,

apprentice #3
Megan

ps. thank you workshare members and volunteers for your help! It is always nice to have fresh conversations when those weeds beg us to give them more of the same. See you soon...

This Week's Harvest:

Lettuce
Parsley
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Squash
Onions
Basil
Peppers
Beans