The right tool

If farming was a language, the vast array of tools on the farm would be the verbs. Without them, the space would be static, without production.

 It seems as if we have been acquiring more and more tools lately, as we become more fluent at growing crops. We have talked about some of the big tools: the transplanter, the plastic mulch layer, the cultivating tractors... We love the iphone, Google Earth, and look forward to having the first cultivating robot on the block.
But there is more subtlety to just getting the latest or biggest tool we can afford. Big tools are like the loud American shouting his language. I'm talking about the right tool for the job, like the words in a poem.
This week, nearing the end of the harvest season, we give thanks to...
The Harvest Knife

The Chain Saw

Bailing Twine

Hydraulics

The Cider Press

The Stapler

I could go on and on, especially without bothering to elaborate on each bit of gratitude, but there is one more list before this post is over:
The Harvest
Lettuce (2 small mini-heads)
Spinach
Carrots
Turnips
Chard
Rosemary
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Peppers
Eggplant
Leeks
Celariac-- This, the ugliest vegetable ever, is really delicious. If you are unfamiliar with it, Google it, and use it in dinner this week, you'll be pleasantly surprised how good it is.

Blessings on the Meal
John