Farming in the time of Covid-19
The life of these organic vegetable farmers has changed very little in this time of COVID-19. We are home-bodies by nature and necessity this time of year. The only things that take us away from the farm are produce deliveries, trips to the hardware store or Cashton Farm Supply for feed or minerals. We go out occasionally for groceries, but mostly we reside on our ridge-top oasis in our little bubble. If not for the screens in our lives, we would know very little about the happenings of the world. The more I turn on the screens and radios in our life, the less I want to turn on the screens and radios in our life.
I feel thankful for our work that keeps us busy. The farm work is pressing and highly time-sensitive and a good distraction to say the least. I feel thankful for our kids who we can pull close and smother with kisses and breathe on and cuddle close to. They satisfy our human need for closeness, togetherness and comfort that is so lacking in the outside world today. Their worry-free attitude is refreshing and uplifting and I do what I can to preserve their sense of security and surety in the world.
But our lives have changed. There is a calmness that has settled in that I feel strangely thankful for. The Stay at Home recommendations give my hermit-like nature the excuse to fully revel in my hermit-ness, for better or worse. I do love to be at home. It does feel a little awkward though because we’re all a little worried, a little scared and little confused. My response has been to keep my mask on, my head down and my hands moving. We are slowly processing and adapting to the changes that are possibly permanent in our outside world
But nothing makes you feel more hopeful, more optimistic or more cheerful than the sight of a vine ripened strawberry. Perhaps the taste of a vine ripened strawberry, maybe. I watch the peas climb up their trellising and the buttercup lettuce unfurl their rosettes. I watch the fireflies flicker in the summer evenings and the birds making their nests. I see new life growing and budding and fruiting everywhere and it’s hard to feel anything but thankful and hopeful.
There is so much healing and beauty in the world if we position ourselves in a place to where we can see it. So I don’t sound too naive or lofty, on the farm there is deer pressure, splitting kohlrabis, rotting heads of lettuce and missing tomatoes and melon plants from wind and chipmunks. There is weed pressure, plant diseases and insect pressure. But I don’t want to talk about these things at length and I don’t think you want to hear about them. Because at the end of the day, there are beautiful boxes of vegetables to share with you and it’s all because we get up in the morning and we work as hard we are able and we do everything we can to best of our human abilities with the best attitude we can put on that day. I have to know and trust that this is simply good enough.
Cherry Bell Radish- Nice big bunches of Radishes to share with you again this week! Thanks to the cooler weather, the radishes were holding nicely in the fields. The Ruby of the box this week;)
Hakurai Salad Turnips- These are the white globe shaped roots. The smoothest textured turnip you’ll find that is wonderful eaten raw like a radish. They are lovely shaved thinly, sliced or grated onto salads. They have a sweetness to them that makes them great for snacking. The Pearls of the box this week;)
Green Oakleaf Lettuce- The lettuce was cut, washed and bagged this week. We don’t usually cut and bag lettuce like this, but we had some issues with some of the heads starting to rot from the underside of the heads. We still aren’t sure what caused this, possibly the variety or possibly an issue with soil in that field. It’s was a high enough percentage of them that we decided to harvest like this this week. I do think you should still plan on washing your lettuce agian, even after we had washed the lettuce, we noticed at bagging there was still a little dirt in the crevaces of some of the leaves. These very tender oakleaf varieties are a Spring gem. The Emerald of the box this week;)
Purple Kohlrabi- If you’re not familiar with this vegetable, it is in the brassica (or cole) family-the same as cabbage, broccoli, radish, turnips and so many others! Kohlrabi are also called the “ground apple”. They’re cruchy with a texture similar to an apple, but with the smooth, mild flavor of cabbage or even radish. You’ll need to peel off the tough outer layer of the kohlrabi to enjoy the crunchy inside. The leaves of the kohlrabi can be eaten like kale, so don’t throw them out! Kohlrabi can be eaten raw or fried or baked or spiralized or really ANYTHING you can dream up. They are very versatile!
Red Curly Kale- Gorgeous bunches of red curly kale this week. The kale is looking so nice
Rainbow Swiss Chard- Swiss Chard never looks as good as it does in the Spring/Early Summer like this! I love how the leaves look so smooth and healthy and vibrant! Swiss Chard is in the same family as beets and spinach. Chard has some of the earthy flavor that beets have and all of the smoothness that spinach offers. The stalks of the chard are edible too, don’t waste those!
Cilantro- We had a nice cilantro harvest this week. Check out the Cilatnro Lime Salad Dressing Recipe Below! It could make a nice dippig sauce for Spring Rolls or just dressing a salad!
Kale, Red Beans, Cilantro and Feta Cheese
