In the month of August, when everything on the farm feels like a little too much, I take a moment to look around and be grateful for all of our amazing help we have on the farm. Of course, none of this would be possible without Adam or I, but for goodness sakes, we could never do this on our own! It takes a village to run a farm!
Our crew consists of over 11 people, some of who work just one day a week, and some who work 4 days a week. The people come in tandem to work their scheduled shifts. They come fresh and strong and excited about working on a local, organic vegetable farm. We talk as we work about how this work feels so fulfilling to us. It maybe isn’t the highest paying job out there, but we do get to incorporate our exercise, fresh air, sunshine, and character-building routines right into our work day. The fruits of our labor are right there for us to enjoy to keep fueling our bodies to do the work we love at the end of the day. I think that everyone on our crew this year are people who have worked on the farm in previous years. The culture we cultivate when we’re working together is rich and strong. Many of the crew members continue to come back year after year so long as their circumstances allow.
In addition to our regular paid crew, we also have another crew of Worker Shares who come and work a 3.5 hour shift each week in exchange for a Full Weekly CSA box. These are also community members who come for many of the same reasons our paid help find us. They find the experience of working for a CSA box enriching and fulfilling. Many of our Worker Shares are looking for out-doors experiences that incorporate movement, healthy life-style choices and community all into one. And BONUS-they get to take home a gorgeous box of fresh, local, seasonal, and organic produce for their time and effort. Our worker shares range from age 21 all the way up to people in their late 70’s this year. They’re an impressive group of people with a wide variance in backgrounds. I just love that we all come together on the farm over clean food!
I have to say, these people are my heroes. Working on the farm isn’t always easy either. Sometimes it’s hot. Sometimes the work is heavy. Sometimes it’s muddy or raining and slippery. Sometimes we just need to be crawling along on our hands and knees for hours weeding carrot beds. They never really know what they’ll be asked to do when they show up for a shift at Small Family Farm. We try to accommodate our workers and their abilities to each task. Miraculously, amazingly, and by the grace of magical and invisible forces I don’t even know anything about, the seeds germinate, the flowers get pollinated, and billions of little chemical reactions happen below the soil surface to allow the gorgeous fruits and roots to take form. Somehow we get the work done. It’s a lot like raising children. It feels impossible, and each day feels like survival, but the children grow and mature and we get the reward of enjoying them in our lives.
If I could ask you all to stand up and face the front of the room, I would. I would ask you to look at the imperfect faces and hands of the terrific people who help make the bringing of your food to the table possible. These people are practical, hard-working and modest. I know more people who would think themselves unable, un-willing or un-interested in the humble tasks of working with the earth than I know who can and do. But its unlikely that we’ll ever all be in a room together, so I’m creating it here in our collective imagination. I would ask for a round of applause in their honor. Thank you, to all of the amazing people who assist in the production of this beautiful food! We appreciate you!
What’s in the Box?
Melons- Most CSA members received 2 Melons in their box. But about 80 people towards the end of CSA box packing today received one large red watermelon. The melons shipped out this week varied widely. Some people received a canary melon which has a yellow rind and a firm green flesh that is crispy like a cucumber. You may have also received a regular ol’ orange cantaloupe. OR, you could have received a small yellow watermelon. OR you could have been one of the 80 people that receive a large red watermelon towards the end of packing. Tomatoes- 5lbs tomatoes. I’ll continue to remind you that we pick all tomatoes with a ‘blush’. This means any greenish tomato that is just starting to show signs of pink or red or orange or whatever color they ripen. We do it this way because we would have no way to get your tomatoes to you without them being crushed in the already very full CSA boxes. We already struggle with too many of them ripening. They are still considered ‘vine ripened’ tomatoes this way. If you receive a tomato that is still not quite ripe, just leave it on your countertop or windowsill for a few days until it ripens soft to the touch. Never put tomatoes in the refrigerator unless they are so ripe they are going to spoil and you need to buy yourself more time. Refrigerators suck the flavor out of tomatoes. Green Beans- A generous 1.3lbs of green beans per member this week. Our crew picked green beans for an entire day one day! It takes a lot of helpers to get this many beans picked! Such a delicious summer treat! Cucumbers- 3-4 Cucumbers per member this week. We’re thrilled to have such beautiful cucumbers coming off of of our second and now Third succession of cucumbers for the season! Summer Squash- 1-2This may be the very last giving of summer squash. The zucchinis are done for the season but the yellow squash continues to produce. It was a very nice run on squash. Peppers- 2-3 peppers per member. A few things to know about peppers. Their preferred storage temp is 50 degrees, much like tomatoes and summer squash. Cherry Tomatoes- 1 pound clamshells per box. Sun Golds ripen orange. Lettuce- 1-2 heads of red leaf lettuce per box. We’re a little amazed that our August lettuce plantings turned out. Some of the heads were small, but small lettuce is better than no lettuce. We had BLT’s at our house this week with the lettuce. Sweet Corn- 5-6 ears per member. Remember that the sugars in sweet corn begin turning to starches after they are picked. Sweet corn should be refrigerated until eaten to preserve the freshest, sweetest flavor. Jalapeno Pepper- These are either green or red. Jalapenos do pack some heat, but they would be a lovely addition to your fresh Pico-de-Gallo salsas. Hungarian Hot Wax Pepper- Technically a hot pepper but these are usually very mild. Hot wax peppers can ripen from lime green/yellow the orange or red. Garlic- Chesnook Red. Tucked inside your tomato bag. Next Week’s Best Guess- Melons, sweet corn, green beans, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, brussels sprouts tops or collards, mint, onion
