I’m proud of our first box this CSA season.
You see, farming is largely a story about weather. Of course it defines our daily activities, but it often becomes a plot line that characterizes the farm’s recent history. A farmer’s assets are planted in the ground, in the earth, under open sky. While we attempt to mitigate adverse weather effects, our attempts may be undone with a simple stormy gust. If nature is your teacher you learn humility may be your best resource. Instead of anxiously awaiting the fruits of our labor, we’re better off being reverent of the entire cycle: the germination, the growth, the harvest and the return to earth. Their inseparability makes each part what it is, plain and simple.
At least, that was what I was attempting to remember as we watched last month’s hail storm pummel our farm. It was especially devastating in the Reading area just to our south. After a hard winter and a cool spring, we were about fed up with weather when we experienced an unforgettable hail shower. I won’t detail the hundreds of thrashed Red Buttercrisp lettuces or beds of voluminous Lacinato Kale. I might mention a couple of beheaded tomatoes and a few dinged strawberries. But, I certainly won’t complain anymore.
After all the slow spring weather and storms, we have rebounded nicely. I was delighted to pick strawberries for our first CSA harvest! In fact, the farm is deliciously verdant this week. We have lots of healthy crops loving these sunny and warm days and a productive crew (many of whom are perennials) that has helped to turn out some beautiful crops. The firsts of which are rolling in now.
