The fields look weirdly empty. Given time, they will fill out with fall crops of garlic, onions, leeks, cabbage, kale, lettuce, carrots, and cauliflower in Block 3. In Blocks 1 and 2, it will be a soon to be lush cover crop. I use cover crops to keep the soil where I need it, block out weed growth and will till it all in to use as a “green manure”. That green manure will help feed the soil, and good soil creates great tasting produce!
I’m taking this slow period to plan out the 2020 CSA, set goals for the farm, process summer gifts that the farm has blessed us with (think: seed saving, dried beans, and smoked pepper goodness). Also, I’ll be expanding the growing area from 1/4 to a 1/2 acre to achieve a full bounty of produce for the CSA and possibly sell at a farmers market. Being a young farm, the world is my oyster! Our farm 13 acres of fun and mysteries to be unveiled as we go!
When you boil down what a farmer does, it’s pure magic. We put a seed in some soil and poof! A plant grows and gives us food! However, there is so much that happens before, during and after to make that magical fruit bless you and yours. The cover crop is a good example of something that happens before. It will take a half year to grow and mature before it’s cut down and incorporated into the soil. Then whatever is planted in that space was probably started by seed in the greenhouse and tended to and loved on for 2+ months. But before the plant is transplanted, soil is tilled and prepared and a soil test is done to find out what nutrients are needed to help that plant grow to its fullest potential. You get your results back and amend the soil. Then you can get the transplant into the ground. From there, it’s watered, weeded, pruned, insects picked off, whatever is needed to care for that plant. Once you harvest the fruit or vegetable, it’s washed, dried, and stored so it can make its way to you. After all that work, it still feels like pure magic on my part though. One -tiny- seed can produce so much and feed so many. My hope for you is to find excitement and appreciation for your food. Know that someone cared for that produce or animal. You have the privilege to eat meals that are nutrient rich and made with love. You have the choice to buy local and know that your produce or meats were raised ethically. Be empowered to take control of what and how you eat. And to finish off this rant, when you buy your produce from Heart Song Farm, know that it is grown with all my love, is pesticide free, delicious, and nourishing. What I feed my family is what I feed to you.