September News

Dear All,

     This is neither the first nor the last of the hurricanes that have rattled the timbers of our old barn.  The hickories and sugar maples that tower over our little crops have seen the likes of Irene, and her much bigger siblings, many times before. So as the barns and forests stood their ground against the winds and uprooting rains, our transient mob of farmers, crops, and livestock took shelter behind their shields.  I emerged agog to see how much was, indeed, not damaged.  Greenhouses are standing, even a fair number of our apples clung on their boughs and surfed out the storm unscathed.  To see the bright colors of the eggplants, sunflowers, and sweet red peppers perking up again in the sunshine: that is my rainbow after this flood.

      We counted our blessings, but could not take too long about it, because there is so much work to be done. During the six days of power outage, we hauled water to animals and watered our greenhouse crops by hand.  What hours are left are now spent clearing downed limbs from fields and fence lines.  Amid the frenzy, as I write this newsletter from an old chair that sits beside the sheep paddock, our flock is grazing away contentedly on the rain softened grass shoots.  Ah, for the life of a sheep on days like this...

      The post-Irene harvest remains for our CSA shareholders: winter squash, Roma tomatoes, collard greens, and apples among other seasonal foods.  I, personally, will start to stock our freezers and root cellar with the extras, preserving a portion of our harvest for the winter. This includes garlics and cayennes in oil, and the last few pounds of potatoes cured and only to emerge again in a snowy shepherd's pie.  Irene has brought us a windfall of firewood which we will split, stack, and dry. The high winds made the black walnuts fall earlier than expected and this has proven very useful to those who make medicine from their shells. There is some grief that comes with the loss of things, but it is the role of naturalists to make use of what we still have - to abide by the simple truths that just as nothing should be taken for granted, nothing should be wasted.  The hurricane has doubtless injured our harvest, but the resilience of Nature and its ceaseless bounty is a sight to behold. Ah, for the life of a farmer on days like this...  

News to note:

The Farm Stand remains open: For those of us restocking our refrigerators, this is a good time to load up on fresh vegetables from a trusted source, your local farmers! 

October Weekends: As always, our farm will open up for hayrides and pumpkin picking each weekend in October.  We are now starting to schedule groups for trips during the week.  school field trips, mom's groups, church groups - all are welcome by appointment anytime. Call us as our farm office (203) 894 - 1851 to schedule a visit.

Good health and strong backs to all of us who are still facing the cleanup efforts. 

All the best,

Dina