Our farm in summer is a juxtaposition of dusty brown and luscious green. Irrigation makes all the difference in our arid warm-season climate. The profusion of flowers is a welcome explosion of color during the dusty season; the blossoms stand out even during the heat of the day when colors seem to wash out. The bees and other insects create an audible hum that connotes a busy feeling to the air.
We farmers are busy; watering, tending, prepping, weeding, fertilizing, harvesting and marketing. Looking towards the seasons to come; sowing the first rounds of fall crops, filling the woodshed with seasoned firewood. Crops are swelling on stem and vine, gathering in the sunshine and converting it into food.
To farm is to tend to the conversion of solar currency into human currency. Paper money; plants; flesh and bone: the components and contexts that are stewarded by the farmer. It is a powerful thing to know the source of the things we consume; this is tradition for humans and we are glad to share that process with you!
In a world of conglomerated agribusiness producing food-like products, the closer we can be to the sources of our food, the more agency we have over the ways in which that food is produced, and the reverberations that go with it. Food produced by small farmers on land that is stewarded and cared for supports a way of life that is contrary to industrial agriculture.
Life is a series of relationships which can be deep and fulfilling, or superficial and without substance. As we go through this journey, we build community and a shared sense of process and practice. Or we don’t. The choice is made each day with the actions that we take; are we engaging in positive or negative feedback loops?
I’ve been reflecting on the process that is required to maintain community; how do we create and hold positive feedback loops that provide good energy and support to the participants? What processes do we undergo to create structures and systems to allow for transferral of energy and support? Community is a system of mutual support that gathers and holds the joy of good times in deposit against the withdrawals of difficult times.
By sharing the joys and good works, we strive to build relationships into a vessel that will carry us over stormy seas. The bonds we create are forged through time and duty; we owe it to each other to give our best effort and to work together to address our shared future.
As farmers, we are delighted by the turning of the seasons and the ever-changing kaleidoscope of natural beauty that surrounds us. This same delight occurs with the coming of new crops to harvest, like the returning of an old friend.
Cucumbers have arrived, and we know that you’ll be as pumped as we are! Great for slicing up with ice water, eating plain or with nut butter as a tasty snack or diced over salads, cukes bring a cooling moisture to meals and hydration during the heat. Also in the share you’ll find summer squash, kale, mizuna (mustard) and herbs. From Irene you’ll find lovely carrots and flavorful garlic.
Enjoy a tasty stirfry or hearty salad. Massaged kale with olive oil, garlic and herbs can be a cool, flavorful health tonic on these hot days. Salads are cool and refreshing without having to heat up the kitchen cooking; we like to add nuts, tuna, or some form of meat as a topping. Great success and much love! – Team HappyDay 🙂 CSA 2018 week 7 July 16th