Feeling change
Fall is coming...(queue dramatic music. dun dun dun.).
It's weird, we've only had one week of chilly mornings and I already feel the bittersweet wash of emotion that comes every year around this time. It is even more poignant this year. I feel like I've lived a lifetime in one summer! I certainly have lived and breathed the lifetimes of many successions of food for our bellies...
So, just for the sake of reflection. Here are a few of my thoughts on the coming season:
1. It's not as bad as they say. True, summer is coming to an end. But also true, the veggies are awesome in fall! We still have all (or at least most) of the goodies from summer (tomatoes, squash etc) and the greens are back to being fabulous! Plus there is winter squash on the way and broccoli! Morning harvests are cool, everything looks beautiful in the early fog. dew sparkles of the dark green of greens regaining density as they grow more slowly in the cool weather.
2. Vacation is just around the corner. I have been doing my best avoiding too many day dreams of vacation. I LOVE summer and I know I will be SOO sad when it is cold and brown, so the last thing I want to do is wish it away. But, let's be honest, this farming thing is a LOT of work. I am looking forward to taking a vacation (that's allowed right?). So, fall says to me: "Hey guess what lady, maybe you don't have too work so hard, the days are getting shorter there's no more planting to be done and soon you're going to be on a beach somewhere far from here."
3. I'm winning the war. The bugs are going down. Nature is running it's course and the myriad of pests feasting on my veggies will die! (I mean they have to right?). I still have a ways to go on this front. But, I did find an awesome solution in the form of Protect Net. This miracle product is cooler than reman but just as effective at keeping the flea beetles off of the greens. So FINALLY my precious arugula and spicy greens are back to their lovely selves - no holes!
4. Time to get excited about next year! I have trouble resting on my laurels. My brain is already turning to plans for next year. Perhaps what I am looking forward to most over the next two seasons is time to plan and dream! One my short list: figure out how to prepare next year's spring beds in the fall so they will dry out early next year, research a new farm share management tool, create new marketing materials for South Roanoke and our Sweet Donkey market, read up on new flower varieties, figure out how to get all of the farm paperwork online - Thornfield Farm is going mobile! etc, etc..
The list is long, and I certainly don't want to rush summer out the door—I will miss these long summer evenings so much!—but I'm excited about this new chapter in the farm year and as I watch the school buses rumble by I know it's about that time..