Week 9, Fall 2022
Hello, it’s Ayden, and welcome back to the farm journal!
This week we started off by sorting through our stash of shishito peppers to set aside those that were high enough quality to send to our distributor. We are really lucky to have the chance to send out our produce to so many top-notch providers and restaurants from Sheldon all the way to Chicago. However, this also means that every piece of produce we send out has to be the best quality and has to look pristine. We spent the first part of the afternoon packing all the orders for Marty. With the season starting to wind down our produce orders have been getting smaller. So we somehow found some extra time on our hands at the end of the work day to work on taking out more drip lines in the ATR and Miracle gardens. For dinner I made some pasta with homemade tomato sauce and I roasted some of our lunchbox peppers and daikon radish.
Tuesday was a slow, rainy fall day. In the morning I worked on the farm journal, the one you’re reading right now! With the last of our ripened tomatoes I cooked up our last batch of homemade tomato sauce. Stephanie packed some produce to take to the food pantry and I harvested so many mushrooms from our grow tent. I’m happy to share that our golden oysters grew beautifully! All that gloomy rain from the day turned into a beautiful sunset rainbow over the farm. We took some time to appreciate the beauty of this feat of nature, even the cats came out of hiding to check it out. For dinner Stephanie made the most DELICIOUS butternut squash soup made (almost) entirely from ingredients on the farm!
On Wednesday I went back to my normal routine of spending my morning at the food pantry. I had a really nice time chatting with some members of the community about the changing of the seasons on the farm and what kinds of produce we’ve been harvesting and tending to. In the afternoon I worked on the drip lines in Goat garden. My work was briefly interrupted by JR’s cousin Johnny moving the cattle to a new pasture right next to us. I was lucky enough to help Johnny make sure no cows got off track on their move. I'm glad to report that all the cows made it across the road happy to mow some of the fresh grass on the other side! JR also arrived on Wednesday. He brought his clarinet and played a little for us which was a treat. He also showed us a local Watseka newspaper from 1905 that was hiding in the piano bench: what a find!
On Thursday we were once again joined by our friend Allison. In the morning Allison and I finished taking out all the drip lines in Goat. After that we all started taking out posts that used to hold tomatoes in the Valentine patch. To alternate with some of our more arduous tasks we pruned some of the kale that has been doing quite well now that all the pests have retired for the winter. Later Allison and I did some organizing in the grow tent and harvested some more amazing golden oyster mushrooms.
On Friday morning we finished taking out all the posts in Valentine. Then Stephanie harvested some more beets and radishes. JR and I chopped some straw for what will soon be our last mushroom inoculation of the season. We had intended to be a little more productive but SOMEONE small and furry kept demanding our attention (we’ve got eyes on you, Shlomi). After the work day was over JR took us on an unofficial tour of some friends’ livestock in the area, including alpacas, ducks, chickens, and even pygmy goats! The goats were my personal highlight; they were very cute despite their persistent nibbling on my clothes. JR also showed us a beaver dam that has managed to redirect a large stream of water along the Iroquois river. It’s always awe-inspiring to me to see the incredible things all animals on this planet are capable of.
We had a relaxing weekend as always on the farm. I made sure to spend some quality time with the cats and the cows. We also bought some new storage fixtures and set them up, which made a huge difference in the kitchen! All of our miscellaneous jars of dried, preserved, and fermented produce have a designated home now. We’ve been trying our best to stay warm and have been enjoying lots of warm soup and tea. Stephanie even made a candle with a delectable spiced apple scent. We’re certainly getting into that fall spirit. Come back next week to read about more of our farm adventures!