August 2, 2009: Week 10

It was a real hot day, but I didn't mind much since potato harvesting was our first job. It is really fun to dig down in the dirt and find these hidden golden or red beauties. I really feel like a kid playing in the dirt with a real purpose of finding stuff. We also found some scabby type growth on a few, and that was a bit disappointing as well as confusing. I have a lot to read and study over the winter. We harvested about 2lbs per share, which is about 60+lbs. Part of the harvest duty is washing the vegetables. Erin uses a bathtub built up on a wooden frame to wash off the dirt to have the food more presentable. After we washed the potatoes, we harvested fennel -- I really need to keep pictures up here soon -- fennel looks like a flattened cream colored pineapple, with what looks like woven strips on its side. Add another vegetable to my list of foodplants that I would have no idea what it is in its natural form, or how it grows. Finally we ended the day pulling up more onions for curing.