Flesh and Mud: a farmhand's journal

Season 3; Week -1: June 8: The farming life is about community

2011-06-08T20:41:00.000-07:00

It was decided that the first week of work/distribution will be the week of June 13. My first work day is the afternoon of Wednesday June 15. We will probably be working until mid-November.

There was an article in the local newspaper today about a close rural area now becoming a popular suburb, and how agri-businesses are being enticed to sell their land for further development. My work-farm was mentioned since the property is currently leased and may very well be under consideration to be re-purposed. This was my online response:

"Farming is not clean nor pretty nor easy nor wildly profitable. Done well, (as in the case of Mud Creek Farms), it strives to be personal, transparent and natural in this world of overly convenient, non-nutritious, chemically loaded, plastic wrapped food. Eating is an agricultural act as Wendell Berry writes. And thus good food production takes a community of dedicated farmers with good land and clean (i.e. chemically safe) water, and participants willing to understand the efforts and costs it takes for the food producers NOT cram thousands of chickens into a henhouse, or spray down pesticides or herbicides. Whether the effort is personal (raised beds in the city,or a few acres on hobby farm) or more commercial (CSAs, farmer markets), food is about the very real and eternal connection between people, life, nature and well-being. The profit-driven decision in land development for another economically (and class) segregated community -- or even more franchise themed stores (to litter our lives with more stuff we are told we need to buy) -- in no way can compare to the values of relationship, sustainability and good stewardship."

Season 3; Week -2: June 1; Not-so-fast!

2011-06-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Transplants into the farmland started late this year due to the rains in April. It was just too wet to start and pushed the normal first distribution date (the first week after Memorial Day) back one week or possibly two...stay tuned!

Season 2: Week 22 : October 28: Finally!

2010-10-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

The last day of work was cold and raining. What a surprise.

The distribution share was very abundant:

Hot peppers

1 celeriac

1 cabbage

Choice of bunch of radishes or turnips

3 lbs. potatoes (blue, gold, red)

1 lb. spinach or lettuce

2 ½ lbs. of : swiss chard, kale (dinosaur, curly purple or curly green), or greens (mizuna, arugula, tat soi, red mustard, golden frill)

Choice of 8 lbs of root vegetables : rutabaga, celeriac, carrots, red orange or yellow, parsnips, turnips : also cauliflower,broccoli, leeks

1 winter squash : butternut or acorn or red

Plus up to 3 lbs of green tomatoes, with a disclaimer : "may or may not ripen"

Season 2: Week 21 : October 21: Rain again!

2010-10-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

Cold and rainy.
Washed bins (again), harvested baby lettuce heads and celeriac, helped with set-up and monitored food levels at distribution

Took cellphone picture of food distribution list: to be posted soon.

Season 2: Week 20 : October 14: Rain!

2010-10-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

Cold and rainy.

Washed bins in the cool water, which means my jeans got soaking wet as I was too lazy to put on the yellow rubber pants that makes you look like a clown. I also thinned spinach and helped set up distribution.

Season 2: Week 19 : October 7: Tomatoes...no more!

2010-10-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

The tomatoes are gone. Most of the left over plants and stems in the fields have been turned in (that is "plowed under"). The soil is now ready for a cover crop.

We harvested peppers, and cut cilantro for the collective. The parking field was muddy, so I was assigned to "parking services". For their pickup, the members had to park on the road walk down a small hill to the distribution table and then walk back up with their share. I was available for assistance for any one needing help carrying their shares up the hill to the car.

We had carrots, various greens including chard, red peppers, hot peppers, lettuce, fennel, delicato squash (3), pumpkin. The choice table had potatoes, eggplants, small peppers, radishes

Season 2: Week 18 : September 30: Tomatoes Eggplants Squash Deja Vu (all over again)!

2010-09-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

It is beginning to feel like Groundhog’s Day, the film where Bill Murray repeats the same day over and over again.

Well at Mud Creek Farms Thursday afternoons has become known as "tomato eggplant squash" harvest days, because that it what we have been doing for the past two months.

We harvested squash, then tomatoes and then eggplants, then after a break weeded the turnips or rutabaga or whatever. I have my eye on the delicato squash and Erin will start to distribute it soon (we only have 6 weeks or so left) or I will start to smuggle them home.

Season 2: Week 17 : September 23: Snozzberry? Who ever heard of a snozzberry?Tomatoes!

2010-09-28T19:41:00.000-07:00

For over 15 weeks now we’ve been pretty lucky on Thursday afternoons, there has been some rain but nothing we couldn’t work through.

Well, this past week, we had some showers. And the ground was extremely muddy from the rainstorms in the morning. When the weather cleared up, we harvested mizuna and red mustard, and then harvested broccoli.

As I come off the fields, I am asked farming questions from those that are picking up their share (It must be my muddy appearance that attracts these people). "Where is the okra?" "I have never seen tomatoes like this? How do you do grow these so well?" "Can you pick me out a good watermelon" and so on...my God, I am such a poser.

So, there was a sample of ground cherries with sign indicating we have ground cherries available for pick-up in the filld,. A woman, new to the farm who was picking up for her friend, took branches and stems with the ground cheeries attached, ans asked me "did I pick them right?" Now I had just found out no less than five minutes earlier that ground cheeries are only ready when they fall off the stem onto the ground, (hence the name). I had told her that I have been working here 4 months and just today found that ground cheeries are picked of the ground. I also suggested we try a few so I reached into her bag and took out the small fruit, peeled off the brown paper-like wrapper, and popped a greenish pebble into my mouth. It was hard and sour. The one she tried was bigger but sour also. So I told her that we both know now why we should wait until they fall off the stem.

Share was : 2 lbs of carrots (orange purple or yellow); 1 broccoli; 4 red peppers; 1 summer squash; 2 lbs. Aronidack blue potatoes; Choice of 2 (1 eggplant, 1 green squash); 3 lbs. of tomatoes, (red, yellow, plum); 1 ¾ lbs of onions (yellow or red); ¾ lb. of greens (mizuna, red mustard, arugula, golden frill, tatsoi); up to 4 watermelons (size of volleyball) : Upick of herbs tomatillos,okra and groundcherries.

Season 2: Week 16: September 20 : Special Comment on Canteloupes

2010-09-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

When is a cantaloupe ripe?
Everyone has told us that a cantelope is ripe when the stem just falls off.

last year we grew canelopes on our house and wainted and waited, and waited, and when the stem fell off, some time in late September, lo and behold, the cantelouopes were overripe inside. Mud Creek had cantelopes and there were many in the firld that had rotten stems and were overripe and there were a few that still had the stems secure. I muscled a stem off the fruit and was told that it wasn't ripe yet. But it looked yellow and smelled wonderful and guess what, it was still overripe with a *firm* stem. Cantelopes are not difficult to grow, just difficult to know when to harvest. We have about 8 cantelopues at home and we are watching tehm closely.

Season 2: Week 16 : September 16: Watermelon Toss

2010-09-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

The farm was featured in the local newspaper and my back and right shoulder received some good press.

We harvested tomatoes again : we filled about 8 or 9 plastic bread crates of tomatoes, each approximately 25 lbs or more. We used bread crates, because tomatoes should not be piled and the crates are stackable (like you see in a supermarket the bread does not get damaged)

We harvested about 250 melons . Actually rather than test, break the stem, walk to the tractor, and then return, repeat, we had a firemen relay. It was set up like this: Beth or Erin tests melon, breaks stem, volley to worker Paul, who volleyed the melon to me. It was fun catching the melon and keeping the count. The three of us probably harvested 250 melons in 1.5 hours. A quick calculation : probably over a ton of melons.

To end the day, Paul and I picked up some tall weeds that were really ready to go to seed. Anytime I can prevent the proliferation of weeds by yanking them out or hackin gthem down, I’m on it… We had to tiptoe through the fall squash field to avoid damage to the squash vines.

PS. The delicato squash look very good this year.

The share was : Handful of hot peppers; 4 red peppers; 2 onions; 2 lettuces; ½ greens mizuna, red mustard, tat soi, escarole ; 2 lbs of tomatoes; 2 melons

Choice (3) of eggplant, 1 small carton of potatoes, swiss chard (1 lb), kale (1 lb), 3 “chocolate colored” sweet peppers,

Season 2: Week 15 : September 9: Tomatoes!

2010-09-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today we harvested peppers, squash and tomatoes.

I have been wondering why these postings are being simpler and simpler. On reason is I have been doing the same thing, harvesting peppers and tomoatoes for a month now,

The share his week was

2 Choices of eggplant (1), corn (2), container of okra,

Broccoli shoots

2 lbs carrots

3 red peppers

2 chocolate peppers

2 heads of lettuce

½ lb greens mizuna, golden frill, red mustard, escarole

2 canteloupes or watermelons (red or yellow)

Season 2: Week 14 : September 2: Even More Tomatoes!

2010-09-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today we harvested peppers, squash and tomatoes. We picked only the fully red peppers.

The temperature was about 90 degrees, and everyone worked slow.

After break we harvested dragon beans. I think that is what they were called. I was too hot and tired to care. I do not like bean picking. I think that is because I do not like beans. I do not like doing things that I do not like doing, especially when I am hot. The beans are way back in the corner of the farm near the bee hives. The bees didn’t bother us, but I still get nervous when I see a lot of then swarming around. I do not like bees either when I am hot.

Season 2: Week 13 : August 26: More Tomatoes!

2010-08-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

We picked the last of the cucumbers in the far field. Then we picked tomatoes.

And finally beans (purple and yellow) Tomato picking was fun because of last year’s bust due to blight. Beans are boring.

The share included:

Choice: eggplant, lettuce, cantelope, lettuce, cucumbers; 2 lbs. carrot (yellow purple or orange); 2 large leeks; 3 small leeks; 1 garlic; 2 onions; 1 lb purple or yellow wax beans; 2 lbs of potatoes; 4 lbs of tomatoes

Season 2: Week 12 : August 19: More Tomatoes!

2010-08-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

We harvested squash and tomatoes and then hand-weeded some broccoli. We picked plum, heirloom and brandywine types .The farm has expanded to a field further down towards Mud Creek. The rows now are still 175 – 200 ft, but are not next to one another, as much as they continue lengthwise one after another. We got about 4 -5 bread trays of tomotoes.

The broccoli and cabbage area was 3 beds x 3 rows x 200 ft. It was somewhat boring but hopefully the large leaves of the cabbage will cover the ground and prevent the weeds from coming back.

The share this week was: 2 squash; 1 garlic; 2 or 3 peppers; 3 heads lettuce; Choice of 3 (corn, eggplant, 1 lb. beets, 2 small eggplants, fava beans); 2 ½ lbs. carrots; 1 lb. rainbow chard; 4 lbs. tomatoes

Upick now includes cherry tomatoes and scallions

Season 2: Week 11 : August 12: Peppers!

2010-08-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

We mostly harvested tomatoes, peppers & eggplants. What was most exciting is the number...900 peppers with 4 people. Wow.

Distribution was:

2 lettuce, 2 squash, 5 leeks, 2 lbs carrots (Orange or purple), 2 lbs. tomatoes, 3 peppers (1 red, 2 green), 2 Choices of : 2 small eggplants or 1 big eggplant or rainbow swiss chard or quart of beets or fresh onions

In the Upick fields, catnip & scallions are available

Season 2: Week 10 (still): August 5: Tomatoes!

2010-08-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

We harvested squash, eggplant and tomatoes. We weeded corn, potatoes and celeriac.

The Share was 3 lbs carrots, or golden beets; 2 lbs. tomatoes; 2 summer squash; 2 eggplants; 4 peppers; Choice of 3: artichokes, roma tomatoes in bin, eggplant, kale, swiss chard.

Upick is now a herb extravaganza: cilantro, oregano, thyme, garlic chives, summer savory; plus tomatillos

Season 2: Week 10: August 2: Morning Shift

2010-08-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

This week was exchange week. I was off on June 17, 2010 so I had to fill in on a Monday morning shift. This means I worked from 7:30 am to noon.

The weather was a lot cooler and it was more comfortable working in the morning then after a half day of office work like I do on Thursdays.

The work was about the same: We harvested leeks, eggplants and squash.

Season 2: Week 9: July 29: Bins!

2010-07-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

I am starting with share distribution this week:

2 fennel

2 summer squash (including "patty pan")

2 cucumbers

2 leeks

2 lbs. of carrots or beets

3 heads of lettuce (red leaf)

4 peppers

tomatoes

Choice of 2: small container of artichokes, plum tomatoes, beans : or eggplant or "monster" squash or 1 lb. of carrots

Upick fields: tomatillos, herbs, cilantro, summer savory, sage, basil, thyme and flowers

The details of distribution share is for one share, so if we do some math, we can see just how much produce is involved: 75 shares = total 150 fennel, 150 squash, 150 cucumbers, 150 leeks, 150 lbs+ carrots, 300 peppers, 225 heads of lettuce.

So how are these vegetables stored and how do they stay fresh? Well there is the cooler measuring about 8 ft by 8 ft by 10 ft high with an air conditioning unit, but the vegetables are harvested in plastic bins. And with double the amount of members this year, twice the number of bins were needed. Bins are brought by carts to the fields, used in the rows and then brought back in, quickly washed and then re-used. Sometimes there is a plastic bin shortage, and we need to find wood crates or plastic bakery bread flats to hold the harvest, anything to get the vegetables stored by bulk into the cooler. Today we recived an estimate of 96 bins. I "quickly" rinsed them, dryed them and stocked them . We should not be running out of plastic bins anytime soon.

I also harvested green pappers, and weeded the corn fields. I also hacked a plastic water drip hose that was underground by the corn. My bad. I think I wrote about this watering system last year. When rains are not abundant, drip hoses are run along side of the 2 or 3 rows of crops hooked up to a mainline plastic pipe running alongside the edge of the fields. These are not sprinklers but simply drip-hoses that are made of cheap plastic (and break easily under the hacking motion of a sharp farming tool in the hands of an over-excited and un-observant farmhand)

Season 2: Week 8: July 22: One Man's weed is another Man's friend

2010-07-23T19:43:00.001-07:00

The weather was a little cooler as compared to the previous weeks but it was still a hot day.

We continued to harvest the summer squash. Farmer Erin probably planted many varieties but to my eye there are three; green, yellow striped and yellow ridged. Some of our shift harvested cucumbers. All total we harvested and washed over 500 cucumbers and summer squash. Then we hand-weeded the garlic chives.

We also removed the taller weeds and grasses that were growing intertwined in the carrot and onion beds.

Beth and Erin are quick to identify the weeds (*) by name; Burdock, Quickweed, Thistle weed, Nutsedge, Purslane, Lambs Ear. We wanted to remove all of the mature weeds before they go to seed. This is a delicate process especially if the weed is growing right within the plant roots. Sometimes the vegetable comes out when you pull on the weed, and you have both the weed and the vegetable in your hand. Onions can be placed back with your fingers crossed in hope for a recovery. Carrots, on the other hand, can't be put back, and are eaten or discarded. In my case, I had about 6 early carrots that were casualties of the weeding war which I brought home as treats to our rabbits.

This week's share was very bountiful: Beets (Bunch), Squash (1), Cabbage (large green or small red), Carrots (1 lb),

Tomatoes (2), Eggplant (2), Lettuce (2 heads), Scallions, Onions (early) and Choice of small artichokes, monster summer squash, patty pan squash, kale, or fennel. The U-Pick herbs available were also very abundant: cilantro, summer savory, dill, thyme, basil, and bronze fennel.

(*) Legal disclaimer : the word "weed" used in this blog entry is used in the most common understanding; that is, an unwanted plant which happens to be growing where it shouldn't be. There is no derogatory meaning nor judgement implied that the plant is not useful in some way. I admire people that can identify these plants but I really admire those can know their edible or practical properties. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, "a weed is a plant whose virtues we have yet to discover."

Season 2: Week 7: July 15, 2010: Squash and Squish

2010-07-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

Our shift picked about 350 summer squash and found a few "monsters" (that is, the size of a little boys plastic bat). I have harvested summer squash at home, but on the farm the leaves are big and the vines prickly.(Sometimes the squash are hidden and missed during harvesting which allow them to grow even bigger)

We also picked eggplants. Much like last year there will be a good eggplant harvest.

We also hoed amd handed weeded a bed of parsley and dill. I preferred standing using a scuffle or stirrup hoe for the spaces in between the rows and walkways. It was a hot day and I didn't feel like getting too close to the dirt.

Then we went on a "search and destroy" mission for the Colorado potato bugs again. I thought I was being smart by using my shirt front to protect my hands as I squished the bugs. I found about 10 on a plant , small to large and started squishing away. My shirt had a red blotch the size of a grapefruit. It was quite a disgusting to have bug guts ground into shirt front. I asked if anyone knew if the red stuff would come out in the wash since it was an irreplaceable shirt ($3 from Goodwill). My colleague asked me if I knew that ground up bugs are used to make dyes. So I guess the red blotch is not coming out, I thought.

Besides a ruined shirt, I also suffered near exhaustion from the heat, nice sunburn around my neck, and skin irriation from the squash leaves (but no bee stings!)

We received 1 tomato (early/greenish), 1 cabbage, 2 squash, Kohlrabi or lettuce head (small), scallions, Kale, 2 Peppers and an Eggplant; herbs available: oregano, cilantro, thyme, basil, summer savory, sage, dill.

I am seeing a lot more tomatoes, peppers, eggplants on their way.

Season 2: Week 6: July 8, 2010: Lettuce Seed

2010-07-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

This time only 1/3 of a bed with 2 rows needed to be harvested and with two other workers we finished in a 1 hour or so. We tied the garlic in bunches of ten to be hung for curing. Some of the garlic grown was for another CSA. Mud Creek Farms is also part of a larger food co-operative in Rochester called the Good Food Collective. This week Erin is providing garlic and herbs.

Then we harvested thyme with scissors. Thyme is a bushy plant that smells a lot better than garlic. We sat in the fields in the heat giving the thyme haircuts. We filled about 1½ Rubbermaid type containers of this herb.

Finally we seeded starter containers of lettuce. We picked the summer varieties – the ones that do not bolt (or flower and go to seed quickly) that can tolerate the hot weather. Normally lettuce and other greens are cool weather plants so special varieties needed to be chosen. The plastic seed beds were about 18 inches wide and 24 inches long, and have small 1” containers. There are about 128 spots for seeds. Lettuce seeds are small like caraway seeds. A cardboard paper holder is used to hold the seeds and its folded long opening is gently slanted to let out one seed, and gently pushed in with a paring knife. Sometimes two get into the spot and well two seeds are there for germination, especially if the seed is black and the soil is black. To finish the day we took the sprouted broccoli and kale (about 3 weeks old) and transplanted them in to larger intermediate size plastic beds. Ater this stage they will go directly into the ground.

It was about 95 degrees and I didn’t get any bee stings.

Season 2: Week 5: July 1, 2010: GarlicTime

2010-07-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

Today’s shift was devoted to one task : harvesting garlic. The garlic beds consist of 4 beds of 3 rows of plants of about 200 feet long. We harvested 2 full beds (all 3 rows) Using a spading fork we drove the fork into the ground about 5"-6" from the garlic, loosening and lifting the soil around the plant, being careful not to fork the garlic. We gently lift the garlic out, examine for fungus, sort in appropriate pile and move on. Sorting consisted of examining the garlic bottom for yellow brown fungus as well as broken case. One pile was for immediate distribution since these garlic would no cure well, and another pile was for the curing so we would have garlic distruted throughtout the rest of the season. About 4 people rotated through these assorted tasks and according to my estimations we harvested about 1500 heads of garlic. The weather was cooler due to a summer breeze. An official dining place was established under a tarp by the greenhouse.

The share this week was 2 heads of lettuce, 1 summer squash, head of cabbage (green or purple), head of napa cabbage, Bok Choi, Choices of broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, greens, Garlic (uncured), or Kale. The herbs available for picking were oregano, basil, thyme and cilantro.

Season 2: Week 4: June 24, 2010: BeetleJuice and BeeStings

2010-07-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

"First thing we’re going to do today is to remove the Colorado potato beetle larvae from the potato plants. When you find them, just squish them in between your fingers but be careful that they don’t pop their guts in your face."

I am not a bug person, I am not a bug-squishing person neither. I didn't want to admit my squeamishn

ess, so it was time to become an bug person. Deep inside, I was hoping not to find any, and I hoped that if I

did, the larvae would be small (like a couscous grain) and not like the size of a elbow pasta. I found a few in between those sizes, and squeezed away. I did not get any bug guts splashed in my face but it still was a icky feeling, squeezing these fat wormy things. My fingers and thumb on my right hand was stained with the blood of these larvae. It was gross.

My next tasks were not very exciting. I gathered from the rocks from the beds to make rock bags and re-adjusted watering hoses tucking them within the edges of the beds and away from the grassy edges. (The small walking fields that separate the growing areas can now be mowed without the plastic irrigation pipes being shredded.)

I went to the far corner near the beehives for these jobs and normally the bees keep to their business and I keep to mine. Well, I was targeted by a small swarm of bees and felt them swirling my head. I was swatting them away with both arms flailing (breaking the first rule of how-to-prevent-bee-stings) and then I felt a pain in my temple. I swatted again, and my glasses went flying. I was too stressed to look for them, lifted my shirt over my head and face, and walked in the direction of the rest area. Luckily it was breaktime, and I told my story. I was told that honey was taken from the bees yesterday. Yeah, well, thanks for telling me that now.

I went with Beth who kindly recovered my glasses and then briskly moved away. I got stung again, this time in the chest. It is not fun to be stung. I was given a tablet of Benadryl equivalent and continued making my rock bags, away from the bees, until my shift was over.

Distribution included: Garlic scapes (5), 2 heads of lettuce, kohlrabi, kale or swiss chard, greens (golden frill, aragula), head of napa cabbage, spinach, 1 summer squash, small broccoli, cauliflower, Garlic (uncured).

Season 2: Week 3: June 17, 2010: Tastes like...chicken

2010-07-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

I went to California to visit family and missed my work time. I will make it up during the first week of August.

And the white rooster was eaten while I away. Can't say that I miss him.

Season 2: Week 2: June 10, 2010: Weeding

2010-07-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

This is a missing week, since I am posting 8 weeks at once. I think it was hot, I weeded some plants, I sweated a lot, and forgot the details.

My guess at the share received was : spinach, greens (mizuna, golden frill aragula, tatsoi); lettuce, turnips, and radishes. Herbs were available for picking.

Season 2: Week 1: June 3, 2010: Hoeing the Garlic

2010-07-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

After being given a small orientation on the location of the supplies and equipment, I spent the whole afternoon hoeing the garlic with others helping. This was the garlic that was planted in the fall. We weeded and turned the soil on about 1500 garlic plants: 4 beds of about 200 ft long rows with 3 rows of garlic planted 4 - 6 inches apart in each row. Not exciting but very necessary. A good weeding and solid turning of the soil early in the season will prevent weed growth and foster proper plant health.

Some things are a little different this year. First I am now working on a Thursday afternoon. I am fortunate to have a job where I can take 4 hours per week off and "play outside". Last year I worked alone on Saturday afternoon. This year I am working with a team of 2-3 others and we work well together. There is an farm intern, Beth, who helps with the task direction and training. And I picked my workday to coincide with a pick-up day so we only have to make one trip per week.

The share for first week was : 1 1/4 lbs spinach, 1 1/2 greens (mizuna, golden frill aragula, tatsoi); 3 small heads of lettuce, turnips, and radishes. Oregano and flowers were available for picking.

Season 2: Week 0 : May 27, 2010: WTC (...or What The Cluck?)

2010-06-30T21:51:00.000-07:00

My first day back at Mud Creek Farms was a volunteer day. There were calls for work earlier in the spring for seed planting and greenhouse assembly, but I was busy working on my house. I volunteered my time this first date of May 30 in order to get myself back into the seasonal groove of taking tie out my day to know the farm and the layout. The farm is bigger now and more land is being tilled for use. My guess is 3 acres, but I don't know how to judge land measurements yet.

Though there was no food distribution, I helped lay out the skeleton frame for the new cleaning and distribution area. The food delivery is still twice a week, but this year the total membership including workers expanded to 150 participants, so each day 75 people will be picking up food over a 3 hour period (4-7 pm). Erin had purchased a used greenhouse frame and a used vinyl billboard for the covering.

When I initially arrived, the farm was empty. It was a strange feeling much like when I was a child used to visit my elementary school during the summer and enjoy the silence. There were two roosters roaming around, a red and a white rooster, occasionally sending out a cockle-doodle-doo. As I explored the new tool stations, the white rooster was following me around and oddly enough started to peck at my feet. What a ornery bird, I thought. And though I am writing about it here -- I am glad I was alone because he started to scare me. So I made some distance from him pretty fast but he continued to follow me. I decide to charge him in order to scare him. He wasn't scared at all; in fact, he started to approach me with his head lifted up and jerking around. I quickly thought about how Golaith must have felt when David started to charge at him. So I needed a new strategy ... so I just kicked him. That settled him down a bit.

Review of "Fast Food Nation"

2009-11-04T05:53:00.000-08:00

Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser, Harper Perennial, 2002.
Eric Schlosser does a fine job of revealing how the Fast Food industry has revolutionized not only the way America dines outside the home, but also inside the home as well. The chapters analyze these topics in great detail: the start and growth of McDonalds; the origins of the nation’s beef processing industry and how the demands of the fast food industry led to the consolidation to a few “super-sized” firms; the frozen potato industry and its mechanical processes; the natural and chemical flavoring industry; and the globalization and cost of fast food franchises (which included a detailed example of a new McDonalds in East Germany near a WWII concentration camp after the fall the Berlin wall.)

He also revealed more of a “social justice” issue behind the meat industry that we may not know about (and if we do, we all choose to ignore it): how immigrant workers are used for cheap unskilled labor; how OSHA laws are being challenged and circumvented; how towns and small cities with large beef processing facilities are being harmed socially, culturally and environmentally; how the application of the assembly line mentality was applied to food industry, (thus reducing the skill level required to a specific certain task, keeping wages low). It is difficult for me to think a proper respect of the safety and economic concerns of lower level employees would increase beef prices dramatically. Sadly, I think it is all about control, profits, and market share.
The most memorable part of the book for me was where a franchise owner drove his employees to a Success Seminar to hear inspirational stories about working hard and being successful. Towards the end of the seminar, Christopher Reeve is wheeled onstage and tells the audience that since his accident, his priorities have changed: "It doesn't matter" (about fame, money, success). Mr Schlosser writes that these men and women are touched by a sudden awareness of something hollow in their own lives. (p.107) There is something hollow about the business philosophies of "Bigger", "Better", "Faster", "Cheaper", "More Convenient", (as well as "Greater Market Share" and "Brand Loyalty") when there is such disrespect for the employees of these businesses, the local farmers, the consumers and the citizens of the local economy. It is almost insulting how America is being conned into thinking this is is the new normal and there can be no other way. In my view, Nutritional Health, Sustainability and Local Market Economies should be the real focus of the food industry.

I am a big believer in the proper evaluation of opportunity cost. If you spend a dollar here, you cannot spend the same dollar there. If you spend your 2 weeks of work granted vacation days in Florida, you can’t spend the same two weeks vacation in California. We have many choices but our time, money and efforts are not unlimited.
Thus, if you change the America’s view of dining experience into cheap, pre-packaged, convenient, chemically “tasty”, disposable meals with low nutritional value processed by temporary immigrants and high tech machines, controlled by profit-driven corporations, then what is the cost? Well, here is my list: poor eating habits and portion control; adjusting the location and sanctity of family meals which dissolves the family community; promoting the idea of thinking that food should be cheap, and thus insisting on it, regardless of health benefits of cheap food; separation of the food preparation from the public eye -- and thus lack of proper understanding of what is really in our food; and uninformed transfer and “dependence” on the food industry, thinking they have own best interests in mind. Well, America and the world, we are "having it our own way", to quote a fast food jingle that I grew up with.

A fictional movie was made from this book which I will probably watch soon. Mr. Schlosser was also a main contributor to the film, Food Inc., which visually shows some of the topics from Fast Food Nation. I highly recommend it to anyone who really wants to understand the modern food industry.

Oct. 25, 2009: Week 22+

2009-10-26T10:02:00.002-07:00

Farmer Erin wanted to go out with a "bang" so the distribution was as follows:

4-6 hot peppers (small)
1 cauliflower

1 rutabaga
1 celeriac (shown to right)
1 head of green cabbage
1 head of red cabbage
3 lbs carrots (orange)
1 lb carrots (purple)
1 1/3 lbs of mixed greens (aragula, red mustard, mizuna, tatsoi, curly frill): = about a "gallon jug"/non compacted
4 miniature heads of red or green leaf lettuce (like single serving size)
1 swiss chard bunch (giant)
2 1/2 lbs onions
2 1/2 lbs potatoes
3 lbs parsnips
2 butternut squash
choice of (2) : fennel (2), bunch of radishes, bunch of beets, bunch of turnips, small carton of broccoli, regular or dinosaur kale

[Probably 18-20 lbs of 13-15 types of organic vegetables...]

Oct. 25, 2009: Week 22

2009-10-26T10:02:00.001-07:00

It was a beautiful fall day to end the season. The sun was out, the wind was cool, but not too brisk, and we had a lot of helpers. The first job was to harvest the lettuce heads (114 count); with 5 helpers. "Cut under the head in the ground so the leaves do not fall away." With 5 helpers, the cutting, washing, and storing task took about 20 minutes. Then on to the parsnips; this time we needed 142 lbs. since we were also harvesting for the final distribution for the Thursday pick-ups.
Parsnips are harvested like carrots with a pitchfork, plunged straight down with a lot of effort and delicate manuveuring (that is, jumping on and pulling the pitchfork, without piercing the parsnip).
Even with help, washing nearly 150 lbs of parsnips takes some time, and that was the majority of the rest of the afternoon before the distribution stations were set up at 4pm.

What will happen on the farm in the fall? Well, some of the crops stay in the ground until Thanksgiving harvest. For the "early bird" members who sign up for 2010, there is a special thanksgiving share that will be distributed. I am guessing onions, parsnips, carrots, potatoes, and spinach, and probably more...

The bigger question is "What will I do now"? I have accumulated many books for winter reading. Some are social commentaries about food consumption, some are gardening books, some are environmental. I will continue to be here.

Oct 18, 2009; Week 21+

2009-10-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

We received another celery root, another head of cabbage, some greens (mustard, mizuna, tat soi), chard, potatoes, red onions, carrots, turnips, and some more Delicata squash. My wife has been making a lot of soups and stews with the root vegetables.

Oct 18, 2009; Week 21

2009-10-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

This is my second to last week and there are still things to be done. The cool weather vegetables are still growing slowly. hopefully the spinach will be grown by Thanksgiving. There will be a special Thanksgiving share of greens, potatoes, onions, etc, for those paying members that renew for next year in November.

We harvested turnips, radishes, cabbage and more celery root. We also harvested some greens -- I think it was tat soi. We still are distributing stored onions and potatoes. The farm had visitors for a garlic planting festival who had rode down from Rochester on bicycles. I planted a few bulbs before my shift was over. Garlic is planted in the fall for harvest the following spring.

Oct 10, 2009; Week 20+

2009-10-14T18:36:00.007-07:00

Pretty much the same as last week: Remaining Peppers (some green bell, other mostly hot), celery root, a head of cabbage, greens (mustard, mizuna), some smaller eggplants, potatoes, red onions, carrots, and some more Delicata and other squash.

Oct 10, 2009; Week 20

2009-10-14T18:36:00.005-07:00

The weather is much cooler so washing the crops is not as refreshing as it was in the hot summer sun. One errant spray of the hose and you can get soaked with a resulting chill that stays with you the whole day. (Trust me on this one.) There was a whole cart of scallions to be prepared for distribution. Scallions are very labor intensive. The stalks have to be gently separated by their white base, any brownish dry skin has to be peeled away, then washed, and trimmed.

Erin decided to harvest all the peppers. Peppers enjoy the sun and heat of the summer, and now in fall, we are approaching frosty nights. So anything worth harvesting was taken. We did them all: green (bell), Hungarian hot wax, cayenne, Jalapeno, as well as some other black and green types. Occasionally I would chew on a green pepper when I found a nice one; since I am not a hot pepper fan, I wasn't as courageous. Instead of bending over or crouching to harvest, we pulled the whole plant out and could examine the plant as we stood up. We ended up with about 4-5 bushel baskets.

We also covered the carrots and swiss chard plants with a white cloth. This fabric-type tarp is as long as a row and needs to be secured with rock bags every 10-15 ft or so. So the both the bags and cloth need to be moved to the new location. It was a long day.

Oct 3, 2009; Week 19+

2009-10-14T18:36:00.003-07:00

Some green peppers, another celery root, greens (tat soi, mustard, mizuna), a head of cabbage, chard, eggplants, 2-3 lbs potatoes, red onions, carrots, scallions, beets, and more Delicata squash (4-6 count).

It has become our new favorite at home; it is shaped like a small hoagie sandwich, but the green and yellow skin is thin and edible. The u-pick herbs (oregano, basil, cilantro) are still available.

Oct 3, 2009; Week 19

2009-10-14T18:36:00.001-07:00

We harvested more carrots, celery root and eggplants. The eggplants are spoiling so finding the remaining good ones (black, not purple or scarred) were difficult. All in all, the eggplant crop was incredibly abundant. We also harvested some fall squash; mostly butternut and spaghetti.

Sept 26, 2009; Week 18+

2009-10-14T18:35:00.003-07:00

Green Peppers, Celery Root, 2 lbs greens (choice of tat soi, mustard, mizuna), chard, eggplants, 2-3 potatoes, 3 lbs. red onions, carrots, and some squash.

Sept 26, 2009; Week 18

2009-10-14T18:35:00.001-07:00

There are still crops on the first field but the back field is mostly covered by “grass” now, perhaps a few rows of peppers, eggplants and fall crops. There is broom corn in the back, and some flowers that are starting to seed. It was only two months ago that this area was covered with hundreds of vegetable plants.

We started to harvest the celery root. The stalks are thinner and bushier than regular celery; it the round base that is used for cooking. These celery roots were the size of melons and sometimes two hands were needed to pull them out. Then with a knife, we cut off the stringy roots leaving a whitish ball.

Then we scattered rye and vetch as a cover crop. After a good year of harvest, the soil is spent of its nutrients. Planting a cover crop will keep the soil in place, as well as providing nitrogen. The vetch is specifically used for nitrogen replacement; Erin plucked one tiny plant up in a currently growing field to show the tiny white part of its roots which is providing the necessary replacement. Also, when it is time to plant in the spring, these covers will be turned into the soil with additional compost. I have learned that proper soil maintenance and replenishment are vital to farming success.

PS There will be about two more weeks: For Sunday pickups the last distribution will be October 25. Thus, I have two additional weeks of work.

Sept 19, 2009: Week 17+

2009-09-23T10:06:00.002-07:00

2 watermelons (red or yellow flesh), 2 lbs of potatoes, 2lbs (or 3lbs ?) of cured red onions, turnips, some hot peppers, 4-5 green & red peppers, leafy greens, and 2 heads lettuce. The choices (pick 2) were: a long thin eggplant, chinese eggplants, fava beans (i think) or beets. The watermelons -- almost basketball size -- are the last of the season.

Sept 19, 2009: Week 17

2009-09-23T10:06:00.001-07:00

I am working backwards here: posting later entries rather than the earlier ones: I really hope I can catch up!

This past week we started the planting cycle again. First we marked the 3 rows for planting with a 4ft wide hand-made wood row-measuring device, then hand planted some seeds, and finally covered them up with dirt using a hoe. Then we ran the plastic hoses alongside the newly planted rows, and checked for leaks. Then we covered the rows with a white fabric tarp. What I most remember was when I was concentrating on dragging the hoe carefully alongside the row, the ground "moved" as if I was mixing cement or working in mud. It was a disturbing optical illusion because the earth really seemed to move like a lava where I pulled the hoe. I need to research this phenomenon...

Sept 12, 2009: Week 16+

2009-09-19T07:38:00.007-07:00

Watermelon, eggplants, potatoes, cured red onions, hot peppers, green & red peppers, leafy greens, beets, and lettuce. The quality is still top rate.

Sept 12, 2009: Week 16

2009-09-19T07:38:00.005-07:00

I spent about two hours weeding rows with a stirrup hoe. I’m guessing it was about a quarter of a mile in distance. I noticed a monarch butterfly worm on the dill. The cool crops (broccoli, fall squash) are growing well. Some of the previous crops have been turned in , and what was teeming with vegetation is now churned soil, ready for a rest or a cover crop. The farm has been expanded further behind the main plot, as the main plot will probably be rested next year.

Sept 5, 2009: Week 15+

2009-09-19T07:38:00.003-07:00

Watermelon, Cantelope, eggplants, corn, potatoes, onions, hot peppers, green & red peppers, leafy greens, beets, and lettuce.

Sept 5, 2009: Week15

2009-09-19T07:38:00.001-07:00

This week I spent creating new fence posts with a post crashing tool. The fence was because the perimeter of the farm had changed. The crop debris was turned in back in to the soil by the tractor, so what was full of vegetation is now back to barren soil, now for a cover crop. Then I went around putting peanut butter on the wire fence. I also harvested and washed scallions which can be very time consuming.

August 29, 2009: Week 14+

2009-09-19T07:37:00.003-07:00

August 29, 2009: Week 14

2009-09-19T07:37:00.001-07:00

Wow. I haven’t updated this blog in three weeks. So much for my attempts to be a consistent writer. I guess it’s because there are more things on the farm I am used to doing rather than being introduced to.

I do remember seeing a praying mantis insect -- and then having Erin put him on my arm. Oh he’s friendly, she said, as he started to crawl up my arm to my shoulder. After I recovered from my fainting spell, he was no where to be seen, and I was sent home.

(I didn’t really faint, but I was saying to get him off me through gritted teeth.. His alien head was really freaky...)

August 22, 2009: Week 13+

2009-08-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

Corn and Melons made their premiere this week! We grew successfully organic corn without pesticides in Western NY! (Can you tell I am excited?) Incredible. Also distributed were eggplants, green peppers, hot peppers, zucchini, onions, leeks, beets, chard, and lettuce and/or mixed greens. Cilantro, basil and oregano still are available.

August 22, 2009: Week 13

2009-08-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

I guessed it would be another week of harvesting eggplants, cucumbers, green peppers, and hot peppers. I really don't mind -- it's a fun job to find the most ripe vegetable (or fruit?); it's also really amazing to me to see a little plant make so much produce. I was ready to go to the fields but my first job was to spread peanut butter on the electrified plastic wire strip around the farm. Some deer tracks were found in the fields and the fence needed to be baited again. I am told that deer can jump 8 ft over a fence. This "fence" is a white plastic band about 1/2 inch width over a metal wire about 4ft high. Animals can certainly crawl under it or jump over it, but the electricity that runs through the wire is the deterrent. Here is the plan: the deer smell the tasty peanut butter on the plastic strip, give a lick and Zzzzt! they experience the not-so-tasty goodness of 9,000 volts. So, of course, they don't come back and hopefully spread the word to other deer to stay away. As I was doing this for the full perimeter (1500 to 2000 feet), I was thinking of marketing names or slogans for this product : Lick-A-Bolt, Zap-Away. I was also wondering if deer like peanut butter or some other spread like Nutella, or perhaps marshmallow Fluff?

This week we also harvested some watermelons and cantelopes; this is more difficult to time because of the discernment needed to find out about the sweetness inside. What is the sound of the thump? What is the color and texture of the rind? How easy does the melon fall away from the stem? ....

August 15, 2009: Week 12+

2009-08-26T19:26:00.001-07:00

Mostly similar to last week, with the exception of no fennel: Eggplants, green peppers, 1-2 hot peppers, zucchini, onions, carrots, scallions (or are they leeks?), chard, and mixed greens. There were also a few tomatillos available. The sunflowers are still glorious...

August 15, 2009: Week 12

2009-08-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

(Two weeks behind...)

It was a real hot day again, and again we harvested eggplants, cucumbers, green peppers, and hot peppers (jalopeno, hungarian hot wax, and black Czech). The eggplants (black, Italian-style) were huge and seem never-ending. Green peppers are still abundant as well as the other various hot peppers. I thought it would be a full harvest day but after an hour, Erin decided that she wanted to till in the rotten tomatoes so I was introduced to the tractor (oooh!). It was Farming Machinery class 101-01 for me -- and I felt like a child around a fire engine. It's a beautiful new, shiny orange-red Kubota tractor. It was fun just to watch how to connect & disconnect the attachments. I wasn't allowed to drive it. I helped Erin by loading the steel pipe (5ft) tomato supports into the front bull dozer - type shovel so she could till in the soil.

PS The picture below is taken from Erin's blog (entry of August 11 2009): look how beautiful the eggplants are!

August 8, 2009: Week 11+

2009-08-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

This week’s share was very abundant and beyond expectations. Eggplants, green peppers, a hot wax pepper, a black Czech pepper, a jalopeno pepper, zucchini, onions, fennel, carrots, scallions, and mixed greens.

There were also free sunflowers (4 ft long stems with “dinner plate” size blooms), and the free “u-pick” herb fields offered cilantro, basil, bronze fennel and dill. There were also some beautiful “u-pick” flowers available.

The place is amazing and I am blessed to be part of it.

August 8, 2009: Week 11

2009-08-12T09:14:00.000-07:00

It was a full shift of harvesting this past week: eggplants, cucumbers, green peppers, hot peppers, and some fennel. The eggplants were huge and very prolific. I had weeded these eggplant plants weeks ago and it was worth it. Harvesting cucumbers are a bit of a chore since they like to hide, and similar to beans, if the fruit is allowed to grow too big, the plant will shut down its production. We harvested the three varieties in the row (over 200 cucumbers) and more were on the way.

The green peppers were ready and sometimes they grow really close together. A few were turning reddish. The other peppers (Hungarian hot wax, Czech black, and Jalopeno) were all healthy and full grown.

We took a few minutes to walk in the mini-corn field; it was amazing to see the width of the stalks and the corn coming out. We should start to harvest soon.

PS The onions have completely taken over the greenhouse. They have been placed horizontally on every flat surface for curing. Their withered stalks are sneaking out of the burlap sack covering. We will have an "cured" or yellow onion (or two) in our shares for a long time.

August 2, 2009: Week 10+

2009-08-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

This weekly list of food is not as precise as I would like it to be, but I still hope you get a general idea. I'll repeat that the weekly list is about 9 to 11 vegetables, maybe even more, and I am so astounded by the quality that it really doesn't matter...Hmmm, i think it was: potatoes, fennel, an onion, carrots, squash (4 to 5), beets, mixed greens, lettuce, an eggplant, peppers (green, hot), and herbs. I also think a few tomatillos were available.

August 2, 2009: Week 10

2009-08-07T21:51:00.000-07:00

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.

July 26, 2009: Week 9+

2009-07-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

We received green kale (phew!), carrots, another big white onion, zucchini, napa cabbage, 3/4 lb green and purple beans, 3 lbs of potatoes, beets, 4 zucchini/squash, and 3 heads of lettuce. There was also pick your own basil and cilantro. On Monday, my wife, Del prepared a meal with the vegetables and some eggs from local farmer. She stated proudly that this meal was fully made by food from local farmers that we know on a "first name" basis. This is probably not the first time it has happened, but just knowing it makes the decision to live linked to the local community easier.

July 26, 2009: Week 9 (ps)

2009-07-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

PS I do not care how healthy or tasty "dinosaur" kale is; I still think it's weird looking.

July 26, 2009: Week 9

2009-07-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

The first job this past week was to prepare the onions for curing. About 1/3 - 1/2 crop of onions (red, white and yellow) were harvested. Now one hundred onions (maybe two hundred) needed to be placed on top of each other on the greenhouse tables, similar to laying roofing tiles. These tables are about 5ft by 20ft, and three of these tables, previously used for seedlings, will have onions "curing" for a few months.

The next assignment was harvesting kale. Oh, I didn't harvest kale last week; I harvested swiss chard. I am sorry for getting all these vegetables and greens mixed up; it's just that I have never been surrounded by so many different varieties of unlabeled living plants. There were 3 kinds of kale to be harvested: green, purple and dinosaur. The "dinosaur" kale is more bumpy like lizard skin and its stalk is white ribbed like lettuce. It looks weird.

Next we harvested carrots. This was fun. Like potatoes, carrots are dug up after the soil has been loosened by a pitchfork. We found carrots formed in strange shapes (for example, chicken feet). It's funny to think that just because a store never sold these strangely shaped carrots, could they not exist? Does the plant know that it must grow according to the way we expect to grow? A re-evaluation process is happening: must the healthiest and tastiest vegetables must be in the shape and have the color that I have been accustomed or "sold on"...?

We also harvested fennel and beans. I learned that long beans must be harvested, or the plant will stop making beans.

July 19; Week 8+

2009-07-25T20:44:00.000-07:00

Besides a bunch of kale, a big 'ol onion, about 1 3/4 lbs of potatoes, green and "purple" string beans, we received heads of napa cabbage, green leaf lettuce, and red leaf lettuce. We also received yellow summer squash, zucchini and beets. There were some herbs - maybe parsley or cilantro, too. I think the peppers are coming soon.

July 19: Week 8

2009-07-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay -- but I'm thinking there's only two people that actually read this on a weekly basis, so it's a easy forgiveness to get... It was a good work shift but a busy week to get the notes written down here.

I definitely like working Sundays rather than Saturdays. A Saturday shift is mostly weeding but since Sunday is a pickup day, Sunday's shift is HARVESTING. First, I harvested kale. Erin hands out a special harvest knife, small like a pen knife, but is it sharp! Usually I come home with knife prick or two because of a jab. So I learned to harvest kale by cutting the branches at the plant's base and then inspecting the leaves for color and holes. Next we pulled up some onions. She has about 3 rows of big white onions, and we were choosing the ones that were close to the size of a softball. They were all big and really beautiful. The allocation would be 1 per share, and she probably has enough to last through September. The next vegetable we would harvest was potatoes. Now because of the late blight, the potatoes were to be harvested earlier than normally to avoid losing the whole crop. [Concerning the blighted tomatoes, Erin was spraying another natural fungicide spray (potassium bicarbonate) to slow down the decay process and save some of the fruit.] Harvesting the potatoes was fun. The plant was pulled directly out of the ground and some potatoes (golden with delicate skin) would fall down to the soil. There would also be a few appearing in the soil by the unearthing of the plant. Then she used a pitchfork to turn over more of the soil to find more. There I was on my hands and knees in this potato alley, searching for these buried treasure. I found a "rotten" brown one and I asked her about it. "Disease, or moles, or water damage..?" "Er, no," she said. "That was the starter potato that created all the other smaller potatoes". I smiled sheepishly. Sometimes I think I have a potato for a brain.

July 12, 2009: Week 7+

2009-07-15T10:18:00.001-07:00

I was so affected by the loss of the tomatoes that I didn’t even look at the vegetables in the bags. My wife put them away. I’ll try to remember what was on the distribution list: red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, other greens, cabbage, squash, beets. I know there was more, but I still bummed about the blight.

July 12, 2009: Week 7

2009-07-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

It was a sad day at Mud Creek Farm this past Sunday. Erin is usually very easygoing and optimistic, but when the work-crew arrived, she looked concerned. She discovered late blight on the tomatoes and we needed to “contain” it. We would spray the smaller plants first with a bacteria spray (organically accepted) and then remove the plants to avoid the spread to other tomatoes and potatoes. Initially, when she told us about the blight I envisioned more spraying than removal.

So I had this spray device (35lb + when full) strapped to my back and then I sprayed each plant (over and under and stem). It was sort of cool, and a partner and I teamed up to spray about 5 rows that morning. All of the potatoes would had to be sprayed since this blight has its origins tracing back to the Great Potato Famine in Ireland.

Then we needed to remove the plants. The reality started to sink in. We would be removing all the tomato plants close to the ones that were affected. We ended up removing two 15 ft rows of plants and one complete row (about 180 ft). My heart was breaking. Each of these plants had at least 12 green tomatoes that were growing beautifully.

Erin gave the instructions clearly. We had to watch where we were stepping, block the downwind to avoid spores flying around, and carefully encase the plant into the plastic bag. Then we took the bags away by loading the bags in a parked car for disposal in the trash; composting was not an option. I am glad that my shift was over midway through the removal. I really do not if I could have handled the scene of a removal of a full row of tomatoes.

Removing weeds and their roots from the ground is a great accomplishment and displays our diligence, hard work and control over nature; blight spores are so damn small and powerfully contaminating, causing such damage and havoc and fear. There is something deep and spiritual about the presence of evil in a good environment. I am too upset to try to figure it out though.

July 4, 2009; Week 6+

2009-07-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am an accountant by trade and experience. Even so, I can't keep proper track of the quantities and varieties of vegetables we are receiving. This week was more red leaf lettuce, mixed green, sugar snap peas, spinach, summer squash, zucchini, turnips, another kohlrabi, and another head of cabbage. [I am beginning to wonder as the kohlrabi pile up on our kitchen counter how far I could hit one with a baseball bat.]

It’s amazing how others react when I tell people I am working on a farm for a share of the food grown. More often than not, I am asked about how I found about it and how they could participate. I am really fortunate to have found this farm for the experience and for the food! I get a sense that more and more people would eat healthy if they knew how to. I hope that mega foodstuff conglomerates become worried that small farm communities are the new (and only) future of America's food development.

July 4, 2009; Week 6

2009-07-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

My church, Artisan Church of Rochester, has been singing the hymn Everlasting Arms (Showalter/Hoffman) for the past few weeks. With small word changes, I came up with:

What a humid day, wipe the sweat away
Weeding away at Mud Creek farms... (I’m weeding)
Weeding ...(I’m weeding), weeding... (I’m weeding), weeding away at Mud Creek farms...
Weeding ...(I’m weeding), weeding... (I’m weeding), weeding away at Mud Creek farms...

Yes, it was another week of weeding of a vegetable whose name I am struggling to remember. Oh, I remember the hot sun, the snails and beetles, and the sly weeds that grew up so close to the plant that my unaccustomed eye can't distinguish, but not the name. Oh! It was Chinese Eggplants! What was most discouraging was doing 20 feet and looking up to barely see the end of the row 180 ft away. But we did it, on our hands and knees, and it was quite an accomplishment.

Erin is a master weed identifier. Once I called her over to ask, "Is this a vegetable? Does it stay?"
She walked over and asked me, "Is it in the row?"
"No, but it looks official, you know like a real vegetable."
"It doesn't matter, pull it up. Anyway, it's a 'xxxxxx' weed."
I thought, Okay now I understand, 'if it's not in a row, then it has to go.' Sometimes I feel like a 8 year old with these silly questions.

We also mulched the potatoes with straw. Hilling potatoes is to done with dirt but it was late in the season so Erin is using straw upon the advice of another potato farmer. The hope is that the potatoes will send out the the buds into the straw and the potatoes will grow in the straw.

June 29, 2009: Week 5+

2009-06-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

This week my wife decided to give away half of the vegetables and we still had about two bags full. We received some zucchini and squash, lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, and more napa cabbage. We really need to understand how to cook according to the seasonal harvest. I think having any vegetable that we want at the supermarket is extremely convenient; yet I think it’s that convenience that has dulled our need to use the harvested vegetables when they most abundant and fresh.

June 23, 2009; Week 5

2009-06-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

Last week Erin was kind enough to allow me to work a weekday afternoon instead of a weekend. It was 4 hours of straight weeding. First I used the push-plow weeder for the 200 ft rows and then the scuffle hoe for in between the plants. Weeding in between the plants take the most time to complete. It’s too easy to work hurriedly, and miss the weed roots or hack a young seedling. Finally I weeded out an aggressive patch of thistle weed invading the rows of fennel. I will remember these thistle weeds…large, invasive, very spiky, and deep-rooted.

June 21, 2009: Week 4+

2009-06-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

[Note: Since these entries are made a few days after receipt, my accounting of the weekly harvest is only an approximation and it is mostly based on my wife saying," look at the head of lettuce," or "smell these mustard greens" or "see how fresh this broccoli is"]...This week's share was more salad greens (mizuna, mustard greens), a beautiful head of napa cabbage, more red lettuce, more turnips and snap beans, some broccoli and another kohlrabi. My wife is very excited about the possibility of making kimchi from the napa cabbage. I do not share her enthusiasm and am patiently waiting for the "vegetables from a flower" like peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, squash...

June 20, 2009: Week 4

2009-06-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

It was raining on Saturday when I arrived at Mud Creek and I wondered what I would be doing. I mean, how much does the rain put off farming duties? Anyway, I immediately got my hands dirty as I filtered the dried horse manure to make potting soil. I took out the large clumps and sticks and rocks (I am still unsure it was only horse manure) and mixed it with the soil with the white dots in a wheelbarrow. Then we added dried blood, jersey Green sand and something else, and mixed it well. Next came the water and it was ready to for filling the seed containers. We were planting rutabagas from seeds. Initially we were going to plant over 600 rutabagas and then Erin re-considered trimming down the numbers for a proposed yield of 2-3 rutabagas for 2-3 weeks in October. Similar to my ignorance about the kohlrabi vegetable, I have no idea what a rutabaga is, and yet I am very excited. (Hey! I have no idea what this is, but I'm growing it anyway!). After the seed planting, we de-cluttered the greenhouse a bit, and cleaned the floor of walk-in cooler of dirt and water. Erin tried to plant cucumbers from seed, but the rain just would not let up, and came right back to the greenhouse. She told me that walking on soil would compact it down, and if the sun dried up the footprints, the soil would be flattened, making water difficult to seep down. Seems reasonable enough.

June 14, 2009 - Week 3+

2009-06-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday the whole family visited the farm for our pickup. Erin set up a "pick your own beans" sign for the customers and walked with my daughter to the farm. My daughter filled a small bag with sugar snap peas for our family and for another family whose share we were picking up. It is fun to watch her getting involved like this. Anyway, this week's share was 3/4 lb of salad greens, 1-2 heads of lettuce (green & red), 2-3 zucchini, more turnips, and a kohlrabi. It was raining the whole week so I am wondering what the harvest will be like next Sunday...

June 13, 2009 - Week 3

2009-06-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

The first assignment today was harvesting the kohlrabi. I didn't even know this vegetable existed. It looks like an alien pod after it is pulled from the earth, and it has stalks that come up from the sides like tiny celery. The stalks and base are cut, and what is remaining is a cream colored pod-thing with finger-like stalks from the sides. I am sure that people have eaten this all over the world...just not me. . I am so impressed at the amount of variety that is grown here. Next we started to weed the onions and then switched over to carrots. The weeds were more abundant than the carrots so this task was very delicate. I must admit I hacked a few of the seedlings as I was using the hand weeder. Erin and I weeded the three rows the whole way (about 175 ft). We finished by weeding the beets by hand like the carrots. Then she introduced the concept of thinning right as I was recovering from losing about 4 carrot seedlings. Now I had to purposely the remove the overcrowded plants! This created a stumbling block for me because I was unsure of pulling the "right" (or in this case, the "worst") beet sprout from the ground. Of course it is necessary to thin the plants to maximize one plant's "fruit" but I imagined a potential beet on the end of each plant that now can never be. Erin, on the other hand, was quite quick to thin the rows. I guess this is all in the day's work for a farmer.

June 7, 2009 : Week 2+

2009-06-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

Oh, we received our first week of harvest (really it is the second week but never made the trip back down after the first day to pick up the first week's bounty). The bags were full of 3 bags of spinach, some turnips, 2 heads of green lettuce (one normal looking; one funny looking, but still edible, i think), 1 head of red leaf lettuce, some bokchoy, some other greens like mizuna. I like greens but am waiting patiently for other vegetables that are less like a rabbit's diet.

June 6, 2009 : Week 2

2009-06-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

For week 2, I came slightly more prepared with cheap cloth gloves and a blue handkerchief wrapped around my neck. The previous week my neck was a little red from being in the fields for all afternoon. I still only have a baseball cap, rather than a wide brim hat. The good ones are close to $10 and the cheap ones are, well, cheap. I may continue to put off buying one until I really need it. The sun was shining but it was also breezy. I saw a bird (don't know which...yet) fluttering in the ground and then found blue speckled eggs in the field. I also found a frog in the cracks of the earth near an irrigation line. There is wonderful life in the earth and I need to re-gain an appreciation for its beauty. It was mostly a weeding day. I started weeding the turnips (by hand), then ran a few irrigation lines again, and then went back to wedding. Erin had this Planet Jr walking weeder device that was so old school (literally made in 1920) that i really felt like a farmer. We also weeded the squash and zucchini, which were grown under a white fabric to prevent insect infestation. One more week, says Erin, and they will be ready...

May 31, 2009: Week 1

2009-06-11T20:37:00.000-07:00

May 31 was my first day of working at Mud Creek Farms, a new Organic CSA formed in Victor, New York. In exchange for 20 weeks of work at 4 hours a week of farm work, I get a weekly share of the organic food that will be grown. The first thing i saw was about 1.5 acres of planted farmland, and another 1 acre or so tilled for future sowing. I was amazed that 1.5 acres can feed about 60 families for the summer and fall season. This is wonderful and mysterious to ponder. Anyway, the 1.5 planted acre had 5ft spaced rows with planted crops in the middle. Some crops had multiple rows between the 5ft spacing; some, like the tomatoes, just had one row of crop. My first job was to spread straw (hay?) around the tomatoes about 4" to 5" inches up the stem. This was to keep the weeds away, as well as to maintain moisture (if i remember correctly). Then I helped run irrigation lines down the 200 ft (?) rows and make sure the water dripped well. Finally I planted tomatoes from the potted plants. I was told that tomatoes could be planted deeper than I thought, actually up to the first branch; it just seemed so weird placing the stem so far in the dirt...