I think the farming season is finally getting to me. Maybe it is the lack of highs in the 90s. Maybe it is the 3000+ squash we harvested last week. Maybe it is the thought that there is only five more weeks left this season. But whatever the reason I think I am going nuts. Completely insane. Send in the men with the white coats crazy. Why do I think this way? Well yesterday we were harvesting, washing and packing cabbages. Pretty typical day really. But during this time, for some reason, I had an earworm; I had a song running through my head. I listen to a lot of different music. I like that radios in cars today come with 12+ different presets (my first car had only five!). I like pushing the preset buttons until I find something I like. Sometimes it takes a few rounds through the presets to find something these days but the good thing about songs on the radio is that they eventually end (unlike the songs in my head) and a new song comes on.
Anyway, I must have been doing my usual manual scan of the presests the other day when nothing seemed to keep my attention. Eventually the song “Moves Like Jagger” came on. Not really my type of music. I had heard it in a restaurant a few weeks prior – they don’t allow me to select the music at this particular restaurant – so I had heard the tune before, which is why I think it got stuck in my memory. So there I was harvesting cabbage listening to my internal radio station playing the song “Moves Like Jaggar”. But instead of Jagger my station played “Moves Like Cabbage”. “I’ve got the moves like cabbage. I’ve got the moves like cabbage. I’ve got the moooOOooooOOooves like cabbage.” Does anyone else think I am nuts?
Now as we all know cabbage doesn’t move! It pretty much conforms to the standard plant approach to life, which is remarkably similar to a Minnesotan’s approach to life – don’t venture far from the place you were born. And not only does cabbage not move from the place it was born but it really doesn’t even move at all. Unlike other plants that have leaves that flutter in the wind, cabbage is pretty stout. It really, really doesn’t move. So not only did I have this song going through my head regarding the moves of cabbage but it was entirely accurate in how capable I am at dancing. I do have the moves like cabbage! So if you didn’t think I was completely nuts before, adding the comparison to my dance moves to that of cabbage must surely make you think it might be time to end the season early for me.
This isn’t the first time I had songs running through my head while working. It happens pretty much most of the time. However they always have alternative lyrics. We used to have a heirloom tomato called Hungarian Heart. My internal radio played the Bruce Springsteen song “Everybody has a Hungarian Heart.” When dealing with the Copra onions my radio plays “At the Copra. Copra cabana. The hottest spot north of Havana.” I apologize to our younger members who may not know these tunes. Try using Google or YouTube to hear the original songs.
Anyway, I just need to get past these next few weeks before I have a few months to recover.
What is on tap this week? Well, the frost from two weeks ago in now presenting its impact. We were expecting tomatoes and beans to still be around by this time. The frost pretty much put an end to that plan. Plus the frost set back our kale and beets which we would typically use to fill in the void. And then there usually are the potatoes we could use as back-ups, but this year the potatoes seem to have the same success as their cousin the tomatoes, which is to say they haven’t yielded as much as we planned. So, in my opinion, we are in a bit of a lull. We really could have used the tomatoes and beans to carry us through to the broccoli but it didn’t happen. So here we are. We haven’t figured out exactly what we will be giving out but here is a best guess: winter squash, pie pumpkins, onions, garlic, shallots, radishes, some peppers, some tomatillos, some potatoes, some baby bok choi, maybe salad mix, maybe celery, maybe daikon radishes, maybe swiss chard and maybe something else. Anyway, we will do our best to fill in the void left by the early demise of the tomatoes and beans.
A couple announcements: Don’t forget to put on the calendar the Seventh Annual Fresh Earth Farms Garlic Planting Party on Saturday October 15th from 10:00 until we are done. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP!
We will be starting our 2012 recruiting drive shortly. Once I get an order form put together we will start selling share for next season. I will let you know when recruiting gets underway.
There is a movie coming to the Twin Cities called “Farmegedon: The unseen war on American farm families”. From the local Minnesota website: “Americans’ right to access fresh, healthy foods of their choice is under attack. Farmageddon tells the story of small, family farms that were providing safe, healthy foods to their communities and were forced to stop, sometimes through violent action, by agents of misguided government bureaucracies, and seeks to figure out why.” The reason I bring this up is that 1 – it looks to be an interesting documentary for people who care about local food and 2 – one of our “friends of the farm”, Kathy Johnson, will be on a panel at the St. Anthony Main showing on October 15th (following the Seventh Annual Fresh Earth Farms Garlic Planting Party of course!) There is also a showing at the Bryant Lake Bowl on Sunday October 16th.
FruitShare
We have local organic apples coming in this week. Plan to pick up your fruit at the usual place and time.
CheeseShare
We have cheese coming this week. Plan to pick up your cheese at your usual pick-up place and time.
MeatShare
We have MeatShare coming in Friday. Plan to pick up your MeatShare at the farm during our usual pick-up times.
I think that is all I can think of at the moment. Look out for the new dance craze sweeping the nation: Moves Like Cabbage!