As the days have been getting shorter and grayer I have found myself wanting more sleep and I see this need to conserve energy in our crops too. There is still abundance in our fields, but the growth is slowing and it is clear that we are entering a period of rest as the winter approaches. After a summer packed full of long harvest lists and late evenings in the field, making sure we didn’t waste the food that we all helped nurture from young seedlings to fresh, delicious fruits and veggies, this rest time is welcomed by all of us. I love seeing our fava bean cover crop sprouting on the soil surface and knowing that the soil can rest and regenerate through the winter while the fava beans protect it from the rain and also fix nitrogen into its root nodules. It is easy to forget that we humans are not the only ones working hard to grow this food and I breathe a sigh of relief for the land and for myself as the busy time of the year winds down.

This season for me is also a time of reflection and lately I have been feeling sentimental while thinking back on all that has happened this farm season. These months have been so full – full of kale bunching and potato digging, full of new and beautiful friendships with some of the best people I’ve ever known, full truckloads of veggies being shipped out to find their ways into people’s bellies. It is hard to believe that this happens every year, with some new crew members, and that next year our farm crew will be the 12^th photo up on the wall of our crew room, representing the 12^th season for Red Dog Farm. I am in awe of how much food is grown here – the abundance that the soil and plants provide us with and the dedication of the all the hard-working people who work this land.

I may be making it sound like things are wrapping up around here, but there is still so much food waiting patiently to be harvested out in our fields! So there is a lot to look back on and a lot to look forward to.

~Corey