The smoke is gone! Big thanks to Paige, Lane, Naomi, and Julia for getting the CSA harvest to you last week. We are very fortunate that the crops were not harmed by the smoke, and it is good to be returning to a regular schedule. The plants have grown mightily in our absence, and our first harvest of the new week brought balance.

This morning, Lane pointed out, from his tractor, a harrier returning to his post. Delivery driver and field crew member Frank uncovered reemay to let a bird, perhaps wary of any remaining smoke, return to the sky. Across the farm, overwinter crops are being sown, and basil is in its final harvest of the year.

This week, we will be bulk harvesting all of the potatoes and squash for storage. These crops must be harvested before frost. For winter squash, the harvest requires a full team effort. The tractor straddles the beds with a large bin. Crew members pick up squash and toss them to attentive teammates, who catch the squash and place it into the bin. It is hard to keep up the hustle over the course of several beds, but the tractor continues and we persist.

The potato harvest is less intense. Farm manager Lane often runs a tractor attachment under the potatoes to loosen them and bring them closer to the surface, because sometimes when you want to find a potato, they cannot be found. Before the smoke, our potatoes were growing, and after the smoke, our potatoes were still growing, but the potatoes must be harvested before the first frost arrives.

This is Sean, or Guava, signing off for now. Enjoy this week’s CSA share!

~Sean