Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The Sweetest Fruit




I ate a ripe peach off a tree on Monday. This morning we harvested our first gorgeous, multi-colored potatoes for a restaurant order. And this afternoon I reached down into the depths of the tomato plant jungle I was trellising and plucked the first burstingly juicy, ripe Sungold cherry tomato. The lunch Emily and I made today had summer squash in every dish. It's official: summer is HERE!!

It's been months since I last wrote. For a while I felt a nagging twinge of guilt whenever I'd think about how long it'd been since I last wrote a blog post. But then I got over it. I'd write again when I felt like it! In the meantime, I was busy living (and loving) the life I wasn't writing about. Nothing wrong with that!

Admittedly, there are weeks that have been harder to savor than others, days when I find myself glancing at my watch, living from break to break, losing patience with the endless weeding stretching from here to October. But then the fruit started coming, and I now understand how unspeakably precious this food is, for the patience and the dedication and the sweat and the sore backs and the love and the sore feet and the sunburns and the blisters that made it possible. Growing food is hard! Growing good food, in a way that leaves the earth you use and the people you feed better than they were before, is REALLY hard. And indescribably important. I'm so blessed to be able to help out.


The L-R-B (Leaf/Root Block)


Weeding the Squishes.

Our first pepper, just hangin' out.



My first tiny-tomato bite.



And finally, some potato portraits....


Greg.

Guy.

Cristina.

Eric.
Emily.


And Me.

7 comments:

  1. Great post Sarah, that Peach sounds delicious! makes me want to eat a peach soon myself! glad you're enjoying the fruits of your labor!

    love, Uncle Bill

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  2. Hi Sarah! Loved your post, as I do all of them. So great to read about your new life. Best of all was seeing your and your fellow potato handlers' happy faces -- holding the fruits of your labor must be so satisfying! Labor of any kind, but especially physical labor, is just good for the soul. Definitely good to feel NO GUILT about your blog. It SHOULD be an if-you-have-some-time-now-and-then kind of activity, taking a back seat to LIVING. It's just great to hear from you whenever you write, period!

    A bit of news -- Grandma and I are going to Chautauqua in July the same week as your mom and dad. What a lark! Right before we leave I'll be moving into the new condo I just purchased in the same complex. Decided Newark DE is a wonderful place to plant myself. Really an organic decision. Now I just have to work on keeping the weeds at bay. Your dedication to keeping those amazing rows of vegetables weed-free is an inspiration.

    Thanks for sharing the bounty of your experience.

    much love and hugs,
    Jo

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  3. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world because it's only a matter of DAYS for me...

    xo

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  4. Always nice to hear from you Sarah. Personally, I don't think there is a better pursuit than learning to produce and prepare food, especially as food is becoming more scarce in the world. I am impressed with what you have chosen to do. Love, Hank

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  5. Hi Sarah!!! I can't wait to come visit you at the farm...or vice versa....I think we might end up in Denver before we get any further along........but I REALLLLLLY want to be able to come visit you on the farm! I may not visit you on 'this' farm...i'll catch you on the next one!.....hahahaha...or who knows what will happen!!! hehe...either way... I look forward to seeing YOU again!!
    Idunn

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  6. Sarah: This is such important work. We had dinner (while traveling in Madison, WI last week)at a sensational restaurant that featured all food grown within a short distance of the restaurant. We had brook trout and so many wonderful, delicate, multicolored local vegetables. They featured an enlarged photo of the local farmers that supplied the restaurant. We appreciated it very much.

    I have been checking your blog from time to time and was thrilled to see your post. Thanks for your dedication and interest in how to grow good food.
    Love, Cousin Susie

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