Is it October yet?

This phrase became a running joke during the most brutal days of summer last year at the River Ranch. "Is it October yet?"  During the time when most of our time--nearly every day--was spent harvesting endless rows of tomatoes, the weeks stretched on interminably, and it seemed there was no end in sight.  "Is it October yet?" was code for, I need a friggin' break.  October, we were told, was when things finally slow down.  Days are shorter, so the workday starts later, the weather is pleasant, and the bulk of the harvesting is in the past.

That phrase definitely came up a few times this summer between Eric and I.  The weeks before the Fall Equinox Fundraiser at the Hurley Farm, on September 22, were frenetic, with extra hands on the farm helping to mow, weed-wack, weed, and beautify the place for the big party.  It felt great to see the place all spiffed up, and so gratifying to have so many people come that evening, and to join them in eating great food, drinking free microbrews and celebrating a great season.

Michele and Hurley, all dressed up for the Fall Equinox.

And then, it was October.  After the fundraiser, I really started to feel like the season was ending. Most of our plants had been pulled, our tomatoes were slowing down, and we're due to finish now in less than two weeks!  We've spent the past couple of weeks slowing down, treating our sore bodies to yoga classes again for the first time since spring, waking up a little later, and enjoying the lack of stress and the absence of that feeling of too-much-to-do.

I thought taking the tomatoes down last week would be bittersweet, but it turns out, it wasn't so hard to see them go.  Eric and I were finally sick of tomatoes--even the giant, tangy heirlooms--and have rediscovered our love for winter squash, kale, and arugula.   Eating seasonally is great in this way, because each seasonal change brings newness and excitement at the return of the vegetables six months ago you never wanted to eat again.  It's kind of like the first day of school, except instead of homework, you get to cook delicious food :).

Some of the winter squash, pre-harvest.

Fall out here is nothing like fall in the Northeast.  It was 87 degrees today.  It still hasn't rained since May, and the only fall colors we have are the golds and rusts of dried out grasses and shrubs.  Fall is more like spring in the way that, despite the lack of rain, new growth comes from cool nights and dew lingering longer in the morning.  Spring crops come back--our rhubarb plant has exploded with the cooler weather, and the strawberries have picked up again (for real!).  There are still apples and pears and pumpkins.  I kind of like the Central Valley autumn, even without the leaf peeping and sweaters.

Tomatoes are down, and pigs are enjoying their "last meal."
(You can see their cute ears peeking from behind the white tent, on the right.)

In a couple of weeks, the field and garden at the Hurley Farm will be tucked in for the winter under a blanket of cover crop, Boda the pig will be "harvested" and in the freezer, and Eric and I will be closing the door on this little adventure in hand-scale farming.  At some point this winter, we'll move back to the River Ranch, into "the duplex," over there, into one of the two staff apartments (the cozier side), and I'll be moving into a couple of new roles at Soil Born.   I'm excited about winter at the Ranch.  It's lambing time, and three little babies have been born this week.  There will be two calves, in February and March, which means fresh raw milk again!  The farm is beautiful and quiet in the winter, with everything green and damp, the animals fattening up on lush winter pasture.  It will be such a gift to have the river and the parkway next door, and a bit more of a buffer from the concrete jungle of "parking lot-landia," that is outer Sacramento.  I couldn't be happier that it's October, and that finally, the dog days are over.

 Here are some of the ways I've taken advantage of "October":

Eric and I played hooky and went to the beach in Half Moon Bay

Ian and Anila came for the weekend and we visited the Ranch....

....and then we visited Meg in San Francisco

I went on a gorgeous solo overnight hike in Desolation Wilderness, near Tahoe.

This is how happy it made me.

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

So I´m on my fourth full day at "Eco Yoga Park," basically a Hare Krishna commune that takes volunteers and tourists to work on its farm and enjoy yoga and meditation. Where to begin? I arrived during the late afternoon on Thursday, just before yoga class, which was very relaxed. I was pleasantly surprised that it was not too difficult to follow in Spanish. Interestingly, though, the teachers here say everything in the first person, as in: "I inhale deeply, I exhale deeply...I put my left foot forward and bend my knee..." Also, they don't use pose names in Sanskrit or English.

There were eight of us volunteers here the day I arrived, but four left the next day, and another left the day after. Now there are three: Dagmar (female--pronounced 'Dalma') a 26 year-old Psychology student from Denmark, and Ben, a 20-year-old Bio-chem(?) student from New Jersey.

In the mornings, we have breakfast at 7:30, work from 8:30-1:00 (Dagmar and I in the garden, Ben with two men building a straw-bale cabin), lunch at 1:30, Yoga at 4:30, Snack afterwards, Dinner at 8:30. In between, our time is our own. We spend it reading, journal writing, and sharing observations and gossip we've picked up about the state of affairs at our host farm.

There are various Hare Krishna male and female monks, as well as lay people with varying degrees of devotion to Hare Krishna, who live at the farm, which they call "Nueva Vrindavan." They have services 5 times a day, which are not mandatory and which are signalled by blowing a conch shell several times. The female monks are young--women in their early twenties. The men are older, but most are fairly young as well. They spend their days cooking, praying, and taking turns at being our yoga teacher. We're not quite sure how they support themselves.

I had thought this stay would be an opportunity to cleanse myself--there's no alcohol or drugs allowed, and the Hare Krishna don't eat meat or eggs of any kind. Overall the food has been very good'-lots of vegetables and very colorful plates with salads, squash, beets, and fruit dishes. However, they seem to be quite fond of both sugar and salt, and portions are generous at all four of our meals--I may be lucky if I don't gain weight while I'm here!

My plan was to stay here for 3 or 4 weeks and then move on to a less spiritually-focussed organic farm, but I may make my departure earlier, and leave after two or two and a half weeks. Other volunteers have said that securing spots at WWOOF farms has been trickier than expected--this early in the season it's difficult for many small farms to take on extra bodies when they don't yet have a harvest. So, I've emailed all of the farms on the WWOOF list, and will hopefully be invited to at least one of them! If not, I may be chanting (yes, they really do chant "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare.." over and over again, all the time) for a few more weeks. Don't worry, though, I'm pretty sure I won't be returning to the states wearing robes and smelling of incense.

PS I had hoped to upload a couple of videos, but it was taking forever. In the meantime, here are some photos for your viewing pleasure (sorry they´re not embedded!)

http://picasaweb.google.com/sarahfbarnes/Argentina?feat=email#5392186269057936898