LE SIGH.
Unfortunately, our crazy relative Aunt Drought is back in town, staying in our garden and being a general annoyance: yesterday marks three weeks dry. Last night, since no rain randomly graced us, we found ourselves once again hauling water from the pond up to the garden to keep the fall share going which, at this moment, we're not even entirely sure if we'll be able to offer.A sigh doesn't quite explain this year entirely, but it comes close.We're not trying to unload another negative post, though! We just want to update our readers with what's going on and, unfortunately, what's going on sorta sucks. Besides the return of the dryness and the whole losing-our-garden thing, there are many positive possibilities revealing themselves, they are just too young to really talk about yet. So we try to simply focus on the small joys of our days...constant fresh bouquets of zinnias, a happy little wooden painting, a tree outside our window heavy with pears, bushels of garlic ready to be planted - location to be determined!Since we were asked to leave, our inbox has been flooded with kind notes and advice from many friends, family and strangers. It has all been very inspiring, and it will likely be out of this support that we find the setting for the next chapter––one you're helping to write. We haven't made a decision as to what to do next just yet, but we have been moved by how many options have presented themselves, and how many keep coming.We promise to keep everybody updated, and to keep keepin' on. We're sorry the blog has been such a downer lately, but we also hope one day we can be apologizing for being too cheery, too upbeat from a glut of wonderful happenings. This year might have been a sigh so far, but there's still plenty of time to turn it into a smile, and with all your love and support, plenty of reason to.- Jesse.
HANDS-ON COOKING.
One of our favorite wedding presents we received was our giant granite mortar and pestle. It is ridiculously primitive in a way....but also unbelievably satisfying. There is nothing like a hot cup of coffee made with freshly ground beans that you spent several groggy minutes smashing yourself. Jesse and I hope to one day live for awhile without electricity...and our mortar and pestle will then become essential - much more than a novelty item! It most recently was responsible for some delicious pesto. INGREDIENTS: Fresh basil and garlic, some olive oil and pine nuts, and some serious grinding = perfection. Do any of you have a mortar and pestle? What do you use it for? But more importantly - which is the mortar and which is the pestle?!- Hannah.
STRANGE DAYS.
The garden is a strange place right now. We stand in it and feel a bit lost, still unsure of when we will have to leave. We continue to work - but our labors are no longer filled with hope and excitement and satisfaction. Planting our fall seedlings feels a little sad, each of us working in silence as we transplant, neither of us saying what we are thinking - "what is the point?" Our ambitious weeding and mulching program has fallen out of the picture completely, our cover crops neglected, the deer fence taken down. Our main focus has been the fall garden, hoping for a change to at least stay til November, and so we place our enthusiasm in that - tending to our little cauliflowers and broccoli and cabbages and hoping for a rain, for a little more time.
The garden also looks like a strange place these days, wild and full of life. Like I said, the weeds are a bit out of control. Our pole beans have overwhelmed their trellis, sending a massive tangle of vines toppling into the sorghum row. Watermelons are growing throughout the sweet potato patch. The vines of the pumpkins have died back, leaving them peculiarly arranged, inttermintantly placed alongside the tomatoes. We were letting our future garlic patch sit under a heavy planting of buckwheat, whose flowers have brought a consstant, throbbing hum of honeybees. One of my favorite examples of garden neglect is the old lettuce row. Lettuce, when left alone, will grow to an extreme height, getting taller and taller until it resembles some sort of Dr. Seuss-like flower. It is like a little alien garden of purple and green and yellow algae. On the plus side, besides lookingkind of amazing, letting your lettuce go to flower also allows you to collect and save seed!
We are hoping tonight to be able to sit down and determine our exact timeline – when we have to be out of the house, and what is going to happen with the garden. This will definitely help us to have a better idea about what comes next, the possibility of a Fall CSA share, and allow us to make some big decisions. As always, we will keep you updated!- Hannah
WENDELL WEDNESDAY.
Wendell wants you to know he has found a sock and he needs someone to chase him.