Brookside Farm newsletter Oct 21, 2008

Greetings CSA Family and Friends!

I am having more and more trouble waking up bright eyed and bushy tailed these darkening days. As a farmer I am a big follower of the sun, and when it is pitch black at 6:30 am I want to rebel. But my life must still follow certain schedules. The kids must go to school. My pretty little missus heads off to work so we can have a home to live in and I can remain her happily kept man. I am not inflexible and must make accommodations.

Plants and soil, however, can’t easily be forced. They abide by the season and we must either accept the situation or fight it using energy and technology. Greenhouses, artificial lights, hydroponics…methods we can employ locally to overcome the limitations imposed by a planet with a tilted axis of rotation. Alternatively we can ship the produce between the hemispheres, using copious quantities of fuel of course.

I say relax, take it easy, sleep in and hunker down. Go into torpor if you can! Summer was sometimes insanely busy and now’s the time to give the adrenals a break and savor the melatonin.

News Flash!

Date of Release: Oct. 21, 2008

Suggested Headline: Local CSA successfully captures sunlight and converts it into human food in the form of winter squash.

Begin Text: Brookside Farm in Willits, CA releases its 2008 winter squash today. The varietal for the fall season is Delicata, a delightfully sweet, well proportioned bush type squash with a soft skin and unobtrusive center. Seeds may be roasted and salted to fully enjoy the harvest bounty.

This is the second year the farm has sown winter squash seeds, they germinated, and through weeding and watering were able to flower, set fruit and grow to maturity.

Farm Manager Jason Bradford was circumspect regarding the harvest. “I remember them as little seeds just four months ago,” he mused, “We did some watering once or twice a week and had to knock back the chicory and bindweed a bit, but the plants did most of the work. I am just happy the sun keeps shining because without that solar energy nothing would work and we’d all starve. And starving would be bad because I still have a strong will to live. You ever think about where that comes from, the will to live? The weeds certainly have it too…And don’t forget the bees,” he droned on, “Without bees servicing them, squash flowers don’t set fruit. Now that’s interesting! Even with a powerful will to live themselves, the squash wouldn’t survive without the bees having a will to live also. Hmmm….We have a set of bee hives over here, you want to see them?”

Be Like a Squirrel.

I am not asking you to scurry around in the trees and puff up your fur, but to consider what these hyperactive rodents do for the winter. They prepare for lean times by storing food. This week you are going to get your chance to do the same. The baskets will have potatoes, cured onions, winter squash (see press release above), and garlic. If you can find a cool, dark, dry place for these they will keep well for a few months. More of these will be available in November. The green onions, carrots, beets, parsnips and hearty greens are best in the fridge. The last of the tomatoes are on the table too. Some are ideal to throw at a bad stage act, but I can usually find okay parts out of the mushy bits.

Remember we are going to monthly pickup for November and December. The current plan is to distribute from the farm. If rains are pouring down or a hard freeze is on the way these plans may alter.

In Fondness of Food,

Jason