September Harvest

The fields are raining tomatoes and in the distance the sunflowers dance like an agrarian Martha Graham piece.  This is simply the best time to be at the farm despite the fact that most of the crew has left for school, and the days are all of a sudden extremely long, and the energy level required to start each day seems unattainable.  And yet they do, and we are all the better for it.  It’s a small group of strong backed bucks, led by the quiet fortitude of JB, and each of these men (DJ and JDP in particular) have become one with the farm.  They know the daily movements of the place, the pace and the tone, and bring their passions to the fields each day. As one might say, they have skin in the game, and any employer would be proud to have these fella’s on their team.

So the Heirloom tomatoes finally came after a long wait.  Their glorious colors and flavors are what we wait all year, and they are now heaping over the sides of the CSA pick-ups and our market stall.  We will soon make our 2014 sauces, crushed tomatoes, and bloody mary mix, but for now we are enjoying the acidic delights of these beauties.

However, we are not simply about tomatoes in September.  The fields are full of many wonderful crops like arugula, salad mix, Asian greens, fingerling potatoes, radishes, daikon, summer squash, green beans, kales, swiss chard and that’s just summer fare.  Soon the broccoli, winter squashes, root crops like carrots, beets and turnips will spring forth from the fields and onto the plates of CSA and market shoppers from Litchfield to Brooklyn!  So sweet…

Many people have commented that Waldingfield appears to be having its best season ever.  Well, it is a little too early to say for sure, but all indications point to record harvests in all crops across the board (except tomatoes – which while we still plant a lot of them, have been reduced in recent years to allow for more attention to other crops). Through strong planning, committed CSA members and loyal shoppers at our markets, we should continue to see our revenue grow.

September has just the right mix of warm days and cool nights, and despite the ridiculously hot start to the month, seems to be settling in for a nice autumn.  Rain season may still yet come but our fields are in terrific shape thanks to the crew, and we are bullish for an amazing mid fall harvest.

Thanks for the support.