At one time all labor was family labor. Picture a Russian serf family or a tribe of neanderthals trying to make it…kids, husband, wife all pulling together to survive. In modern times, few have experienced this dynamic, and, when they have, it makes an impression. Ask someone who lived through the great depression or a natural disaster and they will often share not about how miserable they were, but how they pulled together as family.
Like other fathers and a husbands, I can feel like I carry the weight of the farm business on my shoulders. Men like to be dramatic this way, as if they are the lone hero of their life’s story. Their great and amazing willpower and vision brings great success, but the hero at times is also trapped alone in a task only HE can do. Psychoanalyzing all men aside, I feel this at times. I can be trudging through a week and worn down. At times like these, when I don’t think I can pull off another CSA harvest, my beautiful wife Maree takes on two or three time-consuming tasks or the kids jump in to help pack boxes on the line. The work goes quickly or a crop which was looked impossibly lost in weeds a week ago is now simply beautiful. This is the joy of any small band in a common endeavor – together we do great things. Even the ‘great man’ concedes that he cannot succeed without the support of his wife and family.
Don’t let me be overly romantic on the topic lest you think we’re this picture perfect farm family, happily going about farm work like a scene from the Sound of Music. We still have all the same 21st century problems. I swear that I spend about half my day monitoring kids’ device use and many hours are spent shuttling children from place to place as we’re wrapped up in the same over-scheduled environment as every other family.
Working with kids takes time, and, although I could crank something out more quickly alone, I do muster the patience some days to slow down and let them take on a task. But when I do, the reward is often greater than simply the job getting done. I hope my kids do leave this place one day with some skills and ethic that will carry them through life.
In the box:
- Snap Peas: Yes, you eat the pods
- Bunch of Beets
- Swiss Chard: I sautee this stuff and throw over eggs in the morning. A recipe: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/sauteed-swiss-chard-with-garlic-and-lemon
- Napa Cabbage: This one can throw people for a loop. You can use in a stir fry or try your hand making kim chi, we commend this recipe for use in a salad: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/14321/chinese-napa-cabbage-salad/
- Bunch of Radishes
- Cilantro
- Garlic Scapes: You can substitute these in place of green onions such as in the salad recipe above
- Bunch of Dill: I suggest pulling the wispy leaves off the stem as the stem is a bit tough.
- Zucchini
- Cucumber
- Salad mix
Lida Farm 