I’m sure it was an exciting day when that first prospector found gold at Sutter’s Mill in California. Likewise, Archer and I were in a veggie fever yesterday after finding a deep vein of tomatoes in the field. “Man, they just keep coming…” I thought as we waded through all 16 rows in the back field. We have about a dozen varieties to stretch out the season and give variety in the tomato department. Some rows were nothing but rock hard green globes, but others yielded some real bounty. Some of the early tomatoes coming in include a mix of Moskvich, Oregon Spring, Glacier, and Mountain Fresh Plus, a real mainstay on the Eastern Seaboard. The bigger Celebrity-types are holding off.
And that’s the excitement of vegetable farming, kids! When a crop comes in nicely, there’s nothing more satisfying than pulling in the harvest. I imagine this the elation felt by fishermen pulling in a big catch or hunters at the luck of coming across a great herd of prey. Now I’m getting overly dramatic.
Still, there is certainly a charge to this work. My mentor, Paul Burkhouse, once said that most veggie farmers are adrenaline-junkies and I think that’s true, at least for me. I need a little bump, whether at a busy farmers market or good harvest – it keeps the season exciting!
- Sweet Corn
- Red Potatoes
- Salad Mix
- Sweet Onion
- Fresh Thyme: Some ideas on how to put that thyme to work: https://insanelygoodrecipes.com/thyme-recipes/
- Carrots
- Tomatoes
- ‘Sunshine’ Yellow Watermelon
Lida Farm 