I get the kitchen to myself again in the morning. Kristen did beat me out, I kind of let her. Always an early riser, she has a bunch of chores down in the barn that she has to take care of, none of which she can shirk or delay on. It's the last CSA pickup and she wants things to go out on a good note. I wonder if the bat poop is bad this time of year. Not sure that I mentioned this, but the barn is of bats who live in the rafters.
Again I am watering the green houses. There are minor hurdles to completing the task. A clogged spray nozzle, a hose with a gash in it, a hose that is not long enough. I do believe that this is an important daily task that is operating poorly and should be remedied if not completely automated. I could spend more time giving a deep watering to the beds, but there are things to do.
I am now autonomous, without the girls I am free to make decisions based on what I think is right. It is quite liberating, and changes my outlook on the day. There are the menial tasks which I endure, moving produce around and packaging it. Harvesting another two lugs of arugula. Another plus, I get to drive the golf cart all day, and I rip it hard without any passengers.
Finally my big break, after lunch Kristen tells me she would like me to prune the grape vines. I knew this job was going to be far better than weeding, but I didn't realize it was going to be this good. The young Norton grape vines are small but have been allowed to grow all season long, just being planted this year. I take great pride in making the best cuts choosing the best canes and tidying up loose ends. I have some grape pruning experience with my own vines at home, but they are set up much differently. The farms grapes are set in a traditional ease of harvest post and guy-wire trellis. Wires at 18", 24", and 32" from the ground are strung between posts 6' apart. With the recommendation of Kristen's Pruning book I choose the best two canes going in opposite directions along the wires and cut them back to four buds. Simple really, but I find making these decisions far better than mindlessly ripping plants from the ground. It doesn't hurt that is it an incredibly gorgeous afternoon.
I take my grape prunings and head to the barn where I start collecting the garlic scraps that have been peeled off both seed garlic and garlic going to market. There is a full truck load, but I can't get the Custom to start so the small bucket on the back of the golf cart has to suffice. The dust that this job stirs up is hard to bare, I find myself holding my breath then dodging thick clouds. I move slow and deliberate. All the scraps are headed to the compost pile up the drive next to home field. When I arrive I see that Ella who has been tethered to a yard screw has pulled it from the ground, but has not gone too far. I swing by to screw it back in, knowing that this beast will pull it back out soon enough, but hoping she will be content where she is, and that it won't matter.
I help Kristen close up the barn and that's it, summer CSA is done. Let the winter CSA commence.
Again I am watering the green houses. There are minor hurdles to completing the task. A clogged spray nozzle, a hose with a gash in it, a hose that is not long enough. I do believe that this is an important daily task that is operating poorly and should be remedied if not completely automated. I could spend more time giving a deep watering to the beds, but there are things to do.
I am now autonomous, without the girls I am free to make decisions based on what I think is right. It is quite liberating, and changes my outlook on the day. There are the menial tasks which I endure, moving produce around and packaging it. Harvesting another two lugs of arugula. Another plus, I get to drive the golf cart all day, and I rip it hard without any passengers. Finally my big break, after lunch Kristen tells me she would like me to prune the grape vines. I knew this job was going to be far better than weeding, but I didn't realize it was going to be this good. The young Norton grape vines are small but have been allowed to grow all season long, just being planted this year. I take great pride in making the best cuts choosing the best canes and tidying up loose ends. I have some grape pruning experience with my own vines at home, but they are set up much differently. The farms grapes are set in a traditional ease of harvest post and guy-wire trellis. Wires at 18", 24", and 32" from the ground are strung between posts 6' apart. With the recommendation of Kristen's Pruning book I choose the best two canes going in opposite directions along the wires and cut them back to four buds. Simple really, but I find making these decisions far better than mindlessly ripping plants from the ground. It doesn't hurt that is it an incredibly gorgeous afternoon.
I take my grape prunings and head to the barn where I start collecting the garlic scraps that have been peeled off both seed garlic and garlic going to market. There is a full truck load, but I can't get the Custom to start so the small bucket on the back of the golf cart has to suffice. The dust that this job stirs up is hard to bare, I find myself holding my breath then dodging thick clouds. I move slow and deliberate. All the scraps are headed to the compost pile up the drive next to home field. When I arrive I see that Ella who has been tethered to a yard screw has pulled it from the ground, but has not gone too far. I swing by to screw it back in, knowing that this beast will pull it back out soon enough, but hoping she will be content where she is, and that it won't matter.
I help Kristen close up the barn and that's it, summer CSA is done. Let the winter CSA commence.
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