Another flower photo, because they're just too good to resist. This one? Strawberry blossoms!
As I write this on Monday evening, the gentlest rain is falling on the farm, lulling me into some majorly deep relaxation. Certainly, the sound of the rain (combined with the knowledge that we have crops in the fields) is part of the calm in my soul. But, it goes deeper than that.
Out here on the farm, we used to think of spring as a “hard” season. Or, perhaps more accurately, we thought of spring as a grueling season, filled with long hours of work and quite a lot of hand-wringing in between. It never felt like the ground dried quickly enough for us to plant early enough to meet the demands of our customers, and we were constantly willing the weather to shift or the soil to dry or for just a few more hours in the day. On some level, I think we believed that we had to will spring to launch the season, as though the world was not launching itself in every moment!
But this spring … This spring feels different. It feels generous, with plenty of margins for all our activities. We’ve already passed through what we call the “pinch point” of the CSA — those weeks when we’ve finished harvesting our over-wintering crops but haven’t yet started harvesting from the spring planted ones. That moment has come and gone without so much of a blink (and only a handful of nighttime worry sessions).
I wish I could put my finger on what has shifted. Perhaps the weather has just been more “cooperative” (by our standards of course! Not every creature has the same goals for the weather!). We’ve planted a ton already, and there’s no doubt that it eases our mind to know that crops are in the field and growing already!
Or, perhaps the difference is that we’ve learned how to work around the vagaries of springs. Certainly we’ve learned to sow and plant almost continually since we never know whether the upcoming weeks will bring us loads of mud, late frosts, or unexpectedly hot dry spells. You just never know with Oregon springs, so we sow several rounds of carrots, each separated by a few weeks. Some will certainly grow well, and others may not. Either way, we’ll have carrots. Risk management!
This is probably true, but I don’t want to suggest that this spring feels different because we’ve finally “figured it all out.” Because, oh my, that is not even possible. Spring is spring — and we will never figure it all out. So, perhaps what has fundamentally changed is our expectations of spring. We just know that spring will be spring (just as The River Floods), and maybe that makes all the difference. We still have moments of stress and worry, but they pass as we intentionally put them in context — one hard week in spring is just a normal thing, and we have eight other springs behind us now for perspective. Spring is Spring, and Spring passes. Which is both a blessing (because Spring can be grueling) and a reminder to cherish this season for all its intense beauty now. Because it does pass, quickly, taking with it all these glorious blossoms along with the storms on planting days.
This spring, the kids and I have been enjoying Every Little Thing, which is a picture book with words based on the Bob Marley song “Three Little Birds.” In case you’re not familiar with the song, the chorus goes like this:
“Don’t worry, about a thing
’cause every little thing,
is going to be all right.”
Dottie has picked up on it and loves to sing “all right! all right! all right!” I’ve found it a truly useful book to meditate upon in spring so that I can let go of those inevitable passing worries and simply enjoy the splendor of the season, including these gentle rains.
Enjoy this week’s vegetables!
Your farmers, Katie & Casey Kulla
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What happens to leftover veggies? Every week a handful of people don’t make it to pick-up for varying reasons — trips out of town, busy schedules, etc. We pack up those leftover veggies and donate them to the St. Barnabas Soup Kitchen, where they turn them into delicious meals for hungry folks! Hoorah!
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Meet this week’s vegetables:
- Head lettuce! — When I copied this list from Casey’s personal farm notebook, this item had an exclamation point next to it! Because, yes, it is exciting! Head lettuce! Indeed! Salad mix is delightful, but there’s nothing quite like the rose-like beauty of a fresh head of spring lettuce. Enjoy some tasty salad this week.
- Radishes — Again, the rave radishes reviews have continued. Why are they so wonderful this year? We all agree! ‘Tis a banner year for radishes!
- Chicories — This is a mix of different chicories from the field. The most familiar member of the chicory family is radicchio. These are slightly more bitter and toothsome salad greens, especially well loved in Italian cuisine. I’m not going to lie — for most people, they are an acquired taste. But to that end, studies have shown that people need to try new foods a minimum of seven times before they like them. I know this has been true for me dozens of times before. Once upon a time, I didn’t even like fresh tomatoes, but I kept trying them every summer, and now I can’t get enough. Really, I learned to like love a food! Chicories have been the same way. Here are a few pointers for trying your chicory salad: soaking chicories in ice water before serving can mellow out the bitterness. We always dress our chicories before serving — usually using a very creamy and slightly sweet dressing. Topping the salad with yummy things can help too — chopped bacon, olives, dried fruit, chopped chicken meat, cheese, nuts, etc. I don’t mean to suggest that these things will somehow mask the strength of the chicories and thereby make them palatable. No, these things help balance the flavor.
- Chard
- Turnip greens
- Carrots
- Beets
- Green onions
- Chives
