(CSA Newsletter: Late Season Week 6)
Meet this week’s vegetables:
When we first started the farm, winter became the mythical desired season — the time where life would become calm again and things would ‘stand still’ long enough to breathe. All summer, when I found myself sweating with exhaustion again and again, I looked forward on the calendar — there is was: winter. Just waiting for us to get to the finish line and the prize would be ours.
Unfortunately, our first winter failed to satisfy some of our need for rest, since we spent most of it working without ceasing to build our little house. The lack of a break only increased winter’s lure. The next summer, I kept up the vigil. “Fall will arrive; fall will arrive,” I chanted under my breath.
Not to say that we weren’t having some fun throughout all of it: our first crazy summer of farming, building our first home together, and getting established on our new land. Throughout it all, smiles and laughter were part of the routine, along with grunts and sighs.
Then, finally, fall really arrived. Too soon, it felt, of course. Rain began falling in mid-September and didn’t really let up until winter was solidly in place. And, what did I think of my mythical winter of hibernation and relaxation?
I’m sure you can at least begin to guess at my reaction to the real thing, if you know Casey and me well at all. For one thing, the ‘big break’ never really arrived. Oregon’s mild weather allowed us to experiment with harvesting year-round (successful!), and we filled December, January, and February with more infrastructure projects.
And, when we weren’t working on a project, harvesting for the CSA, or visiting with friends, we found ourselves a little bored. Ha! Apparently, we can only ‘sit by the fire with a cup of tea and a cat’ for so many hours a day before we get stir crazy.
In the end, this is actually good news. I think it means we’ve made a wise choice for vocation, because I know neither of us could sit still as long is required for many other jobs.
But the slow-down is still welcome, if for no other reason than to allow us to work on said projects. One of this winter’s main projects is addressing deferred maintenance. To that end, this week we got an oil change on the truck finally, went to the dentist for the first time in years, and sorted through our ‘tool wagon.’ Two winters ago, we had the brilliant idea to keep our random hand tools in a garden wagon so that we could pull them around to projects, but our tool collection keeps growing and had become a tangled, dangerous, mess! It’s a beginning — much left to do.
The other thing I learned last year about winter is that it’s fleeting. Last year, I kept waiting for some solid distinct winter period, but instead the weather and feeling of the season was in constant flux. We built our greenhouses during brilliant sunny (but cold) weather in January, and watched as plants grew the entire cold season. I guess part of me mistakenly expected the kind of winter farmers in the Midwest and East experience: solid, impenetrable, cold weather for months. Not sure where I got that idea, since both Casey and I grew up here in the Northwest — perhaps from reading Laura Ingalls Wilder books?
Of course, no such winter exists here, except for brief stormy moments. Thank goodness. Although I thought I wanted a quiet, dark, long winter by the fire, I found myself embracing the reality — an active, delightfully busy (but not too exhausting) season filled with friends, projects and planning.
Now that we’re easing into our second winter living here at the farm, I’m as excited as ever for the coming months. But rather than feeling like I’m preparing for a ‘long winter’s nap,’ I’m looking forward to conferences, building projects, cooking, dinner with friends, holidays with families … and maybe a few naps with the cats. I’ll spend plenty of time reading by the fire, but much less than I once thought I needed.
As our farming life continues to take clearer shape, Casey and I are more excited than ever about the choices we’ve made. As you all know, the last three seasons have been challenging — more so than we ever could have anticipated. (We might not have started if we’d seen it all ahead of time!) But, thank goodness, these rough moments come one at a time (for the most part). You can’t build a farm in one day, or even one season.
I hope that you all are also feeling positive about the turning of the year. I know that the increasing darkness can be very difficult for many people — may you find light in your friends, family and favorite activities over the next few months. Good food always helps too! Enjoy this week’s vegetables!
Your farmers, Katie & Casey Kulla
