Farm News
My favorite season is in full stride. The worn foliage of the oaks has delivered precious acorns that sit freshly over a base of leaves from last season. The sky is blue with the occasional puffy white clouds, floating to the east with the gentle breeze.
The fig trees are beginning to look like they will lose their leaves with the first furious fall wind, which has not yet arrived, but is out there somewhere. Along the fig orchard, the seasonal drainage ditch has been pulled in anticipation of the rains that we hope will arrive this winter. It is hard to imagine that soon enough water will fall from the sky to saturate the hills and flow down through our farm toward the creek.
The fig trees are beginning to look like they will lose their leaves with the first furious fall wind, which has not yet arrived, but is out there somewhere. Along the fig orchard, the seasonal drainage ditch has been pulled in anticipation of the rains that we hope will arrive this winter. It is hard to imagine that soon enough water will fall from the sky to saturate the hills and flow down through our farm toward the creek.
Most of the summer crops are done or almost there. Some tomatoes linger that are ripening slowly, a late planting of watermelons and summer squash linger. Next to them, the vegetables are thriving with highs that never pass the 80’s.
The mosaic of the robust colors of kales, lettuces, chards, cabbages and fennel in the same field give us a reason to pause and soak in the beauty of a cared-for vegetable patch. Next to these fields are some that are only bare dirt in the that is destined to grow a cover crop over the winter.
The evenings are cooling off nicely. Keeping the farm office at a comfortable temperature requires nothing more than opening the windows at night and closing them in the morning. With the chilly mornings, a light jacket or two have found their way into my pickup. By the time I go home, it is too warm to wear them and too easy to just leave them in the truck.
