The Passing of the Chard (aka the Torch)
It’s been a busy fall for all of us at Growing to Give. We were pleasantly surprised by the continuation of the growing season. Every day has been like a gift. Warm sunshine kept us harvesting crops like leeks, sweet potatoes, collards, chard, Hakurei salad turnips, spinach, radishes, peppers, herbs, and carrots. The flower garden gave a final brilliant display. The dahlias were in their full glory. Some days we were still wearing shorts and t-shirts as we worked on our end of the season to-do list.
Martha’s enthusiasm with leading our student groups this fall helped us transition toward winter. Beautiful rows topped with compost or cover crops and walk paths lined with wood chips make the farm look like we photoshopped it! Martha, of course, had lots of help from our crew, volunteers, teachers, parents, and kids of all ages to accomplish what we call “putting the farm to bed”.
We did take one day to celebrate the harvest with our Waldorf 6th graders. We had a wreath building workshop utilizing what was growing around the farm. A few wreaths became lovely crowns, which I believe was totally appropriate for a fall celebration!
In October we celebrated our volunteers with a pizza party at Flight Deck Brewing. It’s a nice opportunity to acknowledge those who come throughout the year to help us with our mission of growing food for our neighbors in need.
I have been holding on to a reflection that was expressed by a visitor to G2G this summer. She said she was impressed by the farm and what we were doing. “You are growing food with the conscious effort to supply people with what they are asking for.” It’s true–every year we review with our gleaners what was well received. It’s not all about the weight at the end of the season for us. Those beautiful plots of amaranth growing all over the farm, when harvested, weigh next to nothing. But the leaves provide a culinary link to people who are far from their homelands, hopefully making them feel welcomed here in Maine.
We ended the season with two big crops. First was our annual sunchoke harvest. A call went out for volunteers, and we were greeted with lots of extra help. We dug and washed over 400 pounds. Dave took them to the MCHPP prep kitchen, and Chef Randy turned them into beautiful packages of ready-to-roast sunchokes. We don’t often get to witness the processing of something that comes from the farm, so I thought this looked really cool.
Okay, the second late season crop we just harvested, intended for Thanksgiving meals, was our incredible, yes, incredible, carrot plot. It only took me eight years to achieve bragging rights about a late season greenhouse carrot harvest! You see, the seeds have to be planted in late July and strategically it never quite worked out. But this was the year, and I have proof. Sorry if you are not as excited as I was, but just ask anyone who came to the farm in these last couple of months. After I greeted them I would ask, “Have you seen our carrots?” If I didn’t catch them on the way in, I would on their exit. “Don’t forget to look at the carrots in the Rimol greenhouse!” Now you get to view multiple photos of our 366.4 lb carrot harvest!
As I write my final farm report, I would like to take the opportunity to thank some of our farm crew and volunteers. We are so lucky to have the Fix-It Team. When I mentioned maybe I would come back next year and join the Fixers, everyone just laughed–hmmmm–except for Diana. She said we needed more women! This fall they took on a project of designing a new wash station–one that catches the water and the topsoil to be deposited back onto the beds.
It has been safely tucked away to be christened in the spring. Patent pending.
Our interns were so amazing this year. Tim was the last man standing, but it didn’t seem to bother him. Thanks for always being so positive, Tim, and answering my requests with “Sure, of course”!
Carol and Genevieve were my rocks as we started to end the season and get our new Farm Director up to speed. Genevieve was as excited about this daikon radish as I was about the carrots, and Carol is generally just excited about vegetables! Thank you, my friends.
Dylan came back this summer to help us when everyone started going back to school. We are all proud of the kind, loving young man he is becoming. He never let us give up on potlucks this summer. This is coming from someone who had no idea how to cook anything when we first met him.
Please note: the photo of us is amongst my beloved carrots!
Leigh Anne came to help out, too. Thanks for your gentle calmness, Leigh Anne. You always helped ground us.
To all the rest of the volunteers who have come to help us these past eight years, a huge THANK YOU. Many of you have become friends, and these friendships I treasure. The farm has been a place of support for all of us and will continue to be so.
One last request is for all of you to welcome our new Farm Director, Lindsay Wasko. I know you will give her the love and support you have always given me. Lindsay has been working at the farm on weekends for the past couple of months, so many of you have already met and worked alongside her. She told me that this was her dream job and since those had once been my exact words, I knew we had found our new Farm Director!
Always grateful
Theda
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth will find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”
-Rachel Carson