#harvesting
Casa en el campo
I am fully at home in the field.
Dirty, crawling on my knees, practicing the ancient simplicity of harvesting food from plants. I am most alive when I am near the soil, hands working diligently to make the perfect bunch, chatting in Spanish with the migrant farmworkers who have become my close friends.
My face stays shaded by the brim of my hat. A flannel shirt protects my arms from the beating sun on a 98 degree day in Oregon summer (at least 105 inside the greenhouse tunnels). Sweat and dust glisten on my skin. Calloused hands blackened by many hours of picking tomatoes from their trellised vines. A big ole’ goofy smile on my face. Nos reimos mucho.
Thoughts still float in the back of my head: Perhaps I romanticize and glorify a life that mis compañeras likely did not choose. Is it my privilege that leads me to desire an occupation which most of society looks down upon with pity? Why do I feel so intensely drawn to a lifestyle which my friends and coworkers cannot escape (yet I can move freely in and out of)?
Why does the land call me so loudly & clearly? It is telling me that I need to change these deeply engrained agricultural systems and labor practices of food production in this modern world. Harvesting alongside some of the hardest working people in America (who are among the most oppressed) has taught me so much about farming, society, language, culture, and life.
—
Taking the long way home from the farm, nostalgia approaches quietly along the curved country roads. In the core of my stomach, I can already feel the way I’ll miss this season. I get the feeling that I’ve finally found my little pocket of the world with the sweetest, most wonderful friends & community I could have asked for. This season has been absolutely life changing. I am growing unendingly, flowering profusely with new insights and passions.
Mi cabeza is lleno de la granja. I remember the smokey grey hanging low and thick in wildfire July; we all duck into a greenhouse to make bouquet-like manojos de albahaca. We start a game to practice our respective new languages. I ask Margo: “¿Cómo se dice cebolla en inglés?” She giggles and thinks for a moment before proclaiming “Onion!” We all smile and continue the unique cultural exchange of women of so many backgrounds.
These conversations dance in my mind. Basil lingers on my hands.
Ah, sweet memories and new farming experiences to come!
Casa en el campo
I am fully at home in the field.
Dirty, crawling on my knees, practicing the ancient simplicity of harvesting food from plants. I am most alive when I am near the soil, hands working diligently to make the perfect bunch, chatting in Spanish with the migrant farmworkers who have become my close friends.
My face stays shaded by the brim of my hat. A flannel shirt protects my arms from the beating sun on a 98 degree day in Oregon summer (at least 105 inside the greenhouse tunnels). Sweat and dust glisten on my skin. Calloused hands blackened by many hours of picking tomatoes from their trellised vines. A big ole’ goofy smile on my face. Nos reimos mucho.
Thoughts still float in the back of my head: Perhaps I romanticize and glorify a life that mis compañeras likely did not choose. Is it my privilege that leads me to desire an occupation which most of society looks down upon with pity? Why do I feel so intensely drawn to a lifestyle which my friends and coworkers cannot escape (yet I can move freely in and out of)?
Why does the land call me so loudly & clearly? It is telling me that I need to change these deeply engrained agricultural systems and labor practices of food production in this modern world. Harvesting alongside some of the hardest working people in America (who are among the most oppressed) has taught me so much about farming, society, language, culture, and life.
—
Taking the long way home from the farm, nostalgia approaches quietly along the curved country roads. In the core of my stomach, I can already feel the way I’ll miss this season. I get the feeling that I’ve finally found my little pocket of the world with the sweetest, most wonderful friends & community I could have asked for. This season has been absolutely life changing. I am growing unendingly, flowering profusely with new insights and passions.
Mi cabeza is lleno de la granja. I remember the smokey grey hanging low and thick in wildfire July; we all duck into a greenhouse to make bouquet-like manojos de albahaca. We start a game to practice our respective new languages. I ask Margo: “¿Cómo se dice cebolla en inglés?” She giggles and thinks for a moment before proclaiming “Onion!” We all smile and continue the unique cultural exchange of women of so many backgrounds.
These conversations dance in my mind. Basil lingers on my hands.
Scenes from the trail - the sequel
Timber prices are through the roof just now so the harvesters have been busy. Yes, they make a mess. No, I can’t get upset about it. The trees they take are aliens. They drop needles that form a thick blanket creating utterly sterile forests. The carpet of needles doesn’t harbour insect life, which means there are no birds or small furry predators. These plantations are unnaturally quiet because there’s zero life in there.
The good news is that the Forest Trust replants with a mix of native hardwoods. Although they’re much slower growing and need protection from deer, the biodiversity has increased exponentially over two decades of sensitive and careful management.
The bonus from Bailey’s perspective is there’s a sea of mud full of exciting smells just begging to be explored.
Scenes from the trail, episode ‘n’.
I guess a little commentary is warranted. First up is Creag Ard, my favourite quiet place, with Meall Fuar-mhonaidh in the distance. The second pic is the view north from the same spot. Harvesting continues to the extent that you can almost see our house now. Speaking of which, that’s us in the third pic from the other side of the valley. The rest are random snaps of things that caught my eye as we walked. (The hole is yet another exit hole for one of our resident moles; we’ve been overrun with them this year.)
We’ve also been insanely busy, so I’ve been neglecting my tumblr. Sorry for the prolonged absence.
❄️Reminder: It’s that time of year!❄️
Don’t forget that the earth is presenting us with a lot of ingredients for spellwork. Collecting things that fall off trees because of the changing seasons is extremely important and just fun.
Some things to remember.
- Wear proper protection when harvesting. (gloves are your friend)
- Bring sustainable containers.
- Don’t forget offerings. - Fruit & Veggie peels work great. Also old tea leaves.
- Don’t rip things off. Since there’s so much already on the ground, it can be considered rude to take what’s not offered.
Knowing how to harvest is an important skill when working with witchcraft. If you’re a baby witch or just don’t have as much knowledge regarding harvesting. Make sure you do your research before diving in.
Happy hunting!
- Kenzie
Rhubarb is finally getting ripe! #gardening #garden #rhubarb #bloggerstyle #bloggerlife #healthyliving #healthyeating #vegetablegarden #harvesting
One week ago yesterday, we finished harvesting our potato garden #harvest #harvesting #potato #northernnorway #norwegen #nordnorge #norge #norway #natureperfection #countrylife #islandlife #livetpålandet #levlandlig #landliglykke #lykkepålandet #landligsjarm #potet #potethage #lykke #happiness #blessed #potatogarden #potatoland #pimpernel #hvitpotet #countrygirl #islandwitch #greywitch #gardenwitch
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Great advice for curing garlic…
GARLIC CURING SYSTEMS AND CONDITIONS FOR HOME AND SMALL SCALE GROWERS
Properly curing your garlic is incredibly important for future seed quality, optimising natural storage, improving flavour and preventing disease progression.
So what is the best way to do this and what conditions are required to do this well?
Most of us are familiar with hanging bunches - but let’s go a little deeper into the curing conditions and some alternative approaches you may not have seen before.
IDEAL CURING CONDITIONS:
1. Out of direct sunlight
2. Dry air < 55% relative humidity
3. Warm weather 22-27 degrees C
4. Great air movement 1m/sec
Most of us will be challenged by cool weather or high humidity .. and in these conditions, your garlic can’t lose the 30% of weight in moisture and may have problems … even if you have good breezes.
Whilst we’ve usually hung garlic in bunches - having 8-12 bulbs in such close proximity, in poor curing conditions, can often cause problems.
The best curing systems for small-scale home growers and producers are those that allow air movement and space around each bulb and provides ample space between garlic lines to allow good ventilation.
Take a look at the attached photos and see which one would suit you or share your own systems with us.
I particularly like the timber frame and reo-bar system with the tennis balls on the front for safety — the strength of the bars will support the bunches and you can see how the leaves and roots have been trimmed to provide space between the rows.
If your relative humidity is too high (> 60%) … then even using domestic or commercial fans won’t help as the air won’t be able to absorb the moisture that needs to come out of the garlic … and you might have to consider ovens, dehydrators, heaters or a dehumidifier.
Hope this helps everyone.
Letetia Ware from Tasmanian Gourmet Garlic
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Harvesting Cholla buds. 1. Wander the desert until you find cholla, buckhorn and staghorn are excellent varieties to harvest from. 2. Identify new buds which are on the verge of flowering. Open flowers are overripe (but beautiful), small buds are not quite ready. 3. Donate a strand of your hair to the cholla, perhaps it will become part of a birds nest. 4. Find some desert shrub nearby and grab a handful for your dethorning brush. 5. Brush the spines from the cholla bud. The splines should be just forming from the tubercles and dislodge easily. Be mindful of the breeze, so the spines don’t end up in you. 6. Gently grab the bud and lightly twist to free the bud from the cholla. 7. Place your harvested bud in your container of choice (we used a paper bag). 8. Continue to wander and harvest, enjoying the beauty and bounty of the desert. 9. When you return home, inspect your harvest and remove any spines that hitched a ride with you. Place the buds on a screen and go over again with a stiff brush. Blanch the buds in boiling water and they are ready to enjoy, freeze or dry to store for later.
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spring witchcraft
a list of things to do through the spring months, as a witch
studying flower and herb correspondences for spellwork
going outside and letting the wind and sun hit you to recharge
putting your bare feet in grass or soil and imagining being rooted to the earth to help with grounding
planting wildflowers around your house to save those bees baby
working with fae and other nature spirits and guardians
starting an herb or vegetable garden
spring cleaning to get rid of any old energy and welcome new, clean energy
opening your windows and letting spring breeze into your home to invigorate you
harvesting flowers to use for spells (ask nature spirits for permission first and maybe leave a lil somethin in its place as an offering)
making sunwater/flower teas
making wishes on dandelions
spells involving new ideas, growth, and refreshing your mind and body
Some of our perennials.
1,2 - Day Lilly
3,4 - Stargazer Lily
5,6 - Yarrow
7 - Flowers from Lambs Ear
8 - Lavender
9 - Anise Hyssop
10 - Daisy
(More to come!)
Mix of peppers that we harvested last month.
Csa volunteers hard at work. We are cleaning up the garden to prepare the soil for planting cover crops for the fall season. Planting a cover crop in fall really helps protect our soil from the upcoming frost.
Ruby’s Place rooftop farm has babies. This photo was taken in August. I will be posting some more updates for Ruby’s place soon as we are now harvesting large cucumbers and beautiful kale before it gets too cold.
Trying to grow grapes on the rooftop this year. With no large structures to climb onto, it seems that using the bench is the best option.
Harvesting parsley and radishes with Marcie from Ruby’s place. Always a great help here at Georgia’s Place when it comes to harvesting.
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glorious harvest of cherry tomatoes…just the first of many, many pounds that will be harvested and given to our residents
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georgia’s place is supportive housing for formerly homeless adults. Here is one of our residents “shopping” for strawberries…it was the first time he had eaten something he picked…
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