Preparation Time

We are fully under way with yet another year at One Straw Farm. The guys are here, there are plants in the ground, and we have finally begun to harvest the first of this years yield.  Strawberries, chard, and lettuce are fully mature and ready to be picked for the markets and CSA drop-off sites.

We decided that it was time for the farm to get a haircut, so Peter spent the day making U-turns and cutting straight lines, while I did the same on a larger machine. Mowing, while time consuming, is very important to the efficiency of the farm. Keeping weeds and grass under control allows us to move about more freely on the farm, makes irrigation more easy to move, and most importantly, keeps things neat. Much like the way a clean desk makes work easier, a clean farm makes it easier for the farm to operate like a nonstick pan. No Mess.

While I was mowing the larger areas of the farm, I was stopped by Dad.  He had accidently knocked a suction line to one of our irrigation pumps into the pond.  I was tasked with being the one who would wade out into the baby poop pond muck to retrieve the willful guy. I didn’t argue, it was a billion degrees and humid today, why would I pass up a chance take a swim that would be crazy.

After mowing and swimming we enjoyed sammiches and a fresh salad with our old accountant Billy Burnt. Lunch was a treat because Mom made sandwiches for everyone and we didn’t have to trip over one another like we normally do. The normal routine involves everyone dodging each other in their attempt to concoct a unique midday feast.

Dixon and I spent the last part of our day clearing brush around one of our irrigation pump sites. It’s hot work, but is one of those jobs where one can easily see their progress. It also helps to find out that hundreds of stinkbugs have made your inactive chainsaw a stinky hotel over the winter. We didn’t discover this until Dixon started the saw, and each and every stinker stinked their stink all at once and came pouring out of the chain saw like a horde of smelly freeloaders. However, smell, heat and broken machinery are simply part of every day work in the life of the farmer. At the end of the day nothing is better than kicking back and relaxing looking back and relishing a hard days work.