On this Monday morning, I let myself sleep in. Monday mornings are normally scheduled with
bright and early fields walks with Tessa, or are reserved for leading crew
members to harvest pounds of roots or squash or tomatoes, or are filled with the
mountains of office work that I am forced to put off throughout the previous
week when the fields call me out to them.
But this Monday, this beautiful October morning, I slept in. Now I know that things are changing. Now I know that we have truly started to wind
down our season and head into the quieter, shorter days of fall and winter on
the farm.
After a calm breakfast (different than my usual: eat toast
while putting on shoes and rain pants as I am brushing my teeth and heading out
the door five minutes late), I walked out to the tractor barn, surveyed my
options and jumped on our biggest beast for some morning tractor work. Like I have said before, tractor work grounds
me. On the tractor, I get a new view of
the fields, I pass the radishes, now ready to harvest, and the green cabbage
and the almost pick-able broccoli. I
make mental notes for the week or for the month. I stop, step down and look close at a row of
cauliflower. Or I drive slowly, looking
far off into the distance, seeing the whole farm at once.
I arrive at a field where summer squash and cucumbers used
to be, tucked between baby red Russian kale and tender arugula that we will
bunch for this last week of summer shares.
I place the two gangs of discs into the field, all twenty sink into soft
and moist (for the first time in a long time) soil. I put the tractor into gear and drive ahead,
incorporating the old stems, leaves and fruit into the earth. This is where garlic will go. This season, we have already grown lettuce
here and summer squash and cucumbers.
And now, for a fourth time, I prep the soil for something new; for next
season.
After incorporating our soon-to-be garlic fields, I retired
that tractor so that I could jump on another one, to mow. The little, red, tractor (the first one I ever
purchased for this farm) had been resting out in the fields, near the
peppers. As I let the tractor warm up I sat
looking out at the pepper fields. Rows and
rows of dead or dying plants, lots of weeds and lots of colorful, rotting
peppers looked back at me. I remembered
seeding them in then greenhouse in April, planting them in late May and
harvesting them throughout the summer.
And, now, what was left would be turned back into the soil, weeds and
all. I engaged the mower, and turned
into the field. Every couple of rows, my
felt my heart twinge, foot ready to press the clutch to stop, wait, maybe there
were more peppers to glean. But it was
time to let go. It was time to move on,
time to start sleeping in.
Tessa and her partner Reuben reminded me today about the
bittersweet closing of a farm season. We
spend our winter planning, our spring and summer and fall working to fulfill
our farm plan and at the end of it all, we mow it all, or disc it all
away. What remains is what we began with,
empty fields. Old fruit and stems peek
out from dark soil to remind us of what we had planted, but the rest lives in
our hearts, minds --and of course bellies.
It’s been an incredible season of growth, change and lots
and lots of vegetables at Powisset Farm.
I am looking forward to our winter share and fall farm stand. And I am also excited to mow the peppers and
have many more quiet, sleep-filled Monday mornings!
See you at the farm,
(I’ll be the one looking every-so-slightly more rested),
Meryl & the Powisset Farm Crew
Thank you!
Thank you for coming to our farm each week and sharing in
this place and in this food with us. We
have all made Powisset a special place for this season and for the future. I hope you will visit us this fall at the
farm stand, or join our winter CSA (it’s not too late!!). We
know it’s not always easy to get to the farm each week. But every time you walk into the barn and
share in the bounty of the fields that week with us, we are filled with joy and
pride in our farm community.
What’s in the share:
Full: lettuce, carrots, arugula, radishes, leeks,
onions, kohlrabi, sweet potatoes, winter squash, garlic, kale or chard,
potatoes or parsnips
Small: lettuce, carrots, leeks or onions, sweet
potatoes, winter squash, garlic, choice of greens, potatoes or parsnips
PYO: see what you can find in the raspberries!
Fall and Winter Farm Stand
 |
| so many onions. |
The leaves are turning and falling and it’s
officially the deep harvest season at the farm. While our summer CSA is
winding down, our Farm Stand will continue to be open on Tuesdays (1:30 –
6:30 pm) and Saturdays (10 am to 5 pm) through
November 22nd. We’ll have all our Powisset veggies (sweet
potatoes! onions! winter greens! lots of roots! winter squash! And much
more), as well as some special products just for the season.
We’ve
hunted around for those seasonal treats we look
forward to at this time of year and are excited to be sharing them with
you up in the barn. Here’s a look at what to except: Fat Toad Farm
caramel (think alpine goat milk + sugar + apple season) from Vermont,
maple syrup from Harms Family Farm in west Mass,
applesauce from Cooks Farm and Bakery in Brimfield, organic flour for
all your holiday baking needs from Alprilla Farm up there on the north
shore, and beautiful dried beans from Farmer Charley Baer (he’s just
pulling those crops into his barn this week).
We’ll also have the usual honeys, jams and a new batch of Giv Coffee to
enjoy, alongside frozen maine wild blueberries and local cranberries to
impress your family come pie time. Come say hello to us this fall,
stock up on goodies, support the farm, and keep
us from getting too lonely.
Pies this week!
Bushel + Crumb will be bringing us one of their
last pies of the season: Salted Caramel Cranberry Apple. It’s sweet,
salty, and tart – the culinary trifecta!
Sweaters, Soups and Pie Barn Potluck on November 2nd!
Do you like soups? Does this time of year make you
want to reach for a second serving of a tasty homemade pie? Do you love
sweaters because everyone looks awesome in sweaters? Perfect! Come join
us for a fall potluck dinner in the barn
to celebrate the end of the season with food, music, cider pressing and
the company of one another. We’re planning a chilly farm walk from 3 to
4pm around the farm and the back fields, some bike-powered cider
pressing to live tunes from 4 to 5, and a potluck
dinner in the new kitchen and classroom space from 5 to 7 pm. Put on
your best fall sweater, bring a soup or pie or anything else you so
choose to share, and join us for a relaxing fall Sunday at the farm. All
are welcome, but space is limited, so please email
Tessa at
tpechenik@ttor.org to reserve your spot.
News From the Powisset Farm Kitchen:
 |
| bread making! |
It's hard for me to believe it's only been two months since we
launched Powisset Cooks! in our beautiful Farm Kitchen. So much has
happened in the Farm Kitchen in these last eight weeks that it feels as
if time has expanded and that these workshops have
been part of the farm for the whole season.
In August we made sassy salads, pickled pounds of produce, and
explored the wild edibles that grow right under our feet. September
brought more canning practice as we put up the bountiful tomato harvest.
In the herb bread and herb dipping sauces workshop
we learned not only how to use kneading as a form of cathartic release
but also how to infuse herbs into our bread baking and cooking in
simple, fun ways. At the end of September we offered our first family
focused culinary workshop - Field to Lunchbox: Creative
Solutions for Lunchbox Boredom. I smile every time I think of the
children in the workshop willingly and excitedly drinking the bright
green juice from the massaged kale salads we made. Who says kids don't
like vegetables?!
The Powisset Cooks! workshops are only possible because of the
support we receive from SO many people. I am grateful to all of our
community members for your kindhearted generosity:
*Co-teaching workshops with me!
*Washing dishes generated during the workshop!
*Taking pictures of the workshops to document this wonderful new addition to the farm!
*Brainstorming workshop ideas!
*Joining me on shopping trips to outfit the Farm Kitchen!
*Serving on the PEP (Powisset Education Programs) committee that guides the educational work of the farm!
*Attending workshops!
 |
| pickles! |
Extra Big THANK YOU to:
Reuben Blanchard
Kristin Brophy
Ken Cmar
Tod Dimmick
Holly Smulski Fennel
Missy Gramer
Suzanne Greenwald
Christine Heer
Anne Innis
Leah Jurman
Lauren Leonard
Nicole Lewis
Christiane Oberli
Dawnielle Peck
Rene Schweickhardt
Beth Zschau
The Powisset Farm Crew
The Powisset Staff
If YOU would like to volunteer to support Powisset Cooks! in any way, please email me at rkaplan@ttor.org
Also, most importantly, although the Summer CSA comes to a close this week, Powisset Cooks! workshops are YEAR ROUND!
Our next workshop will be Tuesday, October 14th from 5:30-7:30PM
For the Pantry: Root Veggie Storage Tips & Tasty Recipes
Click on the below link to see a full schedule of Powisset Cooks! workshops.
I look forward to seeing you in the Farm Kitchen!
Rachel
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