The pickup for last batch of locally grown organic veggies in our community shared agriculture program is on the farm north of town. We meet Marcus & Esther to go check it out. It’s the first time I’ve ever witnessed the source of a significant portion of my diet.
It becomes instantly obvious to me what a rube I am in this environment. Totally clueless. I can identify a pumpkin, and that’s about it. We’re invited to harvest what we can from the fields, so I set about examining the plants. Peppers, tomatoes, melons (no idea what kind), radishes, onions, and cabbage reveal themselves. Carrots. Some things remain a mystery, like heavy yellow tomato-like things. The most exiting exploration is a tall, brown-stemmed plant with spiny red fruits. I find a dried fruit, break in into thirds, and inside each third discover a beautiful brown bean. I would never have guessed. They turn out to be mildly toxic Castor beans, but that doesn’t detract from the discovery.
It’s hard to convey what a primal experience this was. Eating is a matter of everyday survival, yet I know next to nothing about where the food I eat originates. Pulling an onion out of the ground is like completing a long-broken circle.
5 responses to “We visit the farm”
And thanks for the Melon you brought! It tasted much better knowing it came to us through two simple steps: 1. Dylan picks Melon 2. Dylan drives melon to Doug’s house.
Maybe you could find a ranch or farm to park your digs on, and grow yer own! This year I canned tomatoes, applesauce, and pickled beets from our farmers market, and I haven’t done that since we grew our own in Fort Collins!
I do seriously want to find out what it would take to purchase some land to park our rig on. I’m afraid I’ll find out it’s illegal…
Wow, I’m so jealous. Those red peppers Ann was holding look fantastic! Did you eat those yet?
My cayenne pepper plant is finally producing-after 3 months of growing indoors! It’s been a long process-and the peppers are only 2 inches long!
That’s a chili ristra, a common porch decoration in New Mexico. You just let the peppers dry out. Hopefully it will still work after we left it out in the rain…