Lovely treats for our return to CSA: Baby Carrots, Sugar Snap Peas, Green Shallots, Napa Cabbage, Fresh Thyme, and Rhubarb.
Snap Peas, Colorful Carrots, and Thyme Flowers.
First, I want to thank our entire CSA family for being supportive and understanding as we navigated the last few weeks. The endless rain delays were bad enough, but then my sudden, surprising entry into the hospital was another. It actually took four ER visits to determine that I was not having a migraine (which I have been lucky never to have) but instead, I had suffered a carotid artery tear.
I’ve known Regina Grubb a long time. She was a CSA member many years ago, and teaches horticulture at Auburn Mountainview High School. She was first to jump in and help with watering the greenhouse starts and keeping the farmers market space alive.
We still don’t understand how it happened, as it’s usually the result of a severe neck trauma. I had been working hard the days before, but nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing hurt. I just spent an entire night with a terrible headache and woke up with a numb tongue. Luckily it wasn’t a stroke or an aneurism. But it was exhausting, and I need to go easy for a while to make sure my artery heals.
When I came home from the hospital, I was on orders not to do any heavy work. But I was pretty weak anyway and needed a lot of rest. Trinity (in the back) has been working for us since April. Her entire family volunteered to plant onions last week. It was an incredible gift.
What is truly amazing is the amount of help that we’ve received. We were so behind in our planting schedule because of the rain, it was difficult not to feel stressed while useless. But Regina Grubb (long-time friend and high school horticulturist extraordinaire), Chris Sechrist (the ambitious young farmer we are mentoring), and Trinity (our high-school wonder-employee) all stepped up and went above and beyond to get crops planted, watered, and weeded, as well as doing all the heavy lifting I’m not allowed to do right now.
Chris started farming a few years ago, but now he’s renting two acres of our farm and we’re mentoring him. It’s a great relationship, and he has been a huge help while I’ve been in the hospital and recovering.
Things are looking really good for harvest in two weeks. We’ll have a lot of different crops ready, and serious abundance. All the local farms are still behind, as are we. CSA programs are starting late. Farmers market tables are meager. But summer is coming. We are betting that this year is like the last few years, where we have an extended fall. We still have time to plant all of our winter crops, and we’ll be planting extra, to push the CSA out a few extra weeks into January. I still plan on delivering our 40 weeks of produce, even if we’re hit and miss for a while.
Volunteer Poppies from the U-Pick flower garden two years ago.
We hope to have all of our food crops planted this week, and then we’ll be able to get to work on the U-Pick flower garden. There’s still lots of time for blooms, so don’t despair.
Thank you so much for your patience while we’ve been weathering this tricky year. We wouldn’t be here without you.
Hello, I have been a lurker, a subscriber of your email. Just love your stories and, of course, your vegetables. I kind of live far from your farm, North Seattle.
My jaw dropped when you said you had a carotid artery tear. I am so glad you are fine now. That is serious.
Anyway, it’s great that you are on the mend. I will continue reading/following you.