Thursday, August 6, 2009

Another beautiful day at the farm...

Really.  It could not have been a more gorgeous day yesterday.  Conditions were perfect: a clear blue sky, warm but not too hot, a slight breeze and the scent of ripe melons in the air. And boy did we harvest melons! Dozens of cantaloupes of all shapes and sizes as well as scattered watermelons filled the farm stand, alongside red tomatoes, green and purple beans, lettuce, potatoes, chard, zucchini, peppers, basil and our ever popular cut flowers.  Oh, and did I mention the corn? Yes, that's right, our first ears of super sweet corn!  Originally an East Coaster, I never thought I'd meet a cob of corn that rivaled New Jersey Silver Queen.  As a kid, we'd drive to the shore and stop at a farm stand along the way so we could snack on the raw corn in the car- JOY! Well yesterday I was a child again as I chewed the sweet, tender kernels that we all planted with our very own hands.  With corn production under my belt, I must say I now officially feel like a true blue farmer!

Part of why our harvest was so successful yesterday was that we had many eager helpers. Henry had an enthusiastic group of Regen kids working the field and the compost piles.  His group was also joined by the Kentfield campus' outreach coordinator Jorge and his crew of teens who were conducted on a CCNB tour of the farm and greenhouse.

Another new addition to our activities yesterday was our new farm manager Bethallyn Black! We are lucky to have her years of experience working as the Urban Horticulture Program Manager for UCCE Contra Costa.  A resident of Walnut Creek, she made fast friends with the Dharma Farm Clubbers by bringing along a basket of asian pears and pluots from her productive home garden.  Bethallyn jumped right in working the stand, harvesting in the field and educating the public that are ever more interested in learning what we're doing out there.

Thank you all who were there and look for some pix that Steve will post (right SQ?!) under separate cover...

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