Farm Friday, September 30th, 2022
Before and After
The first frost is always a turning point in the harvest season. A hard frost can kill all the summer produce: basil, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, zinnias, and much more.
Tuesday night the temperature kept dropping and Wednesday dawned in the high twenties. This was a classic killing frost and while we harvested a lot of summer produce before it happened, there were thousands of dollars worth of crops that died overnight. It happens every year. This year we got an extra two weeks because our typical first frost is usually September 15th. But it still hurts.
The consolation prize is that the crops that survive the frost develop a new complexity of flavor. Many frost tolerant crops develop sugars and other complex carbohydrates as natural anti-freeze. The crops that taste sweeter after a frost include: beets, carrots, broccoli, kale, collards, cabbage, winter squash, radishes, spinach, lettuce, leeks, and more. So goodbye summer and hello, sweet, sweet fall.
It was one cold night, but it changed everything for our farm. There is an annual before-and-after that defines the work and bounty of the land.
This week one of the founders of our school passed. We all live within his vision. He had faith in children and created a school that put children at the center. He treated everyone as if they were special and important and we all seemed to rise within that esteem. There is a before and after with his passing. A mighty oak has fallen. And yet, we are still here experiencing the joy of living within his world. Perhaps we will find a new sweetness after his passing? The plants who respond to the frost develop complexity amid their reaction and resilience. Will I be open to the gifts that grief has to offer me?
All photos by me.
This last photo was from my brief visit to San Diego for a family wedding. I love being next to, on, and in the ocean.
In writing news, I dropped my September #RaWBC essay about adrienne maree brown’s Grievers and my monthly genealogy column. I’m pleased with both. Laura M. Quainoo and I also chose a book for October: Howard W French’s Born in Blackness. Essays are due on or after Oct 25.
