Green Gulch Farm, wk 9

Planting
Harvesting
All-day all-women's sitting
Tea ceremony with Tracy-sempai
Contra dancing
Organizing the CSA program
Sunday farm stand sales
Pie for snack



We completed the planting in record time this time - we went well into lunch, but we finished before 13.00, with no extra help. We must be getting faster! I think its the harvest. We're all in this speed-mode now, after having harvested 3 weeks now, and we're getting faster and more comfortable. Plus, when i see Emila or Sarajane harvest, i realize that i COULD be going about ten times faster than i am. But with practice, i feel i have gotten faster...i just think i now have this theme of barreling through everything at TOP speed, ingrained in my blood and bones. Also, the soil was particularly soft and forgiving for the first few beds of the planting. We planted "the usual" - two hundred thousand lettuces (not really, but a lot), brassicas (brocc, cauliflower, cabbage, kale), chard, beets, spinach.

We've been having some trouble with the crops that we direct seed in the fields: beets and spinach, mainly (plus some of the herbs). We're not sure why there are problems, but there are these long patches where nothing germinates, and then there are other areas where the plants are really puny, if they ever germinate at all. Its a little frustrating, because we harvest a shedload (hmm, that's about 9 boxes or so) of spinach every week.

It was glorious and warm over the weekend. There was a new moon, and i had the privilege and pleasure to attend an all-women's day long sitting with Wendy Johnson and Linda Ruth Cutts. I enjoyed it a lot - they had adorned the altars in the meditation hall with items representing the four elements, plus symbols of our connection to nature and the ocean. There was some illuminating discussion of some of the figures in the meditation hall, such as Kuan-Yin, who is standing atop two dragons of compassion, each of whom have a pearl of wisdom in their mouths. She is pouring compassion into their mouths, and she holds a mudra which we practiced with (one-handed, the "OK" symbol in the USA).

I also had the sheer pleasure of going out dancing over the weekend - except i have realized i hit the wall of exhaustion much sooner now that i get up before the crack of dawn every day. Its been a bit funny, because this week we had a later schedule, interim schedule, where we get up a bit later - but i'm still totally tired. Go figure.

Anyway, things roll on, and the farm is bursting with food. We're becoming more of an oiled machine, by the week. We also had our first person go on vacation (Dan! We've missed you!) and its quite striking how much we seem to bond and depend on each other, for sharing work and moral support. It was highlighted by the absence (of more than a day) of one of the crew, for me.