Beans and Beets

On our farm, here in the Carnation valley, the kingdom Plantae is filled with many subfamilies. We have Chenopodioideae, which includes our glorious beets, spinach and chard. In the Fabaceae, or Leguminosae, family are long stringy green beans. Lettuce, endive, Jerusalem artichokes and sunflowers all fall into the Compositae (Asteraceae) family and, of course, the beloved Brassicaceae, represented by broccoli, cabbage, kale, collards, radish and turnips are currently the main event.

We dedicate an enormous amount of time and resources to these families every day and the diversity of inputs and outputs is a phenomenon of harmony and blending. While they are uniquely different in form, each plant is equally entwined in the web of our interconnected existence. We all share the same air, water and land, and any failure to preserve these enormous gifts is a failure to protect our collective existence.

As we harvest beans in the smoky haze of the day and experience the poor air quality to bring food to many tables, we reflect that it is everyone’s duty, not just farmers in the fields, to step up and protect the lands that sustain us. Luckily, in our valley 30 miles east of Seattle the air quality has not been as bad as other places. We did have 2 days in which we were unable to safely work outside all day and took these days off.

Supporting farms like ours is essential, and for those that can go beyond to also support their favorite environmental nonprofits, we thank you. We smile as we eat fresh beans out of the field, even in the haze, because they are delicious; they are vibrant and green and crunchy and literally just make us laugh, maybe out of desperate hope, but I think it is more that something so simple can bring such unfettered joy. On to beets next week—red, rosy, and round.

Stay safe and enjoy the simple nature of your veggies.

Make sure to find us on Instagram @fullcirclefarms.