Fall Musings

The entomology talk of the town has been the identification of the first nest in the U.S. of venomous Asian giant hornets, right here in Washington state. These hornets have been recognized as major threats to honeybees and can decimate entire hives. For this, they have been given the name “murder hornets.” As if we don’t have enough to worry about! State wildlife officials eradicated the colony, capturing a few specimens for study, in the effort to keep this new threat to our honeybee population from spreading.

We have been harvesting kales, leeks, and celery heading into the darker, shorter days of winter and have been washing beets late into the evening hours. Luckily, we have had warmer temperatures and tranquil air which has helped to counter the immense weight of the pandemic and the frenzied realm of politics. We are grateful for the sound of frogs, deep and guttural, and Griffin Creek, flowing strong and cold. Our human sounds are in the minority, as we feel it should be—tractors on call far less, irrigation turned off—just the lovely quietness of our hands moving to harvest and our feet crunching grasses and leaves completing their cycles. We all feel the challenge to pull ourselves out of bed, and before we know it the day is already half gone. November is a time for cleaning and making sure that all implements are out of the field before water sweeps in from the rivers and mountains.

As winter approaches, we will be in the processing station more hours than in the field and need to create more Covid-safe spaces in the barn for lunchtime and breaks. Our barn will be our solace for the next 3–4 months, as it was in the summer for the barn owls. We hope that all of you can find comfort in cooking and eating winter veggies and trying new recipes for the holidays.

Stay safe.

Make sure to find us on Instagram @fullcirclefarms.