Peace Compost

There is no doubting how much we miss hearing all the kids and school groups that we have paused due to COVID-19. The wonderful questions and revelations about farming that they bring to our days are so precious, and we can’t wait for the students to hopefully return in the spring.

As the days are shortening on both ends, we are seeing more wildlife; since school kids relate ideas to movies, we had a few days with our compost pile that felt like a scene out of the more recent version of The Jungle Book. The scene in which the peace rock is revealed and a water truce is called, as law of the jungle stated that drinking came before eating, so any and all creatures could enjoy water in safety knowing they would not be preyed upon. Our compost pile has had some delicious veggies that didn’t make the cut for our boxes, but as part of our sustainability program, get added back into the earth via composting. Some nights it doesn’t get mixed, and recently we had one of those nights.

Low and behold, the animal tracks leading up to this smorgasbord were amazing! We saw elk, bear, raccoon, coyote and even opossum, many prints, all circling around clear as day. Maybe it’s that kind of year, or perhaps there is a lovely wild law that when abundance appears on the farm, all get to enjoy. Who knows, and we don’t want to anthropomorphize too much, but it’s fun, in a youthful way, to think that we may have at times a “peace compost.” Everyone gets to store up before the heavy rains set in, and the rains are definitely on their way.

Each warm day or moment of sunshine feels like a gift, as our rainy, raw and cold days will settle in for many months. We harvested the last of our warm crops, green beans and cucumbers, and will set our hands to task on the many cold-hardy veggies. This year, we planted a new cauliflower varietal for winter and can’t wait to see how it turns out; so far the greens are doing beautifully.

We delight in all the olfactory moments of fall harvest. Cinnamon seems to be a dominant smell we all come up with for the celery which is striking, our green kale has an earthy mustard nuance to it, and the radishes are just divine in their own radish spice. Hope these smells and tastes are reaching into your homes and gracing your meals.

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