June 9th, 2020
What’s in your share?
Stir Fry Mix (napa cabbage, bok choy)
Salad Mix
Radishes or Turnips
Cilantro
Shallots
Head Lettuce
The time that farming allows for quiet thought is vast.
This past week was a very thoughtful time for the whole world; particularly the United States. Racism and structural violence are being confronted. Actions that led to the foundation of our country are being questioned. People are angry, so much of what should be celebrated is being systematically ignored, disrespected, or outright destroyed. Spending most of our time in our vegetable farm has allowed us a first hand witness of the power of diversity. Diversity brings color, flavor, dimension, and learning opportunities to any situation where it is allowed to flourish. The farm is a microcosm of a living and thriving system that depends on, and is improved by, having a wide array of characters who all play a role.
So many of us Midwesterners think of a farm as rows and rows of corn growing for acres and acres. In regards to crop diversity, our farm grows about 30 different crops. Having multiple crops not only allows for an assortment of meal options for the people who eat our food, but it reduces the risk for us, as farmers, in addition to magnifying the resilience of the surrounding ecosystem . By planting multiple successions, we allow more than one chance for any given crop to mature. If the beginning of the season is too cold for carrots to germinate, we have 10 other plantings throughout the season to try again. If one crops gets eaten by caterpillars and fails to produce anything edible, we have 29 other options to harvest and take to market. If one crop can’t handle five inches of rain in one day, there are other crops that are more tolerant to moisture.
Having a diverse farm means that we need to be paying constant attention to the needs of our crops and soil. By no means can we homogenize their qualities or needs; nor do we want to. They each bring something different to the table, and we owe them the attention. We wouldn’t be able to have a CSA program if we only grew one crop; how old would that get? The power of diversity isn’t anything new, but it is important to be reminded of it. We often get caught up with our own lives; moving through the day, doing the next thing on our list, and forgetting that there is a world around us that we greatly depend on. We take from the outside, and give from the inside. Life is a constant exchange, receiving the things we need but don’t have, and giving the things we have and don’t need. This would not be possible if diversity isn’t allowed to flourish.