Holy moly, where did May go???!!??? One minute I'm sitting in the office, dreaming, brainstorming, planning and doing whatever office-things that need to get done, and then in what feels like the blink of an eye I'm out in the field for an entire month! Whoa!
May is all about getting all of those winter thoughts and ideas out into the field. Carrots, beets, parsnips, kale, arugula, salad turnips, herbs, peas and beans have all been seeded directly into the field, while lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, zucchini and cucumbers seedlings are transplanted out of their little pots into carefully prepared beds. May is also the time when we start harvesting our tender greens from the Caterpillar Tunnels - lettuce mix, arugula, baby kale and beet greens. Oh how we welcome those tasty, crunchy greens after a long cold winter of living off of root crops and preserves! Those spring salads are simply invigorating and bring us hope for all the delicious summer food that's coming our way!
Around the third week of May, the tender spring greens outgrew their cozy home under the Tunnels, wishing for breezier times out in the open. This frees us to move our tunnels to their summer location and transplant into them our heat-loving crops of peppers, eggplants, cherry tomatoes, english cucumbers, beefsteak tomatoes, ground cherries and paste tomatoes!!! I will always be amazed as to how a tiny seed can grow into a luscious green plant and then produce the sweetest fruits like a cherry tomato. It is quite simply magic unfolding right in front of my eyes.
Sometimes, such as during the busy-ness of May, it is hard to take the time to enjoy the magic that's unfolding on the Farm - that never ending To-Do list can really get in the way! But once in awhile, an unexpected moment happens. Sometimes it's mid breath while seeding or transplanting, other times it's during a cooler rainy day. It catches me mid-step, popping my busy-little-bee bubble and giving me time and space to finally lift my head for a moment. It's in those moments that I am struck by the beauty, the colours, the mystery, the magic all around me. My body exhales a deep breath - releasing me of some of those pressures, anxieties and stresses - grounding my body to this moment, this farm, and filling my heart with so much warmth!
May has been quite the month! But we're sure getting excited to see you all again to share (quite literally) the fruits of our labour!