FARM NEWS from Fred Owens
Nov. 1, 2010
Yesterday day the farm stand closed for the winter. It was sad. The frost came two weeks ago and the flower season ended -- but the fields kept pumping out fresh sweet corn and lettuce, so our shelves were well-stocked right until the last day.
The farm will continue to harvest and sell vegetables to restaurants and other wholesale accounts into November, but the farm stand is closed now and my job is over.
I had an exit interview with management. I said, "I would like to work here next year." They said, "We'd love to have you back."
That would be sometime in April, when the farm stand opens again.
So I will be going to Southern California for the winter, to work at another farm, but it will only be part-time, and I will be taking it easy.
I will be in Ventura, which is about one hour north of Los Angeles, if this was was 1970 when the freeways ran free, but more like ninety minutes to LA these days.
My sister lives in Venice near the beach, and my brother lives way to the east side in Altadena, so I can spend some time with them.
My son also lives in Venice, working at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Santa Monica.
I have lots of family down there, several nieces as well, plus the sunshine.
Oh, they have what they call "winter" in Los Angeles, but it doesn't amount to much.
And the delights of California culture --- this I have to see and comment on. If America has lost its sense of confidence and optimism, then LA is the epi-center of decline
If America was and is a dream to fulfill, then LA is where dreams are launched -- or were launched. Is it over? or will it begin anew?
I want to see for myself.
Otherwise I will be working at this small farm in Ventura County, learning the soil and the climate.
You will notice, perhaps gratefully, that I am not writing about politics these days. We're having a national election on Tuesday, and I have followed these events closely, but I will not comment.
Except to say that it's good to be working on a farm, and I lead by example. I will say this, "Young man, go to the farm and go to work."
There's plenty of work on the farm and you will find it very satisfying. It will truly be a "growth opportunity."
If you're in the city, build a garden. Start today.
Here is my closing video-poem for the last day at the farm stand. It's about the end of things -- as you see the past slip away and you wonder what the future will bring.
Listen to the "Ode to the Lone Kohlrabi" -- it's very short and you will enjoy it.
Subscriptions and Signed Copies of the Frog Hospital Book. It used to be that you sent in $25 and did not get much more than my appreciation, but now you get a signed copy of the Frog Hospital book.
This book is a treasure that will still be worth reading ten years from now.
Send a check for $25 to Fred Owens, Box 1292, LaConner, WA 98257. Or go to the Frog Hospital blog and pay with PayPal.
--
Fred Owens
cell: 360-739-0214
send mail to:
Fred Owens
Box 1292
LaConner WA 98257
Showing posts with label kohlrabi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kohlrabi. Show all posts
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
The Largest Kohlrabi in Captivity
FARM NEWS from Fred Owens
October 11, 2010
The frost is not yet on the pumpkin, but on some mornings it feels a little crisp and we all know what's coming.
Watch this video for a detailed report about the weather and the "largest kohlrabi in captivity."
The long-range forecast for the Pacific Northwest is for a cold and wet winter. Nobody is thrilled about that.
You have three kinds of people in this country. The first kind love the rain and it makes them happy. The second kind say they love the rain, but they're lying. The third kind just endure it and try not to complain too much.
I'm one of the third kind, and I'm going to Southern California this winter because I need a break.
A lucky break, it turns out, because that same long-range forecast predicts a warmer and drier winter down south.
So, here's the news.
Grape Harvest, from the Los Angeles Times. California's signature crop, the grape harvest is coming in late. What a surprise! It's been a cool, wet summer from San Diego to Seattle and everything is late.
The article states, "most red grapes remain on the vine statewide, anywhere from 10 days to three weeks later than last year."
Late -- and what can you do but wait.
Here's another quote from the article, more complicated, but intriguing -- if you ask me.
"This is a normal cyclical pattern for La Niña," says Peter Cargasacchi of Cargasacchi Winery in the Santa Rita Hills. "If you were aware of that, you could incorporate farming practices based on the historical patterns of the weather." For Cargasacchi, that meant leaving a cover crop between vine rows to suck up excess winter rainwater, then deficit irrigation to stimulate the vines into ripening — "to give them a sense of urgency," he says.
Okay, this vintner did more than just wait. He was expecting the La Nina pattern to bring cooler, wetter weather. So he planted grass and clover between the rows of grapes to soak up the excessive rain fall.
Then he did deficit irrigation -- this is the sexy part, almost a tease -- meaning he cut way, way back on his watering in mid-summer -- to make those grape vines work harder, to put down their roots deeper, to conserve their energy and not produce too many leaves -- that is, to give them a sense of urgency.
That is highly anthropomorphic, as he put it -- to give the grape vines a sense of urgency.
Do plants feel urgency? Are they like us in some ways? We gather the grapes, we make the wine, and then we drink it.
That spirit, from the earth, comes to us through our palates.
That urgency, from mid-summer, has now, in fall harvest, become a fullness, and a good vintage is expected for 2010.
It's never a sure thing. Urgency is natural. And Harvest-Home is often the reward.
So, that's the farm news from California. I will be driving down that way in three weeks, and this newsletter will have more reports on the vast complexity of California agriculture. I hope you find it interesting.
Subscriptions and Signed Copies of the Frog Hospital Book. It used to be that you sent in $25 and did not get much more than my appreciation, but now you get a signed copy of the Frog Hospital book.
This book is a treasure that will still be worth reading ten years from now.
Send a check for $25 to Fred Owens, Box 1292, LaConner, WA 98257. Or go to the Frog Hospital blog and pay with PayPal.
--
Fred Owens
cell: 360-739-0214
send mail to:
Fred Owens
Box 1292
LaConner WA 98257
October 11, 2010
The frost is not yet on the pumpkin, but on some mornings it feels a little crisp and we all know what's coming.
Watch this video for a detailed report about the weather and the "largest kohlrabi in captivity."
The long-range forecast for the Pacific Northwest is for a cold and wet winter. Nobody is thrilled about that.
You have three kinds of people in this country. The first kind love the rain and it makes them happy. The second kind say they love the rain, but they're lying. The third kind just endure it and try not to complain too much.
I'm one of the third kind, and I'm going to Southern California this winter because I need a break.
A lucky break, it turns out, because that same long-range forecast predicts a warmer and drier winter down south.
So, here's the news.
Grape Harvest, from the Los Angeles Times. California's signature crop, the grape harvest is coming in late. What a surprise! It's been a cool, wet summer from San Diego to Seattle and everything is late.
The article states, "most red grapes remain on the vine statewide, anywhere from 10 days to three weeks later than last year."
Late -- and what can you do but wait.
Here's another quote from the article, more complicated, but intriguing -- if you ask me.
"This is a normal cyclical pattern for La Niña," says Peter Cargasacchi of Cargasacchi Winery in the Santa Rita Hills. "If you were aware of that, you could incorporate farming practices based on the historical patterns of the weather." For Cargasacchi, that meant leaving a cover crop between vine rows to suck up excess winter rainwater, then deficit irrigation to stimulate the vines into ripening — "to give them a sense of urgency," he says.
Okay, this vintner did more than just wait. He was expecting the La Nina pattern to bring cooler, wetter weather. So he planted grass and clover between the rows of grapes to soak up the excessive rain fall.
Then he did deficit irrigation -- this is the sexy part, almost a tease -- meaning he cut way, way back on his watering in mid-summer -- to make those grape vines work harder, to put down their roots deeper, to conserve their energy and not produce too many leaves -- that is, to give them a sense of urgency.
That is highly anthropomorphic, as he put it -- to give the grape vines a sense of urgency.
Do plants feel urgency? Are they like us in some ways? We gather the grapes, we make the wine, and then we drink it.
That spirit, from the earth, comes to us through our palates.
That urgency, from mid-summer, has now, in fall harvest, become a fullness, and a good vintage is expected for 2010.
It's never a sure thing. Urgency is natural. And Harvest-Home is often the reward.
So, that's the farm news from California. I will be driving down that way in three weeks, and this newsletter will have more reports on the vast complexity of California agriculture. I hope you find it interesting.
Subscriptions and Signed Copies of the Frog Hospital Book. It used to be that you sent in $25 and did not get much more than my appreciation, but now you get a signed copy of the Frog Hospital book.
This book is a treasure that will still be worth reading ten years from now.
Send a check for $25 to Fred Owens, Box 1292, LaConner, WA 98257. Or go to the Frog Hospital blog and pay with PayPal.
--
Fred Owens
cell: 360-739-0214
send mail to:
Fred Owens
Box 1292
LaConner WA 98257
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