Spring is finally waking up in 2020. After what feels like decades have passed over the past few weeks, sunshine, soil, and buds are the reminder we all need. We still live on this planet earth. We still eat food grown and raised thanks to the soil we walk upon. We are given life thanks to the sun, the water, the air, the earth.
The days we are living in are uncertain despite the things that have been and will always be. The farm -- this Lively farm -- is certain and the people who stand behind it to make it function are steadfast in our dedication.
The third year of real, true business in farming is this one! We are excited to offer the hard work that is growing food. The excitement of watching life unfold and flourish to feed us the nutrients we depend on is beginning again. This business requires planning and thinking ahead -- a challenge that also involves following the season and the weather. Luckily we’ve invested in a bigger, better, new-to-us greenhouse, which is now housing the onions, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, cabbages, kales, and more!
Early Tender Broccoli & Ailsa Craig Onion Seedlings*.
*The onions were showing signs of 'damping off', which is a fungal problem that attacks seedlings. I used a strategy to fight the dang fungus: a healthy dusting of cinnamon!
My reality in the world has shifted -- like yours -- and I’m here for it. I’m here to see what the future holds and what’s possible when we come together at a distance.
My feelings of anxiety and fear and hope will carry me forward, into the garden, and will prepare me for the pain that is surely ahead. The food that I’ll grow will be a beacon and a form of hope for health and prosperity.
I cannot say that I know what a virus means for the future of our world for sure, but it means change and adaptation and growth in new ways. Of course, we will persist, we must, and of course, we will thrive again. When we move past the negative energy inside of us we can see the light that’s inside of us and inside of this world that holds us while it is most definitely out to get us.
We are only as strong as we are together: in our community and in our sharing. I am hopeful to share this season with you and to feed you food that brings you nourishment as well as joy and smiles, for that’s how it will be grown. Together my family is pushing forward with love and joy in the act of growing food for our community. We are excited, scared, anxious, overwhelmed, and grateful for this opportunity to serve each other and you. Food is what we need and what will heal us.
I am looking forward to my third year of farming on this land -- showing what I’ve learned since beginning this operation and continuing the process of learning as I go. I am a blank slate each year, but I've been shaped by what is behind me.