Will Work for Fresh Produce: Part Three
Guest blogger Carolyne Meehan–a mom, former English teacher, and supporter of all things local–finishes her diary of working on a local farm in exchange for fresh, local produce with Part Three: “When Life Happens — Literally.” If you’re just joining in now, check out Part 1 here or Part 2 here.
Farm work is hard work - I knew this when I signed up for four hours of weekly labor in exchange for a share of one local farm’s harvest. However, I didn’t sign up for the nausea and exhaustion that came with my second pregnancy. It soon became clear that morning sickness and 5 a.m. work shifts do not go well together. Throw in a sudden aversion to all green vegetables and a super sensitive gag reflex and we really had a problem. When I discussed my current situation with the farmer he was very understanding and assured me that he could find another worker to replace me. So, sadly, it was goodbye to the farm, and, along with that, goodbye to our weekly share of goodies.
Carolyne working in her garden.
I am pretty sure that the other CSA members would be thankful to know that I will be keeping my puke away from their produce. Still, it was not an easy decision. I felt like I was letting the farm down and I was disappointed in myself for not being able to keep my commitment. With my dwindling energy levels, an increase in part-time work obligations and the attention required by my enthusiastic two-year old, life demanded some rebalancing. And, frankly, nourishing a new human life inside your own body wins out over tending the potatoes in someone else’s garden.
Still, my family’s life wouldn’t be complete without some connection to local food. We stepped it up in our own garden, getting some extra pepper, tomato and melon plants in the ground a little later than ideal. And I learned about a new CSA through GroundWork Farms that collaborates with organic farmers in the Penns Creek Watershed. We now get a weekly half-share of produce and a dozen eggs. The twist: Instead of working for my veggies, I now pay a little more to have them delivered to my door. I have to remind myself that this is what works for us right now, part of what keeps us balanced.
The Cherokee Purple tomatoes I planted on the farm creep into my thoughts sometimes. I started those little buggers from seed, but now have no idea how they fared through the blight or how many made it to harvest. Maybe it’s a maternal guilt that haunts me. The tomatoes and peppers I have from my own garden, now sweetly canned in salsas in my pantry, give me comfort. They remind me that there is a time for everything: planting, harvesting and savoring; working, resting, and reflecting. They remind me that when there is only so much of a good thing, time needs to be taken to preserve it. Life is simultaneously delicate, changing and miraculous in all of its different forms and stages. I am thrilled that our family will be blessed with a new life in January. By then, I’m pretty sure we’ll be ready to crack into some of our garden salsa in celebration. We’ll also be extra thankful for the CSA drop offs at our doorstep.
This entry was posted on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 1:30 pm and is filed under Farm, Food, Guest Blogger. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Congratulations Carolyne - on both your new pregnancy and the fabulous article! One thing I loved about working on the CSA is how it always brought my attention directly into the present moment. However, as you said, putting your energy into growing a new human is where your present attention needs to go right now - a great exchange! Blessings to you on your journey, and may the remaining farm hands show up in spades with the “fruits” (or veggies in this case) of your farm labor to nourish you after the labor of birthing your baby.