I have written this postcard before -- I have been in this place before. Many times people go back to the same spot and send the same postcards back. We do it all the time when we go to Hawaii. Anyway, I haven't written anything in a month, and that's mostly because I haven't had a single new thought, they are all the same thoughts that roll around every year at this time.
It finally stopped raining on September 28. We have gone a full week with almost no rain, except for a few showers in the night. Now and then there is a window, an opportunity, a chance and we just grab it and do everything we can to squash as much work into that opening.
We didn't realize it at first, but today was one of those days. I am just going to revel in it and roll it all out.
At 6 AM, four market trucks loaded up the stuff that was in the coolers overnight and headed out to Leesburg, Falls Church, Arlington and Reston. For about an hour after they all leave, I wait to hear whether anything important was left behind and answer texts about prices and other last minute mysteries. No calls for forgotten items. The trucks had been loaded by Carrie and Michael, which is as good as it gets.
I got in the hot tub for ten minutes and got ready for the day.
Drove to Loudoun with one stop to pick up Jon who was dropping off a vehicle for repair. He helped me unload my cargo of pumpkins etc. at the stand in Purcellville.
Jon planted spinach (we have been trying to plant spinach for six weeks, without success...we hope this time is the real one) and then turned compost. Then he headed back to Vienna to press cider.
I picked beets and celeriac and kale for the CSA and Takoma Park. At the same time, Sam and Samuel were picking herbs and ginger and kale and collards for Dupont. The morning flew by.
We loaded up about 40 baskets of sweet potatoes that we had left out in the field yesterday and then I started loading the van with the crates of beets etc. that I had picked. It quickly filled up to the ceiling.
Meanwhile, back in Vienna, Carrie came home early from the market and started seeding Crimson Clover (six weeks later than optimum, that's how long we have been waiting for this moment) by filling a belly seeder and walking back and forth through the fields that I had tilled up a few days ago.
Ciara came back to Loudoun after working a very busy market in Falls Church and came right to the bean field, ready to work after nine hours of driving and selling. These people are amazing. We picked beans as fast as we could but the day was getting away from us. We hadn't washed anything yet and I was still 45 minutes from home.
Megan came home from the Leesburg market, unloaded her truck, had lunch and came back out to help Samuel spray. There are way too many cabbage moths flying around and we can't wait until Tuesday when everyone will be back at the farm again. Spraying is hard physical work, and Megan had also already worked for nine hours. We don't usually need to work so much after market, but today was one of those days.
Crammed as much as we could in around the edges of the van and I headed home. Ciara and Sam started washing the pile of vegetables that will go to Dupont Circle tomorrow.
Carrie was ready for me, she had the sinks full and the carts empty. We washed as fast as we could. Finished in half an hour.
It feels really good to have vegetables to pick and wash, to have something to sell again, to be able to plant seeds, to be able to work all day with no rain.
It was a huge day. We have these days from time to time, and they are always memorable. The last one was two weeks ago, and all the seeds we managed to get in the ground came up (except the spinach). It is all going to be fine.
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