NEWSLETTER

Volume 4, Issue 21

Community Supported Garden at La Vista

October 3, 2006

Field Walk…
     We caught two groundhogs and a raccoon recently in the West Field. With all due respect to their need to gather food, I decided they needed to do so elsewhere. These groundhogs and I have been locking horns for several weeks now in a chess match of wits and tenacity.  And the groundhogs have about ten times the wits and tenacity as I will ever have. It was no contest. I filled and blocked and buried their holes, to no avail.  They always found a new way under the fence like it was nothing.
     Groundhogs are about the most confident, self-assured small mammals around. While squirrels scatter and raccoons lurk, groundhogs waddle and walk where ever and whenever they want.  Out in the open.  Broad daylight. Night. Morning. Afternoon. When they want their carrot tops or lettuce, they find a way.
     They ate a lot of carrot tops.  And lettuce.  If you're wondering why we don't have lettuce right now, and how tasty it would be if we did, then you'll understand why I gave up the chess match for the live trap. Barriers didn't phase them.  Luring them into a cage with carrots did.  When we caught the first one, during a distribution day two weeks ago, I was satisfied to be on the winning side of this match for once.  Without the groundhog getting his fill of our crops, everything shaped up right away.  Overly-munched lettuce actually started forming heads again. Carrot tops filled out. 
     When we caught the second groundhog, I realized there could be many more out there, and more to come.  I realized there is no "winning side". There's only wits and tenacity. 
     Which begs the question: To what extent are we to take actions that conflict with nature?
     Agriculture in general always straddles the line between working with and working against nature. I think we could all identify types of farming that wholly conflict with nature.  The damage is stiff, severe and clear-cut.
     Working with nature is always challenging. Nature sometimes has needs and effects that don't necessarily complement the needs of a garden, like the groundhog fattening up on lettuce and carrots. Therein lies the challenge. The question remains, how do we work with nature? First we watch, learn and tread lightly. And then if we think we know enough, we watch and learn some more. Nature is the best teacher we'll ever have!

What's in Your Share

Cilantro & dill
Salad Mix
Sweet Peppers
Cucumbers
Garlic
Onion
Radishes
Turnips
Swiss Chard
Tomatoes
Pick-your-own Cherry Tomatoes
& Green Beans
Basil and arugula will be offered extra

Preserving the Harvest
     With the season entering its final month and a half, remember to preserve the harvest for winter.
Green beans are fairly abundant now and are preserved by freezing or canning. 
Cherry tomatoes can be dried. 
Basil is best preserved blended with olive oil and frozen, or made into a pesto sauce and frozen.
Turnips, carrots, and beets can simply be stored in your refrigerator for several weeks, or even months.
Sweet Peppers can be roasted and canned, or made into a sauce and preserved.
Enjoy!