HappyDirt Pickles

It’s been quite a season for all of us at HappyDirt. I’ve never experienced a summer so filled with life and doing, and one that has flown by so rapidly. Of course, this was my first year as a fulltime farmer, not just a home gardener as I’ve been for over 30 years. I know Matt knew what a summer of farming would be, having done it for more than 20 years, but for me and Cameron, it was an initiation. Once transplanting, planting and harvesting got rolling, we were on the move all summer. Watering blocks, trellising, weeding, harvesting, harvesting, harvesting, pack-out for orders and sorting tomatoes as well as other produce. For me, it was juggling onsite farm work with all the marketing and office/business management, and running the farm stand three days a week. With the sudden hard freeze last Monday night, we saw a major change in our season as our summer crops were mostly no more, and we could clearly see winter around the corner. The mornings this past week have been very cold and we’re all back to wearing long johns. It’s hard now to remember the three weeks of 100 degree temperatures in July, when we were all soaking ourselves with the hose and following it up by stepping into the cold of the walk-in. The farm is in transition with the natural rhythm of the seasons. Life, growth, fruiting, death, and going inward in preparation for rebirth. And so, we welcome the changes at HappyDirt and turn within, to more concentrated planning and farming tasks to prepare for next season (not to mention lots of transplanting and creation of new beds thanks to Jonathan, Cameron, and Matt).

Today, after the farm stand closed, Matt and I packed it up for the winter. We’ll keep you notified on the web-site as to our stand plans for next season, as well as updated details regarding how our C.S.A. will work next year.

I’ve posted some photos below. One sent by customers Holly and Robert, of a salad they made from our produce(note the heirloom tomato and sliced melon too). One photo was taken last week of me with Jonathan’s way cool dog/wolves, Ketzel and Upeka. And photos from this evening, when Abbey Sarver (our wwoofer) and I pickled some of the last of the 2009 HappyDirt cucumbers, green banana peppers, Italian sweet peppers, purple peppers, and carrots. I used some lovely dill I found in the field today and garlic I grew in my home patch this year.

Here’s the recipe from my Cousin, Meghan, a Holistic Lifestyle Consultant- click on the link and watch Meghan make the pickles on youtube: http://meghantelpnerblog.com/2009/10/08/cut-the-pickle-tickle-tickle/