2nd Week Thoughts

I'm starting this blog post without a real sense of topical direction, so hopefully it doesn't get too ramble-y or nonsensical - but if it does, I hope it's at least amusing.

Yesterday marked two weeks of work done here at One Step at a Time Gardens and things are starting to feel a bit more rhythmic and routine, although not absolutely entirely. There is always a period at a new job when I feel kind of jittery and nervous - I don't know the lingo and acronyms thrown about, the names of key players in the field (literally, here!) or organization, how unkempt I can actually wear my hair, or where the toilet paper is kept. There is always new information coming at me, I feel like I should always have a question, and I am always a little freaked out that maybe they meant to hire somebody else but accidentally ended up with me. How many times is it okay to ask to be reminded about some small detail before they think I'm an idiot? How long before I can let my shoulders relax and just know what to do and where to be? The good news is I've had a lot of different jobs, which means a lot of time being the new girl, so those questions aren't really rhetorical: 3 times is an appropriate amount to ask the same question (but not in the same day!) and 3-5 weeks is a good amount of time to count on before near-total comfort in a job sets in. At 2 weeks down, I'm nearing the homestretch to confidence in my day-to-day responsibilities, and that is a good feeling.

Farm work really shifted last week as we moved into the first delivery week for the CSA and the first week for Farmer's Market in Mason City. We spent our first week on the farm transplanting, building a few tomato and pea fences, transplanting, weeding here and there, and transplanting some more. I'm a little foggy on the details since it was over a week ago, but I think we watered in (there's some lingo I learned! that means planted) something like 400 tomato plants, 300 peppers, 350 brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage), and a whole whole bunch of summer and winter squashes. Last week we started actually harvesting produce that was planted way back in the fall and early early springtime, and boy did we glean a lot. Over the course of the week we harvested 1200 green onions, 50 pounds of spinach, and almost 70 pounds of head lettuce. We dug a whole bed of leeks and kept our fingers crossed for the radishes to ripen just in time, but they didn't cooperate. So, farm members received their first box this week without those lovely red globular vegetables that are ever so popular here in Iowa. (Are they popular other places? It seems a strange vegetable to be popular to me...) They did receive an absolutely beautiful and bright green array of lettuce, spinach, green onions and leeks along with the "weekly note" that Jan includes in each box.

The weekly note is an example of one of the things I think sets this farm and CSA apart from others we interacted with over the last few months. Jan takes a lot of time and care to make sure folks have the resources they need to be connected to their food on many different levels. The note includes a commentary on what is actually in the box, different suggestions for how to use it, perhaps a side bar on how it was produced, and she tries to also include a piece about different events, actions, people or organizations pertaining to food policy and culture, both regionally and nationally. This may mean highlighting a bill that is about to be put before Congress that will affect the regulations either conventional or organic agricultural producers must abide by (or put to wayside as conventional ag becomes less regulated). It may mean giving a shout out to a start-up coop in the North Iowa region. It may mean giving a brief review of a recently published food book or magazine article. It may mean highlighting the work and activities of one of the farm members in hopes of fostering connection and community among the folks who eat food from the same ground. The underlying point of the commentary section is always the same: encourage people to be more connected to their lifestyle choices, to their food, and to each other. Make eating (and living!) an informed and conscious activity.

This I am totally inspired by, and am diligently working to adopt as a regular practice of my own. It takes a lot of attention and effort, however, and I am as susceptible to laziness as the rest of my Millennial Generation. I know it sounds completely cheesy, but I really do just have to take it one step at a time, just like the name of the farm! I guess it actually turns out to be one trip to the farmer's market and one pound of bacon at a time, but who's policing terminology here? Ultimately I think the goal is to make conscious choices, even if they aren't always the correct or most responsible choices. We are a society and culture of consumers, that fact cannot (and maybe should not) be denied. That we consume is not a choice we make, but how we consume is a choice we make each and every day, whether we know it or not. I think many, many people don't realize that spending a dollar, any single dollar, is both making a choice and sending a message to those who operate within the free market. I know I don't always realize it, or at least don't always pay attention to it. Sometimes the cheap and convenient is just so damn cheap and convenient. Is an extra 5 minutes reading the label worth making my shopping partner even more terse and exasperated than he already is with my leisurely shopping self? ( I'm a woman who doesn't like shoe shopping or department stores, but put me in a grocery store and oh.man.watch.me.go.) So, I think the challenge is to be informed about where my money goes, who puts it in their pocket, and what they do with it. That's not always entirely possible, but the pursuit of that information is. It takes effort and energy and sometimes going without to make that pursuit and follow through with a purchase that feels good. And who wants to expend effort and energy EVERY TIME you make a purchase? Not me. But, practice makes perfect, and any routine can begin to feel normal after a while. That is the goal.

Oh boy. I am waxing a little too political even for my own 7pm and hungry for dinner brain. Being on this farm is giving me lots and lots and lots to think about, both by nature of the work and location and by nature of all the tiiiiiiiime I have here. It is lovely, but it can put the brain into overdrive. I think this is probably plenty for a Saturday evening.

Thank you so much to those of you who have commented or let me know otherwise you are reading. I know it seems impersonal and somewhat disconnected, but it means a lot to me to know those of you I love and care about are reading along and thinking and identifying. Eli and I think and talk about all of you often, so it's good to know the energy is being returned.

I'm still trying to find time to figure out a faster way to post photos (thanks for the Flickr tip, Uncle John...that's what I need to look into!) so still not many photos. Any specific tips and hints from other folks who have experience putting large photos onto a blog quickly would be appreciated. Much love to everyone!