Beautiful Dirt

Good dirt is a beautiful thing. Black, rich, moist, crumbly – it practically emanates life and the desire to grow. I was just riding along with Jeff on the tractor as he did his final disking of our bottom pasture in preparation for its planting. As we drove along, I watched, delighted, as the strong soil erupted out of the ground, turning itself into what I know will be fertile land. Every once and awhile my reverie was broken and I had to hop off and clear rocks by throwing them into the bucket of the tractor. I’m not complaining, though, because there’s nothing better for one’s constitution than some hearty rock tossing.

Perfect soil is not easy to come by, which is why it’s so gratifying when it finally reaches its prime. A couple years ago, our bottom pasture was just an ordinary horse pasture full of rocks and weeds and too rough even for our retro tractor. But now, after two years of cover cropping, chicken raising, horse manure, and vegetable growing, it’s ready to go. We have dug that pasture by hand, pushed wheelbarrows full of rocks from it, watered it, added nutrients to it, and talked to it. I can’t even tell you how many watermelons Jeff sacrificed in its honor last summer; he would cut out the heart and eat it, leaving the shell behind for the pasture to use for its benefit. We have put ourselves into that land and now, hopefully, it will reward us more than it already has.

On a less philosophical note, today was a market day. Markets require a lot of preparation (picking, packing, loading, etc) and are always a bit stressful because we depend on them to sell the majority of our produce each week. A busy market is loads of fun, but a slow market can quickly become nerve-wracking as I start to worry about making sure none of our product is wasted and how we will cover our bills. Farmers really do rely on the Farmers’ Markets to help them do business – they are, in many cases, the only outlet for farmers to sell their produce.

In addition to being our place of retail business, the farmers’ market is also a place where we gather together with other agricultural professionals, as well as our customers, and share our blessings and burdens. Every week, there is some intense topic of conversation, whether it be the good weather, the bad weather, fungus and pests, weeds, insurance, restaurants, wholesalers, varieties of plants, and equipment. By the end of the day on Saturdays, my head is usually spinning with all the ideas that have been sparked and I’m ready to pass out in a tired stupor.

Jeff and I have always thought that farmers’ markets would make a great subject for a “mockumentary” movie (think “Best in Show”). The places are filled to the brim with individuals who have all sorts of eccentric qualities – and I’m including Jeff and myself in the mix. Because of the unique nature of our jobs, we always have weird and improbable stories to tell and, because we’re only human, there’s always at least a half dozen soap opera-esque dramas playing. I’m pretty sure that the farmers’ market would make such a great movie, I am hereby exercising my intellectual property rights and staking claim to the idea. You read it here first, folks - the Market movie was mentally birthed by Jeff and Ariel of Redwood Empire Farm