Jul 13, 20234 min read

Harvesting Resilience {Week 7 CSA}

You'd never be able to imagine how dirty this keyboard is. Only farmers (and relentless gardeners) with their perpetually stained hands know this level of grime. Anyone else might misinterpret this calico board of buttons as sloth instead of the intensity of peak season it reveals.

We are squarely in the annual chapter of choosing one thing over another—over and over again. From April until around November, we're really just riding an avalanche of important tasks that we must prioritize at the very moment of being buried by them. We learned quickly to let go of any delusion of finishing the pile, it's just an earnest effort at tackling the most pressing items first and hoping we don't miss crucial ones that bite bitterly later on. Some of it is skill and so much of it is grace and luck.

Should we prune the tomato forest before or after applying the compost mulch? Should we harvest the arugula before this heatwave or clear the snap peas which will likely die? Which first.. replace the mower clutch or fix the greenhouse roll-up sides? Should we finish the ever-looming computer admin work or finally get to bed? How about those flowers we so eagerly planted in the name of beauty despite their lack of revenue — shall we make bouquets with headlamps or weed the onions suffocating by thistle and pigweed? Perhaps we should work on cultivating demand for a pigweed salad mix?

This is not a novel dilemma, of course. All of us (especially now, it seems) are juggling an array of tasks that seem to overwhelm our daytime hours. Farm life just adds many layers to that but it comes with the territory. Truthfully, it's hard to remember how busy life actually was before the farm and before the children. I wonder if can anyone accurately remember life before children? I think nature does that on purpose. :)

At Prema, our hands are seemingly forever stained with the rich soil that we've chosen to outline our lives. It only takes one season to marvel at the infinite challenges this high country land throws our way. From the crop losses that can reveal themselves in just a single day (instantly laying to waste physically hard work, sometimes thousands of dollars in labor costs, and the hopes of a beautiful and delicious harvest) to the very tangible challenges felt in the body after the same physical movement tens of thousands of times over, in the extremes of winter's frosts and summer's scorch. Farming year-round in the high desert has transformed us— its whipping winds carving our character and its unpredictability teaching us the art of adaptation.

I've had the same favorite quote since I was in college, but perhaps that's because it's one of the few I remember in full. Darwin actually never said that it's the strongest who survive, he said it's those who are most able to adapt. You need not travel far in life to understand this depth of wisdom. The challenging curve balls that seem to define our navigation through life have enough momentum to leave us sinking or swimming. The latter have adapted and carry on.

Farming in our challenging climate is like adaptation training 2.0. If it weren't for Zach's inherently optimistic mindset, Prema Farm would have never moved beyond its sporadic after-work dino kale harvests of 2016. It likely would have never come to be at all. I was much too busy with a very spirited newborn (just as beautifully determined as her papa) to have carried us through the many huge setbacks the first year handed us.

Even now, each new season brings forth a new set of challenges, testing our patience and forcing us to recalibrate our plans. But it is within these hardships that our resilience is honed. Ironically, it is in these moments of surrender that we find our strength. We realize that flexibility and resilience are not options but necessities. Our journey building this high desert farm has taught us that surrendering to the will of nature does not imply weakness but rather an intimate understanding of the ebb and flow of life. We learn to dance with the rhythm of the seasons, acknowledging the impermanence of our plans and finding beauty in the unpredictable.

As I look around at our awesome team of farmers and interns, their faces etched with dirt, sweat, and gentle smiles, I'm filled with gratitude for the way this land has cultivated us. The depths it continues to carve out and a stealth commitment to the root of nourishment itself.

At Prema, resilience is our virtue and flexibility our creed. We're far from perfect, but we show up with everything we've got each day just to finish it feeling very "happy-tired." We can only hope that our earnest effort translates into flavor, vitality, and culinary adventure in your own abodes.

Cass is our farm manager and the backbone of our operations. The youngest among us and yet the best at adapting to nature's whim. We really do know how lucky we are.

Inside Your Box This Week

Little Gem Lettuce

Cherry Tomatoes

Salad Greens Mix

Purple Radishes

Bok Choy

Zucchini

Carrots

Dill