Market Farming

[Joan Vibert <joan AT windwalker-farm.com>]

Welcome back Del - I'm glad to see you are surviving and gaining strength
from your experience.  If it makes you feel any better most of my upper
garden is covered with 6' tall fox tail and I have no excuse other than heat
and lack of caring after a given point!

This may have been one of those off-energy years.  We lost two beloved arab
mares this summer - one in July to heat stroke and the second, her mother, a
month later to heartbreak and old age.  These are our first horses to pass
on and it was a grief-stricken time - plus they left behind a gelding who
was devastated by his lonely existence.  We have since gotten a new little
three-year old arab filly and things are somewhat calmer.

The day we realized that we would have to have our older mare put down was
one of our canning days for the salsa project - so I was running late and
sort of frantic because I knew we had a kitchen full of paid workers who
were just standing there waiting for me to bring peppers, onions, jalapenos,
etc.  Things were finally underway and I was working the 40 quart food
processor finishing the last of 100 pounds of onions when I looked down and
discovered that not only had I forgotten to remove my rings, I had lost
several turquoise and coral stones out of my wedding ring.  Now peppers and
tomatoes in a vat of salsa look very similar to turquoise and coral -
believe me.  This was 100 gallons of salsa and I couldn't prove or disprove
that the stones were in there.  We canned it anyway - the batch has been
isolated while we decide what to do with it.  I think we should offer a
Willie Wonka-type prize to the finder - okay just kidding.  We won't sell it
outright but may offer it to friends and relatives at our cost with the
understanding that they pour it out and sort through before eating.  66
cases of salsa and the stones may have gone down the shower the night before
- who knows!

And you know the whole summer pales this week, doesn't it?

joan
windwalker farm