bye bye berries

Unfortunately, the rain I wrote about wiped out a lot of our already-ripened strawberries. The ones that were still green when the rains hit have mostly been picked, sold, and eaten as the season winds down for the year, although Penny says we'll probably be harvesting them in smaller amounts until the end of the weekend. For the past few days I've been singing a chorus of "No-I'm-sorry-we're-out-for-the-day-maybe-tomorrow-we-really-can't-guarantee" to a parade of disappointed customers.

It's reinforced that fact for me: in farming, you just can't guarantee. At the bakery where I used to work, nothing couldn't be done - if it wasn't in the display case, chances were we could bake or frost or fill it out back. But at the farm stand, it's up to mother nature. Customer service is not exactly what nature's about, and unfortunately a lot of people have to go home berryless. On the bright side, blueberry season isn't too far off...

In other news, I've finally figured out how to get my photos onto the computer! I plan on going back and adding them to my previous posts. Penny says she doesn't know how I function without a smart phone - I like my old-fashioned technology, my dumb phone and digital camera, but even they can be tricky to figure out...

beet greens ready to be washed

these were the early days, when there were only a few veggies to put out

the flowers are starting to look colorful

they become lovely little bouquets like this one by the register

father's day

Yesterday, the sun finally broke through after a few days of torrential rain. In an open farm stand vulnerable to all the whims of temperature and wind, it’s hard not to comment on the weather, and everyone was in a sunny mood as they contributed their insight on the sunshine. I spent the loveliest part of the afternoon weeding the herb garden and enjoying the warmth.

I had Father's Day off and I celebrated it with my dad and some of the fruits of my coworkers' labors. At Susan's recommendation, we had radishes with butter and sea salt. Susan's a great cook and customers are always asking her for advice on how to prepare their veggies. In particular, this past week we've had the last of a fiddlehead crop which has befuddled many of our customers. Fuddled by fiddles.

Father's Day has satisfied, for now, my childhood obsession with radishes. It's not exactly their flavor—although I like them just fine, and appreciate their personality—but I've had a soft spot for radishes ever since Peter Rabbit stole them from Mr. MacGregor's garden in Beatrix Potter's children's book. That little book made radishes look so appealing!

I haven't started taking photos yet, but I promise I will soon. In the meantime, here is a picture of Peter Rabbit. Don't his veggies look delicious?