And we’re in the home stretch, the final quarter of the CSA season. We spend the balance of our time harvesting now. Last week we brought in most of the winter squash from the fields and set them in the greenhouse to cure a while before distribution, and on Monday we dug up the rest of the potatoes. The squash was a bumper crop. The potatoes, not so much. Which is the way it goes, sometimes.

When we’re not harvesting, we’re readying the farm for winter. As parts of the field are finished for the season, we wind up the drip tape, mow off the plants, and disc in the residue, which helps build up organic matter in the soil. Then, to protect the soil over the winter, I broadcast a cover crop of rye seed. Yesterday I did this process to the part of the field where the spring crops and potatoes were, and it felt good to clean up that area and set it aside in my mind.

And in off moments, I’m starting to ponder and dream about next season—new varieties to grow, new techniques to try, new tools to research, and more ways to make this place more beautiful and bountiful. And, most of all, I’m pondering and dreaming about the rest, recovery, and rejuvenation to come once the snow finally flies.