Farm Stride and Looking Ahead

Lemonade sunflowers against the beautiful Ko`olau backdrop :)

Much has happened since my last post.  I feel like I've finally hit my farm stride, but I've learned that farming is like a roller coaster ride -- lots of ups and downs, especially in the beginning.  The maintenance portion is more of the peaceful activity I hoped farming would be.  But just as in other aspects in life, it seems the serenity doesn't last long.  We just had our first class CSA yesterday morning -- it was fun but a little stressful at times, knowing it was for real -- real food going to real customers!  We had several of us doing this together, but I imagine it's much more difficult as an operation of 1-2 people.  After our three-week CSA, AgSchool will be nearly over, and it'll be time to consider AgPro.

At first, I was very sure I wanted to go through AgPro.  As life options have unfolded, though, I'm not sure that I can swing it.  I've continued my search for land and other options to get my hands into the soil, but so far to no avail.  I got to attend an Agriculture Conference, and it was fun exploring new ideas and think about how to solve our local challenges in agriculture.  However, I'm not gonna lie -- it was also a little depressing.  There are so many longstanding problems and seemingly few solutions.  I'm slowly coming to terms with the idea that I may not become a farmer anytime soon -- it's a bit like admitting defeat, but I also know that I've gained a lot of interesting insights, knowledge, and skills!

I'll leave you with a few photos of my farm plot and home container garden.  It's amazing how much food you can produce from a relatively small amount of land!

Spiiiiicy arugula

Basil grows like weeds!  I can't keep up with topping.

I was worried my kales weren't going to make it, but they're looking great and tasting great, especially the Rainbow Lacinato.  My new favorite way to eat it is grilled with some olive oil, salt, and pepper.

I didn't get great chard starts, but they're doing alright.  The chois and kaboko cabbage (not pictured here) got huge, and if I could do this over again, I'd space better.

My first time growing Easter Egg radish.  They had some pitting but are sooo beautiful.  They are really spicy in the summer heat, though, so I'm excited to try growing some in the cooler months.

Gorgeous Dragon Langerie beans

This is part of our practice CSA bag -- it doesn't even show the 0.75 pound bag of mixed greens and 0.25 pound of arugula I brought home with this...  Veggies for days!!!

On a much smaller scale, on the lanai, I produced a few tomatoes and my very first bell pepper :)

I hope I'm growing this right -- the kalo's throwing up tons of new leaves.  I hope it has enough room in this pot...