Winding Down or Winding Up?

When I worked, I was not a part of the farm cycle.

In a traditional farming community, this is the time of year when the crops have all been harvested, and the ground has been plowed and worked to gather moisture from winter rains. The wood is stacked carefully in the woodshed, irrigation pipes are put away, pumps are covered, and tractors are parked on high ground.

That doesn't happen here anymore.

At the Corn Stand, there are still a few pumpkins available for Thanksgiving pies and fall decoration. I've gleaned some that were discarded, to feed my chickens. There hasn't been a freeze yet, so there are still bell peppers, beets, and a couple of other local crops for sale. This is really the best time of year for bell peppers, they're crisp and meaty. The new crop of English walnuts has been picked and bagged and is available. (Major yum factor.) As of yesterday there was still some sweet corn for sale. They used sell the last of it in October. By November first, everything was put away and tied down, and the farmers were off taking their vacations.

But this morning there is a band playing music out behind the Corn Stand. There is another Mud Run scheduled for today. City people will be out there in skimpy summer clothes, slogging through man-made puddles and pretending either that they're super athletes or little kids having fun.

Soon the Corn Stand will start selling Christmas trees. The early buyers are mostly shop owners looking for greenery. Some are families that actually put their Christmas trees up right after Thanksgiving dinner. On weekends there will be hundreds of people walking through the fields, shopping for their perfect tree. They all show up at the same time, right before or after football games on TV.

Most of the part time farm help has already gone home to Mexico. They won't be back until after Easter next year. While they're basking in the warmer climate and spending time with families they only see in the off season, their full time relatives are still here. They will be putting on heavy jackets and warm gloves and caps. They work during Christmas tree season helping people cut and haul their trees out of the field, running the machine that puts a net around a tree so it can be transported on top of a fancy car, and keeping things picked up and tidy. It's amazing how many Coke cans city people leave in the fields. Do they think they're biodegradable?

Everyone gets a couple of weeks off after Christmas. Unless there's a flood and sandbags have to be filled. In the middle of January they'll be back in the Christmas tree fields. They cut old tree trunks flush with the ground, remove any trees that have problems, and plant new ones. One of the farmers will be out there every morning and evening with his gun. When the horses see him drive by, they run to the far end of the pasture. Jackrabbits chew on the new little trees. The dead jackrabbits are winter food for resident coyotes and vultures.

It's not a traditional farm cycle, but it's what works for now for Sloughhouse.