Blackberries and Bat Heads

Stuart and Dawn dropping lettuce plants 

We had a great week!  For me, there were three definite high points. The first being the big plantout we busted out on Tuesday.  We were able to plant a bed of green onions, adult lettuce, broccoli, and two weeks worth of baby lettuce.  Hallie, Dawn, and Stuart did an amazing job, especially since we planted about twice as much as we usually would on an apprentice's first plantout!  I remember the first bed of green onions we apprentices planted last season, and, although it’s  really kind of embarrassing I feel like it might be useful educationally, for us to share and compare.

Last year.

This year.

 The second highlight for me was the attack we launched on the blackberries along the barn field fence.  It was an epic battle of good and evil, in which we actually kept score, with random shout-outs (“Horton: ‘3’!... Blackberries: ‘1’!”, etc.)  in the most brambly of  moments. The fence, which was knocked down by this winter’s flooding, needs to be replaced – however, the blackberries were so thick they were like a fence to the actual fence, and Bill wasn’t able to get in there with his tractor. Not anymore.  Final score - Horton:‘6’…Blackberries: ‘3’.    Heh, heh, heh.

Dawn, Stuart, Lisa, and Hallie ATTACKING.

 And, last but not least, the third best thing to happen to me all week: cleaning out of the trucks.  I know that sounds odd, or boring, and kind of unimportant, but let me tell you, it made me feel like a real winner.  Some of the dump runs we made this winter in that blue truck…well, let’s just say that a complete scrub down-bleach-spritz was lonnnnnnnng overdue.

Speaking of fresh, sparkley trucks, I should also mention that we’re itching to load them up with food!!!  Depending on the weather this coming week, there is a slight possibility that some salad greens will be ready to harvest for Saturday Market!  Keep your fingers crossed!

 In other exciting news from the barn, one of the cats gave us a unique present the other day: a bat head.  Just the head, with it’s little fangs and beady eyes, was left to stare up at us from its final resting place on Ashley’s lawn chair cushion.  What’s worse is I think that it’s still there.  Maybe I’ll go take care of that right now…

 Check.

-Rachael