It felt like everything I did these past few days, I found myself repeating, “Aw, this is the last time I’ll ever __ again on the farm.” I worked in the shop for most of Wednesday, making flour bouquets, making Mémé's Tomato Rice Soup (recipe included below), and changing the berries out of Kenya’s dehydrator to put in pace tomato slices. That night after work, I went on a long bike ride for the last time around Belgrade Lakes. It was a treat to spend my summer in Maine. Unless it’s raining (which I love), the skies are baby blue with fluffed clouds and this is beautifully contrasted with the rich dark green of the reaching pine trees. No wonder they call it Vacationland. Upon returning to the farm, I found Jillian and Annie had carried out Annie’s plan of roasting a chicken over an open fire. They had built a fire, sterilized in it a steel rod they found on the ground (a ‘spit’ of sorts), and built a dubiously balanced structure to hang the spit from. We spent our time waiting for the chicken (it took about 3 hours) chatting by the fire and telling ghost stories. Some of you know how horrible a story-teller I can be, I can kill the punch line in anything. However, I told my most successful ‘ghost story’ of yet that night. Mary came home the next day and Jillian and I were to go to farmer’s market together. I spent the morning harvesting produce, with pumpkins, mini pumpkins, and decorative gords included. The mornings and nights are getting cooler (way more flies found inside in the last week than most of the summer) and fall is upon us. Mary had me decorate the farmstand with the pumpkins and gords already. Jillian and I had a lovely day at farmer’s market and enjoyed seeing our regulars (hey there, combat boot lady who pays almost exclusively in $100-bills) and new customers (hey there, garlic lady who broke our garlic braid and went on to eat 2 cloves and have me smell her breath before paying for it). My last night on the farm was spent cleaning and packing. Mary came back Friday morning for CSA day. I set up the CSA section: counted and weighed the veggies, put them into presentable bowls and bins, wrote out the ½-share and full-share CSA distributions, and cleaned the CSA section of the barn. My last task ever was to harvest tomatoes – our prize-worthy veggie. I got to say goodbye to Kenya and Sage on Mary’s phone before leaving, and Sage made sure that I’d say goodbye to all of the animals and gardens. I know Jillian and I will stay in touch. I choked up a little saying goodbye to Mary, she’s been amazing woman to work for this summer and I’m lucky to have met her. She sent me on my way with a big ol’ jar of their wild Maine blueberry jam, socks from their sheeps’ wool, and a card from the family – how generous.
I can’t believe I’ve left the farm now, although I’m eager to go home and see my family, my grandparents included. I’m writing this on the bus back to New York which is being driven by a Chirstopher Walken sound- and look-alike. I know I’ll make my way back to Winterberry Farm some day soon to visit. I think this blog turned into one describing the admirable farming lifestyle from the perspective of a rookie. I’d like to thank all of my friends and family, and perhaps others, who have followed my blog this summer.
Mémé's Tomato Rice Soup Recipe
~30 Tomatoes
20 stems of Parsley
1/3 C Sugar
2 C Butter
10 Onions
15 Carrots
10 C Brown Rice
20 C Chicken Broth
Salt and Pepper
Peel tomatoes by having them sit in a strainer in boiling water for a minute then pulling the skins off. Cut tomatoes into desirable chunk size. Don’t strain out tomato juice. Pull off and chop parsley leaves. Stir parsley and sugar into tomatoes and let sit on stove at med-low for 1 hr. While tomatoes are cooking, melt butter in a saucepan. Chop onions and carrots and mix into butter until soft. Add salt and pepper for flavor. After tomato mix has cooked for an hour, stir in carrot and onion mix and cook for another hour. Cook rice. When done, serve with 1:4 rice to soup ratio. If storing in freezer, put a scoop of rice at the bottom of container and fill the rest with soup. Don’t mix rice and soup.
*Remember: You can alter the ingredient’s proportions or adjust the recipe to fit what you have on stock.
I have really enjoyed reading your blog. You wrote so descriptively it was a pleasure to follow you!
ReplyDeleteDiane