October- Land of Goldenrod
Goldenrod has washed over the wild field, painting it 24-karat yellow. The tall stalks flank the cultivated bed space, standing guard over the carrots we harvest, the lettuces, the beets. One fall, years ago, the goldenrod flush was dedicated to our mentor Robin, who loved the display and passed during its peak. This fall, a new soul was born as the first blooms emerged, a baby girl born to my best school mate all the way out in Missoula, Montana...too far away from here. But she's in the goldenrod all around me, those fragrant new blossoms. The richness of life and loss is memorialized in the magnificence of the ocher transformation of the landscape.
Goldenrod radiates over our table, tucked into the bouquet made by our friend who sets up next to us at farmers market. It's not enough to see it outside our windows, we must invite the splendor into our space. Her fall artistry has served as our centerpiece at the kitchen table for years at this point, and so now golden rod evokes the thought of Julie. The warmth of those sunshiney velvet flowers characterize the comfort of our market-born kinship.
Goldenrod grows beside other autumn late bloomers like white aster, which allows its taller companion to truly shine in contrast. Late season pollinators indulge and if you focus on any given patch, the scene vibrates with the action of it. Untold number of species traverse the feast of flowers. They, like us, note the arrival of goldenrod season, the lateness of it, and the impulse to take it all in. They take nectar, we take field crops and the vision that is the goldenrod landscape.
Updates from the Farm:
-Last Two Oakwood Farmers Markets: October 4th and 11th will be the final two market Saturdays in Oakwood for the 2025 season. We have never had this much produce on our table, a testament to Rich's supreme field planning and extra work to keep it alive despite the weather. We would love to see you. There will be the traditional Fall Fest on the 11th, fun for kids and all. 22 Orchard Drive 9-noon the next two Saturdays :)
-Then come see us at the MARKET AT MARALUNA!: Excuse my excitement. We decided to join Pretty Picnic at Maraluna for a post season extension to the farmers market. I will be setting up our booth in the courtyard inside Maraluna (2316 Far Hills, in between Blue Turtle Toys and Goodwill) just a few doors down from the Oakwood Farmers Market to sell our produce and bakes as well as to offer order pick up. 9-11am on Saturdays you can come shop from our table or pick up a pre-order from our booth. We will likely continue to offer the whole market experience through November.
October 18th and October 25th 9-11 am come shop from our booth and grab a coffee and sourdough bagel from Pretty Picnic. 2316 Far Hills Avenue in Oakwood
-It Finally Rained: Yes! After an unbearable succession of sunny, hot, dry days, we got just over an inch of rain on the farm last week. I hope you other folks in the region got it too. The landscape was desperate. The farm seemed to come back to life. And now, a dry 10-day forecast, but we'll see...Thank you to those who raindanced with us.
-Wildly Warm Start to Fall: This has been an outrageously warm start to fall, with high lows and high highs meaning that we have produce growing very actively. In the fall, dormancy starts to set in, senescence begins in plants, shutting them down, but we have instead been seeing a lot of growth. The days are growing shorter, but we are reaching deep into our energy reserves to take advantage of the warm fall weather, especially to make up for loss during the super wet or super droughty times of the year, not to mention the deer attack on our salad plantings.
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