Fields of Plenty

 Another rainy day here in Delaware, with a rainy November forecast. I have to admit, rainy, chilly days make me want to take a nap. A long nap. However, farming keeps on going. Fortunately, we have under cover activities to keep us busy and mostly dry. However, boots and rain coats are recommended! Since we knew the rain was coming—extra rain from Hurricane Zeta—we were extra busy yesterday, cutting kale for the shares, and harvesting everything that did not care to be drowned. I grabbed one of our store employees to pick blackberries with me. I think this is the latest we have ever picked blackberries! High tunnel work. This is a favorite. Easy to harvest, everything is clean, everything looks good, harvesting is fast. Planting in the tunnels—also fun! Today, we planted rows of snap peas and lots more romaine. So far, we have not found a limit on how much romaine to grow—it is a customer favorite. Then, we started a 1000 or so seeds in trays for transplanting into the new tun...

O nce upon a time, a long time ago, back when there were classified ads in the newspaper and people read those ads, my mother saw an ad for fig trees in Wilmington. “Hmmm,” Elaine thought. “If he can grow figs in Wilmington, so can I.” Definitely a competitive streak in the family. Elaine and my youngest brother, Matt, drove to Wilmington to find this gentleman (using a map and my mother’s knowledge of Wilmington) who had fig trees growing in his back yard. “Here they are,” he said. “Which one would you like?” They picked out a tree, dug it up, and brought it back. This happened 1978 or so. This fig tree is still with us, a variety called Celeste, small, very sweet, and delicious. And that was the first fig tree. My mother, of course, is not alone in loving figs. Figs have commanded a dedication and following that borders on the cult edge of devotion. Fig fossils are dated to about 9400 BCE in the Jordan River valley—about 1000 years before evidence of wheat or barley cultivation, ...