Harvest time is rolling in, and I am enjoying the experience of living right in the middle of the activity on this 20 acre farm. Cheerful folks come and go from the orchards picking fruit, boxes of organic produce keep accumulating and moving around, piles of garlic husk mound up by chairs in the shade, and the mechanical serenade of the tractor engine drifts around in the background. It is always exciting around here. It’s bustling and vibrant. The farmers, Tom and Rachel, don’t live on site, but farm and steward multiple orchard locations around the area. SLO Farm, short for Seasonal, Local, Organic, is proving to be a great “neighbor” to share the land with. Every time I take a stroll around the orchards and fields, I keep being blown away by the fruit. It’s the most amazing, beautiful fruit I’ve ever seen!
These farmers really know the dirt.
Rows of vegetable crops stretch out in the early morning sun.
Onions lay out to dry in the large hoop house.
And many heads of garlic.
Beautiful, HUGE, rosy apples hang heavy on the trees wherever I look. There is one right out my kitchen window that I am really loving right now.
Oh, the plums…..
Asian pears are ripe and starting to drop. I am thinking of drying some of the seconds soon for a tasty winter snack. For those of you who haven’t tried dried Asian pears, they’re like candy.
And boxes and boxes of fruit fill up, come and go to market, and get stored in the walk-in cooler. I’ve already made hard cider and applesauce from some seconds.
The next best thing to owning a farm of one’s own is to live on one!
Leave a Reply