Growing up in a suburb of New York City, my family rarely made it out to a farm. On our few visits to Muscoot Farm in Katonah, NY I remember quite vividly strolling through the barns visiting with the animals. I was particularly in awe of the big Tamworth pigs, which are ginger red in color and known as gentle giants because of their affectionate disposition. I learned that one way to tell if pigs are happy is to look at the tail. Pigs with curly tails are happy pigs; pigs with straight tails are upset or angry.
Last Thursday I completed my first day of work on the Common Thread Community Farm and I certainly learned a lot more than just how to determine a pig’s mood. While I learned about the physical and emotional challenges involved in maintaining a farm with limited capital, I also learned the fulfillment of sharing products of this labor. It was certainly an eye opening experience.
My farm work for the morning included harvesting onions, placing garlic into bags for the shareholders, and sorting the good tomatoes from the bad ones. Right when we arrived, we were put straight to work. We jumped on to back of the truck and held on tight as we were led to our farming site. We split up into two groups- one group to harvest the onions and the other to harvest the squash. I worked on the onions and did not hesitate to get right into the dirt. We worked together to collect all the onions, both white and red ones. Despite the slight rain and mud on my pants, it was great to be outdoors. There is definitely something about leaving the Colgate campus and forgetting your concerns, obligations, and class work and just enjoying your time out in the open field.
Working on an organic farm, I immediately realized the hardships that Chris and Amy face since they don't use pesticides. In other words, weeds are abundant. I had to tackle the weeds growing in a row of onions which at first seems simple enough. However, when I saw the delicate onions happily situated on the ground and weeds growing entwined, I knew it would be difficult. I had to use my hands to get at those pesky weeds, while trying not to have the weeds hit me back in the face.
Another task involved sorting the tomatoes. I did not realize the innumerable amount of choices when it comes to heirloom tomatoes, which come in a multitude of colors, shapes, sizes, and a vast array of flavors. It was interesting seeing the oblong, heart shaped, ruffled, flat with ribs, pepper like (and hollow just like peppers) tomatoes at the farm after being so accustomed to seeing only a few types of tomatoes at my local supermarket.
Cutting into a tomato today that I received at the farm, I was immediately shocked by its flavor - it tasted so fresh and sweet unlike the commercial tomatoes I buy, which are probably picked green and ripened with ethylene gas days or weeks later. The flavors of the heirloom varieties grown at this farm and others range from very acid to very sweet with many degrees in between. I was particular surprised by the green with stripes tomato, known as the Green Zebra Tomato. Hopefully, I’ll be able to try that one soon.
I recommend anyone to check out the many sizes, shapes, flavors, and colors of heirloom tomatoes for yourself. For tips on how to successfully and uniquely incorporate them into your daily diet…well perhaps some interesting recipes will soon follow. Happy Farming!
-RStahl
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