The Harvest Bee Blog

Good Morning, Friends; A revelation came to me in the middle of the night during the most recent uncanny storm of the winter that swooped through early Monday night/Tuesday morning. I laid awake for hours, or thought is seemed, as I could hear the thunder booming and see the lightening flashing off the coast. Eerily did that storm approach, as if it was almost saying to us farmers, "Ha, just when you thought the weather was settling after the bouts of storms that passed through a few weeks ago, here I come!" and I am saying, "Just hurry up and get it over with." Then came the horrendous alarm over the phone for a possible tornado. That's when it hit me...the meaning of Faith, especially when it comes to farming. I know that we all come from different religious or spiritual backgrounds or maybe some choose to not believe in these at all. To each their own and those beliefs or non-beliefs are to be respected by all because we truly are on our own journeys. That being said, I do not intend share a definition faith based on any specific religious or spiritual principles, but rather from a general and holistic stand point. Faith, I realized that night, was entirely about love. Faith may or may not be the answer to what cannot be explained, as we so often here in religious circles. But I think it goes way deeper than that. Faith is not blind. It is very real and very visible. It is the belief that when things can go real shitty, when you know you have tried hard, but now you have to try even harder to make something work and are willing to do that because you just have so much love for what you are working towards and/or creating and that you know it is worth every ounce of energy you put into it and then finding the energy you didn't think you had to go even further. Faith is trusting that everything really will work out, not because of some erroneous belief and that it just has to. That kind of simplistic thinking, I believe, allows too much room for complacency and I, as much as anyone, admit guilt in having succumbed to that in the past and even in the present. When things get difficult, sometimes you do want to just throw your hands up and your shovels down and walk away. Then the love kicks in, as if it was there the whole time, just waiting for you to let go and let it in and let it do its thing. Thus, ultimately, faith...at least in this farmer's mind...it the true belief that even when everything around you seems to be crashing and burning, or wilting and cracking in the end, love will win and the food will grow, the people shall eat! Ok, now I am sounding like a Karl Marx trooper. Anyways....(too much coffee, or not enough?) Of course, this idea of faith can be applied to all areas of life, other professions, extracurricular activities, relationships with loved ones. With so much, nastiness popping up on the daily news and certainly with Mother Nature being a little tough on the fields down here this season it's easy to ask, and I quote the boy band Hanson (don't make fun of me 'cause I used to truly dance to this song): "Where's the Love? Well, it is there. Always hovering. Always hugging. Just waiting to show us all how much more powerful it is than any strange storm patterns or serious war. And so, we farm on focusing on only what needs to be done at this exact moment to spur the growth of plants, bees, and hens and allowing love to reign supreme. And to what really matters, I guess ;-). In this week's shares you will find the following: Kale Mix of Arugula Swiss Chard Red Leaf Lettuce Spring Onions Green Sweet Bell Peppers 1 Pack of Herbs Here is a real simple recipe for some stuffed bell Peppers tat incorporates the Swiss Chard, as well. http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015231-stuffed-peppers-with-red-rice-chard-and-feta Thank you all for your faith in what small farmers do and see you at pick-ups :-) "Onen," The Bees