Though our last post was way back in June, rest assured that we're still playing in the fields! It was a busy summer, full of heaps of produce, plenty of learning experiences and more than a few fun surprises. The farmstand was open on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the summer and was often staffed by family and friends. Our top seller by far was heirloom tomatoes. Folks were buying them straight from the vine! We also sold quite a bit of produce through locallygrown.net and Brent has enjoyed meeting other farmers and local food supporters through that market's network.
Any small farmer can tell you that there is always plenty to learn and we've been humbled this summer by all of the knowledge and hard work that goes into the production of what we put on our plates. We were frustrated by a mysterious deadly force on our tomato crop, only to discover too late that we could have prevented it. We have to thank the Cooperative Extension office for finally cracking the case. We also learned that a sweltering Georgia summer can knock even a strong man down if he isn't drinking enough fluids. We thank Athens Regional Medical Center for rehydrating Farmer Brent and instructing him on how to prevent heat exhaustion. Despite our sparkling personalities, we learned that our farmstand tends to sell just as much produce whether we are there or not. The "honor system" that we set up on off-days when the stand wasn't staff seemed to work out really well for our customers. We plan to continue that next year for the neighbors who have become our regulars throughout this season.
We were also graced with pleasant surprises throughout the summer. Farmer Brent came across great deals on greenhouse equipment, farming implements and soil amendments. His resourcefulness and good fortune has helped to keep us trucking along and looking forward to a bigger, and even better season next year. The biggest surprise of all ,though, is a personal one. We will be welcoming a new farmhand to the household next February. Baby Lopp's impending arrival only reinforces the reason why we want to be out in those fields. High quality, fresh, local food supports not only our environment, but also our local economy. We want the world to be a better place for our little guy so we're just going to keep on doing what we're doing and hopefully getting better at it every year.
