Happy Halloween! What a gorgeous Halloween day we’ve been blessed with. The weather couldn’t be better and the leaves are at their peak color. I find today’s share one of the most beautiful that we’ve had. It’s a great combination of colors, tastes, and it’s as fresh as it gets.

Now that Coby is gone, the harvests take a bit longer with just Turtle and I. We harvested most of yesterday and today, but since the farm work is slowing down and there aren’t as many weeds to take care of, we’ve gotten tons of things done that have been on my lists for months. Cheers to Fall!

Last week was an incredibly busy time. We were rushing to get everything done before the rains and before we went to a great grower’s conference in South Carolina. Somehow in just one day, we managed to plant out most of our garlic, seed a vast majority of our cover crops, and spread granite dust on a whole acre of land by hand. I enticed the interns by telling them if we finished all this work that we’d take an extra day before the conference to go up in the mountains of South Carolina (my old college stomping ground) for a great hiking/backpacking adventure. We managed to get it all done and we were off for a last expedition before Coby left.

We climbed a mountain, viewed a stunning 140-foot waterfall, and dove into a freezing cold mountain creek. We told stories around the campfire and made a farm fresh meal, reminiscing of all the great times we’d had throughout the season. I do have to say that I’ve become exceedingly close with the crew this year and hate that our paths must diverge, but I know we’ll always be in touch.

The CFSA conference was wonderful; we each took home new ideas and thoughts about farming. There were about 500 other growers and students in attendance who all were interested in talking about farming methods and sharing their ideas. We went to 5 different workshops and 4 farm tours. With each conference I attend, I hear many of the same things, but the interaction with the farmers is the most educational and exciting aspect for me. Many were impressed with how Serenbe Farms has grown. On that note, we’ve just topped 17,500 lbs of produce this season so far.

A note about the shares: We should’ve and would’ve had many more sweet potatoes this season, but unfortunately the flaws in our electric fencing were sought out by many hungry deer. The result is a very small amount of sweet potatoes for your consumption, but no fear, we’re getting new fencing for next season, so we’ll be sure to plant many for then.

Surveys are hot off the press. Please fill out the information and send or bring it back to us. Even if you aren’t going to rejoin next season, please give us your feedback; many others will be appreciative. I’ll send an email copy so those of you that can’t make it to distribution can still give us your feedback.

Well, back to the farm for me, I can’t get enough of this awesome fall weather!

Signs our fields are beginning to suggest that winter is becoming more distant as spring flies quickly by: