I haven't written in a while, last week was pretty crazy. I spent this evening making pastas, cutting up melons (which were either cracked or partially moldy on the outside - I told you that farmers keep the imperfect stuff for themselves), and making pumpkin bread. During this time, I had a lot of thinking to do, but my mind kept revolving back to this idea of patience.
Patience is required on a farm. Patience for late spring so the fields can be tended, patience for the last frost so the fields can be planted. Patience for rain, or patience for heat. Even more patience for when the food will be ready. Trust me, when you look into a field and see acorn and butternut squashes, melons and corn, things that take awhile to ripen, it is so hard not to go pull one off the vine (or husk), cook it, and gobble it up. But it won't be good, the flavor will be missing, the quality not there. It won't be everything that you picked it for, because in farming, it takes time, and though patience isn't always easy, the fruits of your labors are worth it.
Well, lately, I've noticed a strong sense of losing my patience. I have no patience for other people (that was evident in the last farmer's market post), no patience for myself, and a lack of patience for my husband. As I looked back and read my last farmer's market post, I realized I wasn't being patient with people. You see, my wise father-in-law told me that instead of getting frustrated, I should take the time to educate people about why our food is more expensive and why it is important that they eat organic, sustainably grown food. I realized I wasn't giving the people of Green Bay time to realize how important it is to eat local, delicious, biological food. I mean, we don't live in San Francisco - it takes time to change. Well, last week, I decided to take really take on this patient and educational approach.
A woman came up to me and asked about our Swiss Chard - she had heard about it on Dr. Oz. I explained how delicious it is, and some various ways to use it in recipes. She asked how much for a half-pound bag, and I responded "$3.75." She said, "Wow, really, is it worth that?" That was my chance - the door was opened. I explained the price, and also explained how most greens, like Swiss Chard, kale, and lettuce, are very vulnerable to pesticides and chemicals, as they are absorbed right into the leaf - it can't be washed away. I tried my best to be sincere and patient, and thought I did a good job. Well, when I finished my little speech, she said, "Well, Dr. Oz recommended eating Swiss Chard, but he never said a word about it being organic or local, so I'm going to pass." While it was tempting to shake my head in frustration, I didn't. I decided to stay patient - because maybe in a week she will come back. And if not, at least she will eat non-organic Swiss chard, which is better than eating no greens at all.
I also haven't been very patient with Luke lately. I have been jumpy and over-reactive, largely because I'm stressed from combining the work of farming, and school (especially when adding an AP course). Luke wasn't ready to leave at the time I had told him because he needed to check the greenhouse and feed the chickens - I was so frustrated because in my mind, we were running late, again. However, I know in my heart that I need to be patient because he is working so very hard for us, and I need to appreciate that.
I am trying to take a new initiative - a call for patience - in my work, on the farm, and in my marriage. Just as I must be patient for the underside of the acorn squash to turn orange before picking it, I must learn that not everything can happen at the moment I demand it, and that in life, most things are worth the wait!
No comments:
Post a Comment