Fall is a special time here on the farm. It is largely a time spent preparing for the long winter to come and while it is a lot of work, it is a beautiful time of year as the temperatures cool and the leaves begin to change.
I am looking forward to slowing down a little after a very busy summer. Now that the pandemic is starting to normalize, things are slowly returning to pre-pandemic times. The farmer’s markets were extremely busy this year compared to last now that people are getting vaccinated and comfortable with moving about the community.
We have plenty of fruits and vegetables to get us through the winter. We have a pig at the butcher which will provide some protein for the winter and Jim will be hunting deer this fall and filling the freezer with venison.
Jim’s birthday was last month and I bought him the best climbing tree stand that I could afford to use for deer hunting this year on the farm. It was the least I could do. He works so hard and deer hunting is a great outlet for him where he can be alone and recharge, not to mention help feed our family.
At this point, all of our crops have been harvested and the loft in the barn is full of hay. We have been mending some of the fences and winterizing the farm equipment. We still have apples to pick and the kids are looking forward to that and the apple pies that will not be far behind.
Speaking of the kids, they love fall on the farm. The weather is nice and cool and soon there will be piles of leaves to jump in and pumpkins to carve. I hope they can trick or treat this year for Halloween. It is the kids that I worry about most having to deal with the pandemic.
That is about it for fall on the farm. I’m sure that I will be sharing my thoughts about winter on the farm soon. Winter is a long and dark season that requires a lot of strength to get through until spring, but we will make it. We always do.