Dear friends,
On Monday I'm heading to work on a farm for 7 weeks. Yes, a farm. Specifically, Chip and Susan Planck's Wheatland Vegetable Farm, 45 miles north of Washington DC in Loudoun County, Virginia. Putting my advanced degree to use, your blogger will pick vegetables during the week and help sell them at DC-area farmers markets on the weekends. And, lest you think otherwise, Karen has endorsed this plan in exchange for inside access to a beet-squash-kale-arugula-pepper supplier.
So, how will this lawyer fare on the farm? Will he resort to flash cards to memorize tomato varieties? After ten years of office jobs can he manage manual labor? Will he somehow avoid exhaustion, boredom, and the dreaded Okra itch?
Until my final day on the farm on November 8th, I'll write here about my routine, surroundings, companions, and diversions. And, I'll answer as many of the questions you post or ask as I can. As for my favorites so far - will I be handling the farm's legal affairs and do I need to speak Spanish to be a farmhand - thankfully not and creo que no.
Off to produce,
Dan on the Farm
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Dan,
ReplyDeleteWill you be wearing overalls during any part of this adventure? If so, my inner midwesterner screams out for a photo.
Also, can eggplants be frozen? Any insider knowledge would be appreciated as my terrace plants are still going gangbusters.
Happy Farming!
Samira:
ReplyDeleteI will definitely work on getting a pic in overalls, though it will likely be sans pitchfork. As for the eggplant question, yes, you can indeed freeze eggplant. In fact, for our own consumption on the farm we just cut up a bunch into cubes and threw them in a bag in the freezer. But, Susan, one of the farm owners, also mentioned that you can roast eggplant for an hour, freeze it, and then just reheat it when you're ready to eat it.
Good luck,
Dan