By John Pierce, Farm Fellow
Samhain, or Halloween, falls at the end of this month. The close of the harvest season approaches and the bins we use in the fields of the Allegheny Farm are overflowing with everything from tomatoes (yes, in October) to shiitake mushrooms to sunchokes.
I have become minorly obsessed with taking pictures of the incongruous, sometimes haphazard, combinations of produce that ends up in our harvest bins as we organize and reorganize for transit up the hill to the Lodge kitchen or out for donation. But, at the end of the day, few things look more aesthetically pleasing than a massive amount of the same crop, particularly in an overtly bucolic bushel basket.
Farm and surrounding forest both have offered up a dizzying array of produce these past five months. The unreal bounty I’ve experienced on the mountain is what originally drew me to the role of preservation manager in my time as a Farm Fellow, and more recently, to accept the role of Donation Coordinator on the mountain next year as a Community Fellow. I can’t wait to share all I have learned about produce – not only with the incoming Fellows, but with all of Highland County. I hope to use my time at the Highland Center to bring more of this gorgeous produce to the community. In the meantime, I wanted to share some images of our produce throughout the harvest season, so that they may also bring joy and inspiration to you.
Assorted peppers and rainbow cauliflower. 18 October.
Pungo Creek Butcher Dent Corn drying. 12 October.
Row upon row of Brassicas - Broccoli, cauliflower, Romanesco broccoli, Brussels sprouts, turnips, red Russian kale, etc. 27 September.
Topped Hakurei turnips. 27 September.
Muskmelons and Cayenne peppers. 10 September.
Chicken of the woods mushroom. 28 September.
Autumn Olives in Olivia's straw hat. 27 August.
Blueberries. 10 August.
Pears. 9 August.
Rainbow Carrots. 30 July.
Nasturtium, lemon balm, and lavender. 30 July.