By India Fleming-Klink, Farm Fellow
Each transition of the season here on the mountain feels even more magical than the last.
As we prepare for the colder months ahead, I feel the warmth of abundance and the lessons the trees, goldenrod, and insects are ready to share. I am filled to the brim with gratitude and awe of both being a part of and witness to these seasonal transitions. I feel such a strong sense of groundedness and openness as we celebrate and prepare for each new season with their accompanying rituals.
Every morning, on our way down to the farm, we walk through a sea of goldenrod intermixed with purple asters.
With the morning sunlight rising, the gold and purple flowers sparkle with the most vibrant colors and I am greeted with songs of crickets and other insects singing in harmony.
I say good morning to the big sugar maple down in the cow pasture, its leaves changing to deep bright red.
We have been doing a lot of canning the past few weeks - another seasonal ritual that fills me with gratitude. The practice of food preservation has existed for millennia as a form of resistance and liberation. We are swimming in jars of tomato sauce to keep the next cohort’s bellies warm and full, leaving the lingering taste of sweet summer and a tastebud teaser for the next tomato season.
Cooler seasons also mean it's winter squash time! The color patterns of winter squash - kabocha green, bright yellow, and pestle mustard- are everything for me. I want to embody the colors of our winter squash. A practice of patience, I watch as they sit and cure for several weeks after harvest.
Transitions have always been challenging for me. But, bearing witness to the seamlessness and harmony of the seasonal transitions in nature, makes my experience of change feel less challenging. As I go into the fall and winter seasons, I carry old and new rituals of gratitude, patience, openness, and awe.
Comments