(Posted on behalf of Barbara)

After the recent rainy weather cleared, there’s been quite a wave of bird activity — many more birds than I’ve been able to identify, but in addition to the kestrel, it’s included osprey, sharp-shinned hawk, wild turkey (a dozen checking out the tomatoes in our hoop house), red-bellied woodpecker, northern flicker, belted kingfisher, hermit thrush, common yellowthroat, and (I think) a brown thrasher, though I didn’t get a good enough look to be certain.

It was s drizzly fall morning, but at one point (see photo) there were more than a dozen people around the pond admiring the visitor. S/he did not seem to mind, but kept right at work diving for delicacies, popping up to the surface, looking around, then diving some more.

Dori later provided some interesting otter facts — they can stay under water for up to 8 minutes at a time, and individuals can live up to 14 years in the wild. So, this may indeed have been the same otter who delighted us in the pond 3 years ago, a visit which led to the name now on our sign — Otter Pond.

In our two years running the CSA, we have experienced excellent growing seasons and the happy problems of overabundance.  This year members have been able to freeze, brine, can, ferment and dehydrate while eating fresh vegetables to their hearts’ content.  While one or two crops have not worked out, the overall yield has been phenomenal.

Pumpkin harvest - fun for all ages.

At peak season, our harvest schedule involves pre-picking of beans the two afternoons before distribution morning.  Bean plants are readily attacked by fungus, so it’s best to keep hands off until plants are dry; harvesting the morning of distribution isn’t feasible.  As quantities of all crops have skyrocketed, we also do some harvesting the day before because we don’t have the manpower to bring everything in, trim, wash, weigh and distribute before 9 AM pick up.

Saturday AM community work sessions –the prime time for farm participation for those who choose to be working members – lately have been dominated by harvest, but we all seem to love it, especially our weekly potato harvest which thrills kids and adults alike with the in ground treasure hunt.

On Wednesday and Sunday mornings, Nancy usually beats me to the CSA “store” to dole out potatoes, shallots, red and yellow onions, and garlic.  We don’t wash potatoes so they’ll store better and these soil covered items go in a separate box.

At 7 AM, Noel, Richard and Bridges straggle out with garden carts to join me in the field.  We’ll harvest leeks, carrots, beets, chard, kale, lettuce, mesclun and herbs.  We’ll double check squash and zucchini to make sure nothing has grown to picking size overnight.   We’ll collect all the Kirby cukes in the morning, so that if anyone feels like pickling, the results will be super crisp.

We head back to the shed to trim tops and scrub.  With most greens we just spray to remove the heat of the field, but mesclun gets triple washed and put through a salad spinner.  Trimmings get sorted according to the enthusiasms of pigs, chickens, horses, and the pet bunny.  Dregs like leek tops go to the compost.

While this work goes on, Sage, Elsbeth and Catherine join Nancy to weigh and tally the amounts we’ve harvested.  They’ll spend about an hour filling boxes for member pick ups and the local charities we help supply.

Sometimes it rains on the harvesters, and the wash buckets can feel awfully cold in spring and fall.  For the most part, we enjoy each other’s company and are amazed by the fact these gorgeous vegetables come from our land.

Learn more and sign up for shares at our CSA website.

Playing and collecting critters at Nubi Brook

Some days we would be out in the forest, building fairy houses and collecting precious items, others we would play circle games on the common, or paint and draw. Often you could look out your window and see seven small children marching out to the hayfield to play, or painting rocks on the common house porch. At 10:00 each day we had snack, on a blue blanket, spread out on whatever ground we happened to be on that day. We would eat our snacks and tell stories, and often the kids would end up laughing hysterically, or running around the blanket. Lila, an eight year old, is constantly doing cartwheels, on the porch, in the playroom, in the hayfield, on the walkway. A common phrase at camp was “Lila, no cartwheels in the Common House!” I would also often find Clara, a four year old, on my back or climbing up my legs,  asking “please can we do a flip?” Xan, Lila’s brother and Clara’s same age would come to camp each day as a different animal. Sometimes crawling, sometimes jumping, and then whispering in my ear that today he was a damselfly, or a lizard.

    My sister and I decided to run the camp when a neighbor who has two children gave us the idea. We planned each day on our own, and kept the kids in line, often using techniques our own mother used on us to prevent disagreements. We bought the materials for little green Nature Books, as we called them, so the children could tape interesting artifacts in them, draw, or write about their days. I believe that the kids really enjoyed the camp, and so did my sister and I. We learned a lot about caring for young children and had fun working together to figure out our days. Each day new surprises greeted us, from a bumped head, to a little too much cookie dough, we made our way through the two weeks laughing, smiling, running and having fun all around our wonderful home.

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For more information on monitoring aquatic health using native critters (macroinvetbrates, check out http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wmb/biomonitoring/inverts.htm).

http://blog.littleriverbedandbreakfast.com/2011/08/beautiful-bounty-from-farm.html

We’re glad to have them as neighbors and CSA members.

A typical mid-summer harvest share from Nubanusit Neighborhood

Horse friends hanging out.

“Highly Likely” pictured here on right with some 12 and 15 year old riders, is welcomed by all the Nubi Cohousing riders and their barnmates – JJ (on left), Squirt and Magic (in background). 

Neighborhood horses provide riding enjoyment both in the ring and on trail rides, companionship, learning about horse and stable care for all ages, manure for our organic Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), and beauty for the landscape.

Nothing like a good garden tour to get you to pick up!  Thanks everyone for making the perennial patch shine!  Upkeep anyone?