Farmer Kurt’s Field Notes September 6, 2025

We’ve been on the move this past week! I made three trips out to the Lorraine Food Bank, hauling wholesale loads of watermelons, peppers, tomatoes, and collards. Remember, wholesale makes up about 40% of our farm income, so it’s also got to be a part of our shuffle. The crew has been busy right alongside me, harvesting those melons, peppers, and tomatoes, plus doing lots of clean-up jobs around the farm.

The crew packs tomatoes for wholesale

We’re starting the transition from summer crops into fall crops now — pulling up plastic from finished beds, planting cover crops, and working soil for next year’s crops. It’s the constant cycle of farming.

I’ll be honest — I’ve been sneaking in some afternoon naps, too. This time of year takes it out of you, and a quick rest can go a long way.

A double rainbow over the farm

Over Labor Day weekend, I spent two full days at the S.C.R.A.P. Show (Sandusky County Restorers of Antique Power) with the boys. We had both the F20 and the Little A on display. Jed and Josiah even went to the auction and brought home some treasures: walk-behind tractors, a Cub Cadet, and — believe it or not — a wheelchair they scored for $5! I continue to watch them grow in their mechanical know-how, and it’s fun to see their confidence grow each year.

Meanwhile, Corinna traveled down to the Smoky Mountains for a women’s retreat with her coach. It was a beautiful weekend of rest and celebration for her healing journey. Unfortunately, she’s now dealing with carpal tunnel in both arms, which makes her day-to-day farm and home tasks pretty tricky. Still, if you know Corinna, you know she’ll find a way through — she’s already been living proof that food is medicine, and I know she’ll figure out a hack to heal this too.

The Markleys came to volunteer this week. They packed the fruit shares.

On the crop side: irrigation continues, since it’s been so dry for this late in the season. This will be the last week for sweet corn, so enjoy it while you can! Tomatoes are ripening slowly with the cooler temps, but progress is happening. We filled bulk tomato orders for 20 customers this past week and will be working down the list with more in the weeks to come. Thanks for your patience — this year everything just feels a little later than usual.

Looking ahead, we’ve got our Field to Table Dinner coming up on September 27th. We’re still working out the menu details with our chef, but as soon as it’s finalized we’ll begin pre-selling tickets. This is always one of the highlights of our season, and we’re really looking forward to it.

As always, thank you for being part of this farm journey with us. It’s been a weird year — everything feels just a step behind — but maybe, just maybe, it’ll all work out in the end.

See you next week,
Farmer Kurt