Building Farm Muscle

Some quintessential fall weather has enveloped the farm, and we couldn't be happier. Sweet potatoes are out of the ground, safe and sound in storage, converting starch to sugar while curing. The yield and quality look good this year, not record breaking, but at least meeting expectations. Probably 4,000-5,000 pounds were hand dug, carried and loaded onto the truck, and upended to create Sweet Potato Mountain in a rodent-proof warm room to hasten the curing process. Close to 2000 pounds of beets were then harvested during Sunday's workshift, loaded in the truck, and unloaded into cold storage.

The sweet potato harvest always takes a toll on my body, mostly in the form of deep muscle soreness from carrying and unloading all of the 60-70 pound bins, but this year we also had to deal with wetter and heavier soil, at least to start the week. As time went on and we moved uphill the beds dried out a bit more. Now that I've entered my 5th decade I realize that a good way to feel young is to remain physically active and in good health. It's also nice to accomplish something useful through strenuous physical activity.

A big thank you to everyone who was able to help out this past week!