Surely you know the French expression — chassez le naturel, il revient au galop? In our case, it applies to a problem we face yearly in one of our fields. Even the flattest of fields is never as flat as it seems…and so it is that one of our seemingly flat hayfields harbours a sizeable dip which makes for poor water evacuation every spring (and occasionally during a wet summer, like the one we’ve been experiencing). A wet field means poor hay, compacted soil and ultimately, one unhappy farmer. We finally decided take the bull by the horns, so to speak, and get to the bottom of things, literally. Four bulldozer shovelfuls later (and eight feet deeper), a water-filled excavation test had us wondering aloud about water table levels.
Indeed, one of the locals remembers when the dip in the field was a large pond, filled in years ago by a zealous farmer looking to increase his productive acreage. Given our conclusive test, we have decided to give nature a boost, or credit where credit is due, and return the dip in the field to its origins as a watering hole which, we are told, previous farm stewards used for their equine and bovine herds. Stay tuned for more on this topic…
Meanwhile, we have begun cleaning our garlic and are eager to share some with you soon. Freshly harvested garlic is nothing like anything you’ll find in the grocery store. Juicy, fragrant and crisp, it’s a key ingredient in our summer cuisine and a gastronomical treat, raw or cooked.
Last, but not least, we are sorry to inform you that we may not be able to offer zucchini this week. We apologize in advance for the zucchini withdrawal symptoms which may ensue…