You wouldn't think you'd EVER get tired of a beautiful plump fresh just-picked tomato in the summer. Or, for that matter, a giant mxing bowl of red red strawberries...or a five-gallon glass jar of liquid-gold honey...but you do. We know that about two weeks from now, this summer's tomatoes will be history - but Will picks into the night and I grab and set out tomatoes on every possible surface...and it's late and we haven't had dinner yet and I'm just plain tired. I must work harder on staying in the moment...one moment to the next, it's a pretty nice situation to be in!Will tells me he keeps a tomato on his desk at work...in order to admire it's many excellent qualities. See? Thats the type of mind-frame I need! But first, let me drive the 80 lbs of tomatoes into Baton Rouge to the natural food store...then I'll think about sitting and admiring a single fruit.
If you have to wipe off the squash and put up the okra anyway, you might as well have a little fun...this does not compare to Will's famous zucchini art from a few years ago (somewhere on this blog in the way-back machine)...
and then, when the critters started letting us know it was ready,
...and 
So here is a closeup of the coon party - which takes place at night
ok. Will is on call, and has to be at a meeting this moring (Saturday). So I'm on my own. And this after a late Friday night of harvesting and CSA activity...and we groggily get up before 6 a.m...but I'm determined to pull it off by myself. Of course, there is no 'by myself', because the whole point of the CSA is COMMUNITY! Lo and Behold...only women showed up this morning. And I mean, only women. Lots of them. Seems that the husbands and/or significant others were 'too tired' to come with, It was a beautiful thing, let me tell you. The women pulled bean plants out of the field, sat around and pulled all of the beans (red beans this time), 
packed all of the baskets and got it done, by god. By the time Will got back home, it was mostly over. 
Late in the morning, a couple of guys showed up. I was ready to tease them mercilessly...but each had a baby strapped to his body so what can you say? They deserved a reprieve...because mom was at home enjoyng a minute of alone-ness. 
A good day. all in all. And the end of Week 5.
Horticulture beans first - Red Beans next.
'...and what does that have to do with this picture?' you ask: well, that's easy. Volunteer sunflowers in the potato rows! These CSA members yanked them up and hauled them over to the carport...to cut off the flowers...to give someone sunflowers to take home. 
And here we have a father and son going through the childrens garden to see what could be picked...in my opinion, dad had more fun!
But that's ok - so far. This is the first crop of corn, and it hadn't germinated very well. Will planted field peas in the spaces. It's going to be picked and pulled down tomorrow. The other stand of corn is so so beautiful. Don't know how we'll combat the birds, but that's next weeks problem. In the meantime, tomatoes are spilling out of the field and greenhouse and into the carport (and of course the kitchen). The tomatoes don't exactly jump and roll towards the house, but I wish they could. One of the more ominous jobs is braving the greenhouse and picking the tomatoes. The rows are close together and the first tomatoes are very low to the ground. And it is a million degrees in there. So yesterday morning I got out there at 6:30 to tackle it. In addition, a 5 gallon bucket of tomatoes weighs - I don't know - maybe 70 lbs. Maybe I'm wrong there, but I''m not that far off. If I start at the back, I wind up pushing the bucket in front of me as I kind of crawl forward. The bucket is full before I reach the front. Haul it out, get another. Not a pleasant task, sad to say. Picking tomatoes in the field will be easier.
