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Long ago a farmer mentor of mine said something along the lines of "don't make major life decisions in August. Everyone's hot and tired and on the verge of burn out". It's the time when everything on a vegetable farm has to be done at once - beds need to be replanted or cover cropped, weeds are growing faster than ever, there's so much to harvest, and a lot of fall crops need to get in the ground now if they're going to have enough hours of light before the fall equinox.

Maybe it's climate change, or maybe it's me, but for the last 5 years, I get that "August feeling" in July. In an attempt to prevent burn out, Mustard Seed Farm takes a 2 week break from farm subscription distribution in July so we can stay on top of all the fieldwork tasks and (maybe, just maybe) take a break! Some farmer folk think it's foolish to take a break in July, but I say we'd be foolish (and maybe quitting) if we didn't.

Cycles of rest are deeply coded in our ecosystems and in our very bodies. Cycles of rest and cycles of focused action are also adaptable to new realities. Hotter dryer summers require us to minimize soil disturbance or tillage if we want to make the most of soil moisture that crops need.

Maybe you have examples in your own life of how rest and action need to shift if you're going to get through new challenges.

Here's a parable from soil microbiology: when we act alone, there might be a tiny shift. When we act as an organized group, big shifts are possible. Our real power lies in our ability to form webs of relationship, to act in solidarity when for example, someone else's water quality is threatened, knowing that our own is downstream.

We have 14 weeks left of our farm share subscription! We still have memberships open - you can join just in time for tomato season, gourmet purple striped garlic, red and blue potatoes, heirloom carrots, and lots more of our fresh local veggies.

-Your farmers, Marykate, Lindsey, and Becky ​www.mustardseedfarmer.com​

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