Before and After

Summer is in full gear. Check out the before and after.

Carrots

Carrots. It all started with carrots. While we were teaching in India, one of my 9^th grade students came over and helped me plant carrots. I don’t remember why I was inspired to do so. Maybe it was because I had yard for the first time and some primal instinct told me I should have a garden. So we planted carrots. About three months later, I figured I should pull some of the carrot tops out of the ground. And much too my delight and fascination, the tops were attached to the most beautiful carrots I had ever seen, breaking up through the top layer of soil. It was magic. I threw seeds out on the ground and the tiny seeds had tapped into some sort of energy that turned them into huge, orange carrots. Miracle.

With one of my carrots back in 2009.

Fast forward a few years. I’ve had a couple years of farming experience under my belt and now have a new job (!) with Cleveland Crops. I work only a few blocks from where we live, and if you know where that is you’re probably surprised that there is a farm around. It’s an urban farm, close enough to ride my bike to everyday. One of the crops we have growing is carrots. Sometimes when I look at them, I remember how this farming journey began with carrots not so long ago. I’m once again excited to pull them out of the ground when they’re ready. I’m pretty sure that the wonder and fascination will still be there, even though I’m getting paid to do it now.

Carrot tops growing taller

A new site at my job that we're going to plant on.

Picked these zucchini the other day at our city farm.

Bees in every flower. That's a good thing. There's a striped zucchini growing underneath it.