Berenjena

Full sun all day through, heavy humidity sunk over the afternoon. Temperature was between 88-92F.


Stretch, NYU and I started off the day-- we ran over to the forest fields to lend Bah and Old Rudolpho's crew a hand picking eggplant and basil. Big-Jay was in today (Jay-Jay's father and Old Rudolpho's youngest son). We got 3 crates worth of basil and filled 10 buckets of big/oriental/fairytale eggplant. Seems that Old Rudolpho has had enough of hand gestures, so taught me the Spanish words for everything in the field then asked for the English equivalent. The store was going crazy in preparation for the double markets/CSA-- the boss called us over and we filled up all the crates and trays for market.

The boss, his daughter and Rhode Island rumbled off in the van-- back to real work. We joined the crew and picked string beans until lunch.


Today was Stretch's last day. NYU and I hung around chatting with him in the parking lot, wishing him luck at next week's game. Waved after as he pulled out of the grass field, see ya later friend-- might be the last I see of him.

After lunch NYU and I got the everything set for the second market and laid out most of the CSA produce. Then back to the beans. Bah was out pulling blackberries, so we hunkered down for more Spanish lessons with Old Rudolpho and family. It took another 4 hours of straight picking before the field was clear. The foreman was turning over all the spent fields-- the first few rounds of sweet corn has passed so he cut 'em all down. NYU and I pulled the irrigation line out of the lettuce field and stacked the pipes by the roadside-- no more lettuce, so they were all churned under the soil. Bah ran over beforehand and took 10 heads for home-- but I don't know how he can stomach it, once we stopped watering the leaves become very bitter-- like biting into a maple leaf.

With the beans picked, we made our way over to the tomato fields. We picked 40+ buckets worth of Rose tomatoes-- dirty rotten work, there's nothing like that mucousy tomato feel/stench. That said, there were much fewer bad ones today-- guess the fungicide did the trick. Closing time came around with half the section covered. The foreman brought the tractor around and I piled all the buckets onto the loader and rotor attachment-- then down around to the barn to unload. Sorting and shining tomorrow I bet-- but it was time to get home.

Tired week and tomorrow is NYU's last day--whelp, that's how it goes.
Take it easy.