| To maintain some farming activity through 2025 we sub-leased the eastern end of the farm to Wally Czajkowski to grow squash. Thanks to the high level of soil fertility (a legacy of Simple Gifts tenure) Wally harvested a bumper crop — over 300,000 pounds of squash from the 13 acres he planted. But there is more. Wally harvested the squash in mid-September leaving the immature squash in the field. But he did not immediately follow the harvest with a cover crop planting — he left the fields alone for another four weeks and in that time many of the immature squash ripened. NACF invited Rachel’s Table (a gleaning organization in the Valley) to arrange for a small army of people to roam the fields and gather the now “second crop”. Rachel’s Table gathered another 6,000 pounds for local food kitchens and the like. And then there were the local residents who, as part of their recreational wandering gathered hundreds of pounds in addition. It makes for a nice story!  Volunteer gleaners from Rachel’s Table gather late ripening squash  Neighbors to the farm and people passing by were able to gather a few squash for themselves as well  Wally’s teams of workers doing the primary harvest — all 300,000+ lbs of it |
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