With the Dog Days of Summer now behind us it seems like an appropriate time to introduce the newest feline addition to the farm. It all started about 5 weeks ago while Jen was taking Sid and Annie our trusted farm dogs for a walk around the neighborhood in Middlefield. The two quickly became alerted to something that was hiding in the bushes, however in a more gentle way than when they smell a rodent, more like in the caring way one could expect two dogs who already live with 5 cats to react to a kitten. Meanwhile while preforming some farm tasks in Durham Joel’s phone began to ring, on the other end was Jen. “Turn on the video” she exclaimed and the image of the cutest little fluff ball appeared on the screen. “What do we do” said Jen and Joel’s reply was simple, “pick her up and bring her home” Maybe 4 weeks old this little cat was barely able to eat solid foods, still had blue eyes and hardly a tale was visible. It’s hard to know what would have happen to this little one had her new dog siblings not found her and needless to say she hit the jackpot by joining the Star Light Family. This little grey cat now needed a name so in classic SLG fashion we thought to ourselves what crop do we grow that fits this cat. Petite Gris of course, one of our favorite musk melons to grow which literally translates to little grey seemed quite fitting. Of course this more formal naming of the cat quickly took on a spin all it’s own until it became clear to us that her name would simply be Melon. Needless to say that the name is a great fit and the only thing cuter is seeing how bonded she is with the farm pups who found her and coming inside to find the three of them sleeping together on the couch.
Just because we have been talking cats and the dog days have past doesn’t mean that the Summer’s work is behind us, quite the opposite in fact. Summer is just hitting it’s mid point and the arrival of the first ripe melons of the season speak to just that. It’s tradition around here to share the first melons of the season and this past week’s heat was an excellent opportunity to enjoy this sweet treat with the crew as they ended the day with shade work. August tends to mean a lot of things but for us in screams Fall is on it’s way and the need to seed and plant in arguably at it’s most earnest. There’s broccoli and cauliflower that must be transplanted soon, over wintered onions to start, seeding carrots for Fall and Winter and of course it’s time to begin seeding that old friend of ours spinach. Meanwhile in the background the tomato waterfall continues to flow and all the large demands of the Summer harvest still loom overhead. Yes, these are good problems to have, they speak to the power of this good food movement, they speak of abundance and they speak instinctively to the our hearts and souls through good food in our bellies. Of course all of this would be nothing without the power you The Good Food People give to it each week with your unwavering support and love.
Have a Great Week