Potatoes & Peaches

We heard that it was time to hill the potatoes out at Shore Road, home of Scythe Supply, so we had a hearty oatmeal with Molly & Damon and then all drove out to Carol's together. It was sunny, humid and a lovely morning so we all got down and weeded the rows of potatoes together, I primarily worked on rows of fingerlings and yukons. Miss. Ce fell asleep on the drive out so it was also quiet, grown-up work which is always nice, as it meant Raf and I could both really get something done! After weeding we moved onto hilling, some with hoes, hands, shuffle-hoe or claws and then we put down a generous mulch with the hay we had mowed down at the scything party back in June. Cecilia woke up and helped with the mulching, she sat in the rows drinking water and playing with potatoes or cried out to be held while we put down the mucky hay. Inside for lunch and then onto the A-frame for ice creams just as it started to rain.

I talked to my friend Adam on Saturday morning, he was at the farmer's market in Philadelphia and asked if there were anything I might like for him to bring up to me. I thought a moment and asked... "do they have any peaches?" "Oh boy Anne, DO THEY!" So I said why don't you get us $30 worth of peaches (which turns out to be about half a bushel in Pennsylvania). So Adam and Jesse arrived last night right at dinnertime with all these beautiful, juicy, white Amish peaches! Jesse was very curious as to why we would want peaches at all, not knowing that in Washington County (and Maine!) peaches are not often found and they would not be of the same quality, or low price as in PA. In fact I would say that really freshly picked, truly ripe peaches are a commodity, a luxury, a special treat! So I'll spend some time this morning cutting most of them up and flash freezing them on trays and then putting them away for smoothies and cobblers and oatmeal in winter. And of course I'll leave a generous bowl out on the counter for us to eat up fresh, letting the juice fall down our chins.