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Running a Berry Farm |
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The stress of fruit farming comes from not only all the urgent
chores, but also from knowing that the strawberry season lasts
only about three weeks. Fruit farming is definitely not for
people who need predictable and orderly lives. It's conceivable
that one major upset—a fierce storm or an unusually timed
ripening—will obliterate our plans. It's hard for people
to imagine, but the profit from selling strawberries for those
three weeks has to last the rest of the year and into the following
summer. That's why many strawberry farmers have other incomes,
such as farming other crops or having another job.
After the strawberry season, our farm work goes back to a less
urgent pace. Some time in August (depending on the weather,
of course), it's time to renovate the strawberry fields. The
bushy rows are narrowed with a rototiller, and a mower takes
the tops off all the plants, making them look like they've all
had a military buzz cut. It might seem as though we are killing
our plants, but, in fact, this forces them to grow strong roots
for the future.
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the weeding (always the weeding!), we don't touch the
plants much until the cold weather sets in, around October
or November. Again, we watch the weather closely until
several days with freezing temperatures are predicted.
That's when we bed down every plant with a straw covering.
It can be unpleasant, lifting heavy bales until you are
drenched in sweat and have straw dust blackening your
nostrils. |
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The
author's father and owner of the berry farm Jack Dekok
enjoys the fruit of his labor. |
So, why am I back in the fields every year? I truly am not a
farmer at heart, but every spring I find myself yearning to
be outdoors. I love not being able to speed up the process of
working the land. It's one way to remind myself to relax and
enjoy what's in front of me.
But most of all, I enjoy seeing the fruits of our labor and
providing our customers with a product they love. There's nothing
quite like tasting a warm juicy strawberry picked fresh off
the vine on a summer's day. I know how much work goes into each
little berry, and I know that we get as much out of the land
as we put into it. It's such a basic formula. It's raw and it's
real. It's home.
Debora Dekok
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Other Articles from this Issue |
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