There's an heirloom tomato out in the field right now, split down the center, and it's going to have company. Rain is forecast again for Tuesday night, the kind that comes down faster than a tomato skin can stretch to hold the moisture.
On Monday, Jeff's class came through the farm for their second visit of the school year to study the three pillars of sustainability: economic, environmental, and social/equity. They started in the Community Gardens, working in groups to spot real-world examples of each. Later this semester, they'll head out to the fields, farm store, and food pantry to see how that balancing act plays out at the farm and in our community. They'll talk about the choices we make, season to season, to keep all three in view at once.
This week, the weather is doing a lot of the teaching for us.
We want to be honest about the weather, without turning it into a complaint. Weather is a farmer's growing partner. 2026 isn't 2025, and 2025 wasn't 2024. What's changed is that "normal" no longer means "average." Lake County has already received more than 30 inches of rain this year, on pace to surpass our 37-inch annual baseline. Those numbers are reached not steadily, but in bursts with dry stretches broken by record-setting downpours.
Our fruit trees struggled this year and we're hearing the same from fruit growers around the country, so we know it's not just this region. Late spring frosts caused damage to tree blossoms and fruit to come in lighter than farmers would like. Then the rain we've received is happening right at tomato harvest time, causing the spread of soil-splash diseases. And our fall plantings are waterlogged right now. They'll usually pull through, but we're already contingency planning and replanting in parallel, hedging our bets.
If Jeff's class came looking for real-world examples of sustainability right now, here's where they'd find them:
- Economic: despite the water damage, we're still bringing this tomato harvest to you and we're now selling cases for home canning for winter. We're doing our best to keep to the quality you count on.
- Environmental: the cover crop plantings, which are holding our soil in place through these downpours, are earning their keep right now.
- Social: if you're at the CSA event on September 5th, we're happy to walk you through what we're doing, what's thriving, and what we're planning for fall. Despite the water, the farm is still a beautiful, thriving place.
- Equity: come volunteer and glean with us this fall, Saturday, September 12th. Gleaning imperfect produce makes sure it reaches neighbors who deserve access to fresh food, too.
None of this is new to farming and we will carry on the way we always have: balancing sustainability priorities, watching the fields closely and adjusting fast, and feeling gratitude for your understanding and support.
