Green Slime On My Face

Tortuga Thursday

In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

Nasty tomato worm

When I was young, maybe six years old, I asked Daddy at least twice a week if we could live on a farm. He humored me. "We might do that some day." I'm sure he didn't want to spoil my fantasy, but he knew I'd outgrow my farm dream. I'm not sure I outgrew the dream or shoved it to the bottom of my wish list. I think he'd get a big kick out of where I've ended up: farming with my child and, eventually, grandchild. And weeding row after row of veggies, crawling in the dirt to harvest green beans, or squishing giant green worms.

Not all golden zucchini are created equal

Giant green tomato worms! This has to rank as the nastiest thing I've done yet. They're huge and the first one I cut in half squirted green slime on my face. My technique needed improving. Organic farming means no poisons and some of these pests can only be handled one on one. Three of us entered the tomato rows with knives and clippers to do battle. We've declared war for the rest of the summer.

If Daddy were alive, I'd also have conversations with him on my daily struggle to balance my writing with farming. My old dream of farming is my son's passionate dream which I'm happy to be a part of. Writing is my current passion. But how cool is it that I can do both?

Cucumbers chilling before pickling

Around Tortuga Flats Farm, Frank is known as Pickles.

Healthy cucumber plants

The cucumbers are now harvested everyday, some times twice. Pickles is canning twenty to twenty five jars a day of pickles and relish. He's been experimenting and tweaking since last summer. His perfected recipes are now going into jars and will be marketed come fall. More to come on that!