hey ho off to work we go
Sep. 13th, 2026 05:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
unicorndukeas of right now, we have harvested 25 bins (the big watermelon bins you see during summer are short bins that we use for small or delicate things, we pick regular pumpkins into tall bins which are four feet tall, both short and tall bins are the square footage of a pallet) of things from one field. this is fantastic. they are the specialty stuff, so tiny pumpkins, gourds, hubbards, edible squashes like delicata, acorn, spaghetti, the neat storage watermelon, white pumpkins, tiny white pumpkins, warty things, etc etc. I'm pleased with our progress picking and this coming week we'll start picking the full size pumpkins since they weren't quite ready yet. The stems were still soft. The biggest issue with all these bins is storage. I cleaned out the heifer shed which has a rough concrete floor and stuffed 10 bins in there, there's 10 in the old pole barn and another five actually in our selling area. there's a small tent we put up for storage and we stage bins in one grass area and cover them with plastic to protect the cardboard. however. I still need to clear and mow those areas, so I can't store bins there yet. that's my high priority for tuesday.
This coming week I'm focusing on selling area setup with the goal that my employees will do a bunch of the tedious bits this coming weekend (setting up the string maze, laying out the parking lot lines, etc). I'm hoping to spend at least 2 hours every day this week harvesting pumpkins which should be 3-4 tall bins every day working by myself and up to eight with another person on the days I have employees.
This year has been a real eye opener in terms of what work I'm not thrilled with having to do. A big one is being the customer facing person for everything. I don't mind making decisions on tasks even if my prioritization could use some work, I don't mind doing the work, long hours etc. I don't even mind managing employees even if I know I'm not that good at it (mostly the chit chat and I dunno, being personable? ugh). But there's something about having to call and email people all the time that drives me nuts.
I'm actually doing quite well mentally, we moved my parents laundry machines and dressers over to their house last night and moved the washer from their place over to mine plus the extra dryer from the rental which we don't actually know if it works. I have no idea really where it came from or what the story is. the renters do have a dryer. shrugs. if it doesn't work, I have a clothesline. I feel really settled, it's amazing. I knew I was struggling with limbo but this is truly amazing how much better I feel now that the difficult roommates are out. They aren't really difficult, we just aren't compatible as roommates.
I am in fall mode, which means that I can't make my saturday night hangouts with Jade which stinks because I'll miss her but she got a very ominous email from her work on thursday that makes it sound (to my ear) that there might have been some sort of very bad fraud/money problems but no further details other than they aren't getting new clients starting monday. so she's really worried about having a job come monday. she's in good shape as far as having savings for a few months but she's in limbo which is really not good and no one, even the regional director of her area knows what's happening so big yikes. so I'm going to try and check in with her via text more than we usually do during the week. I did show her my completed shawl (separate post about that) and she thought it was cool, so I offered it to her and she wants it so it has a good home already!
tomorrows tasks are calling people who might be interested in working for us to round out our register people, emails and running to wegmans for specialty baking supplies, then making food. there's so much good produce right now, so I'm going to be making roasted delicata squash and chickpeas plus brown rice and maybe some ground turkey. plus sweet corn and jalapeno. I forgot how much I like a sauteed corn and jalapeno side. so good. need more fruit too. baking is going to be a double batch of chocolate chip cookies, pita breads and something else tasty for this week. I'm not thrilled with how few things I have baked and in the freezer but so be it. I also need to stock up on some staples like ketchup which I use infrequently but given I'm currently eating chicken nuggets and tatertots plain right now, I do need them.
This coming week I'm focusing on selling area setup with the goal that my employees will do a bunch of the tedious bits this coming weekend (setting up the string maze, laying out the parking lot lines, etc). I'm hoping to spend at least 2 hours every day this week harvesting pumpkins which should be 3-4 tall bins every day working by myself and up to eight with another person on the days I have employees.
This year has been a real eye opener in terms of what work I'm not thrilled with having to do. A big one is being the customer facing person for everything. I don't mind making decisions on tasks even if my prioritization could use some work, I don't mind doing the work, long hours etc. I don't even mind managing employees even if I know I'm not that good at it (mostly the chit chat and I dunno, being personable? ugh). But there's something about having to call and email people all the time that drives me nuts.
I'm actually doing quite well mentally, we moved my parents laundry machines and dressers over to their house last night and moved the washer from their place over to mine plus the extra dryer from the rental which we don't actually know if it works. I have no idea really where it came from or what the story is. the renters do have a dryer. shrugs. if it doesn't work, I have a clothesline. I feel really settled, it's amazing. I knew I was struggling with limbo but this is truly amazing how much better I feel now that the difficult roommates are out. They aren't really difficult, we just aren't compatible as roommates.
I am in fall mode, which means that I can't make my saturday night hangouts with Jade which stinks because I'll miss her but she got a very ominous email from her work on thursday that makes it sound (to my ear) that there might have been some sort of very bad fraud/money problems but no further details other than they aren't getting new clients starting monday. so she's really worried about having a job come monday. she's in good shape as far as having savings for a few months but she's in limbo which is really not good and no one, even the regional director of her area knows what's happening so big yikes. so I'm going to try and check in with her via text more than we usually do during the week. I did show her my completed shawl (separate post about that) and she thought it was cool, so I offered it to her and she wants it so it has a good home already!
tomorrows tasks are calling people who might be interested in working for us to round out our register people, emails and running to wegmans for specialty baking supplies, then making food. there's so much good produce right now, so I'm going to be making roasted delicata squash and chickpeas plus brown rice and maybe some ground turkey. plus sweet corn and jalapeno. I forgot how much I like a sauteed corn and jalapeno side. so good. need more fruit too. baking is going to be a double batch of chocolate chip cookies, pita breads and something else tasty for this week. I'm not thrilled with how few things I have baked and in the freezer but so be it. I also need to stock up on some staples like ketchup which I use infrequently but given I'm currently eating chicken nuggets and tatertots plain right now, I do need them.
no subject
Date: 2026-09-14 12:34 am (UTC)That sounds like a vastness of squash.
Hurrah for feeling settled!
If Jade winds up unemployed (avert!, signs against evil, etc.) would you be willing to have them as a customer relations person? (Since it sounds like they're OK with talking to people?)
Recently ran into a soy-free soy sauce that does indeed taste like something, but unfortunately it's fermented from peas and it's got an aftertaste like the dust off of "these are too old to make soup" dried peas. So staying in-stock on condiments seems like a really good plan!
no subject
Date: 2026-09-14 01:38 pm (UTC)We made a couple of jokes about Jade helping out since she's so good at customer service now and when we lived together in MD, she did admin work for the same company I worked for. But she lives in NYC now so unless things go really wrong, she probably won't move back here. But she knows she has a place here if she ever needs it and my help moving if needed too.
My big gripe is that condiments only seem to come in large quantities, same with pasta sauce. I don't need enough ketchup for a family of four, I'd love a quarter size ketchup bottle or small pasta sauce or small milk. Alas. I usually get the smallest size, use 1/2 to 3/4 of it and then toss. A smart person would make their own ketchup but in what spare time? The milk, I just buy mostly cream and use that or water it down if it's too much.
no subject
Date: 2026-09-14 02:44 pm (UTC)Squash being an entirely cromulent foodstuff, I think you're right!
(Got anywhere you can post squash recipes in association with the farm business?)
I've never tried freezing ketchup and it's hard to imagine it'd go well. (Never mind the fight to get some out of the big bottle in a controlled way!) "Go weird" probably helps with quantities; I doubt Costco sells mushroom ketchup at all, never mind in their usual robust sizes. Wouldn't help with the price in any way, though.
no subject
Date: 2026-09-14 07:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-09-14 09:21 pm (UTC)