CSA Week 15

~ Week A Half Share members + Full Share members ~

Sep 17, 2024

I relish in the month of September, for it greets us with rich significance, wisdom, spirituality, history, emotion, ritual. The seasonality of farming has meant that rhythms of life are aligned with the movements of the sun; the length of day determines both work & rest, growth & dormancy. And these routines, the workload imbalance of summer, can become isolating in my experience of the modern day, especially without a steady openness to the world around me.

This evening we will all move about under the bright orange Harvest Moon, known for generations as a marker of season’s end & of the upcoming equinox. This full moon has been shared within ancient farming communities as a gift of additional light, allowing for continued winter storage harvest. In anglo-saxon tradition this often meant the harvest of grains, the processing of animals raised. Today, while there are stark agricultural differences, we have moved through the longest days of sunshine, meaning the fields have offered us a bountiful flush & we shift towards a new season. The crops have aged in the soil, staved off diseases or succumb to them, grown accustomed to the life cycle of the insects, & been crafted into the meals of many. The onions are curing for the winter, the garlic has been sorted & stored, the tomatoes are pulled out of the ground, to be replaced with winter salad or cover crop.

September is a release. September is grief. Gratitude, gratitude. A beacon of hope. Sacrifice. Balance. Reflection & learning. September tells a story & I feel it in my bones. September overflows with love & the desire to share. The harvest season has and will continue to fill bellies. September is gratitude.

One of my favorite podcasts, Fair Folk on this season we are in:

Halegmonath / Holy Month ~ September