What a Melon!

Last Wednesday, as we were packing your boxes, rain started pouring in our field. The raindrops pelting on our tin roof made a tumultuous roar and for almost half an hour we felt that winter had returned. Of course, an hour later the skies cleared up, and two days later came the Return of the Heatwave, reminding us that this is indeed the middle of June. So confusing. And yet, most of the vegetables now growing in the field and adorning your boxes are fluent “summer” speakers: squash, fakus, various pumpkins, melons, eggplant, garlic, cherry tomatoes, first stalks of corn (!), and making their debut in this week’s boxes: watermelon and Thai yard-long beans.

Meanwhile, at Chubeza we remain vegetable-growing farmers, though for a minute or two we considered planting a small fruit orchard. We have since reconsidered, opting to remain close to the earth, and compensate you with fruit boxes from various organic orchards cultivated by other farmers throughout the country.

And yet, we are very pleased to claim the glory of a couple of fruits that have become regulars in our summer boxes, because they grow calmly across the open field, not on a tree or bush. They are, of course, the melon and watermelon. Of the two, the melon precedes his tough brother, so he rates the first Newsletter spotlight.