A Cold Carrot Harvest

One experience with temperature came this week when my fellow apprentices and I were harvesting carrots. The day was particularly cold and never climbed above freezing. Looking ahead, the forecast was not much better so we decided to pull the carrots out of the cold ground while the time was fitting.

We were bundled up and outside earlier that morning doing organizational tasks, and the wind was bitterly cutting. Hence the early morning was not a suitable period for this so we hoped the sun would pop out from behind the clouds and warm the ground for us. Around noon it did just that. The wind died down and the sun shown warm on our backs.

Cavell and I were on our knees pulling out and laying the carrots in a neat row to our rear, while Kate was cracking off the tops and piling them in the green harvest bins. Cavell and I were sweating as we vigorously moved down the thirty inch by one hundred foot row. We harvested near 300 pounds of sugary sweet orange sticks in around 45-55 minutes. While this was a warm process, the outdoor hose washing was not. Only two hours later, the water spray that landed on our clothes was freezing and the wet ground beneath our feet was transforming into slippery freezing slush.

It was a fantastically refreshing experience that most people miss. I simply love farming and being in God’s creation—even with the difficulties. It is the most real thing I have ever done and connects me with the Creator in a meaningful way. I hope you will look for ways to get outside more—even when it is not so inviting.