TL;DR

I washed eggs, totes, lettuce, bok choy, broccoli raab, kale, and just about everything I could see today. It’s the first week of CSA so totes are at a premium, but the produce is also premium.

Washing is (Almost) Everything

Sanitization is a key part of what keeps your produce worth buying. While the fields themselves are free from pesticides, bugs and debris still make their way into harvested produce. Pollen and dirt also are abundant in vegetables that come from the field, so washing before storing is important to make sure the CSA and market goodies get to people in good condition.

Everyone should wash their produce, whether it comes from a local farm or from a big supermarket. You never know what something from hundreds of miles away has been through, despite the chemicals used to keep it fresh over long journeys. Better to keep it local, recently harvested, and washed a little under your own control.

So while I was washing eggs, others were hand-scrubbing totes used with each CSA share member’s pickup. After I was done, I joined in. Corners, edges, crevices, holes, nooks, and crannies. Jet spray first, then soap and water with a scrub brush, sometimes a soft sponge, rinse, spray-down with sanitizer, rinse again, and then air dry. It is a lot of work, but an important part of running a farm that produces such high-quality organic produce.

For the most part, today was up at the barn doing most of the washing while three others were in the fields harvesting lettuce, bok choy, broccoli raab, and kale for this first week of our CSA.

Adjusting the Harvest to Upcoming Heat Wave

The temperatures for the past month have mostly been what one would expect for May in New England, despite an overall early and warm start to the season. Except for one or two super-early heat spikes, the next few days will be the first over 80°F days of the season.

While Jamie and another loaded up the truck and went to the pop-up farmer’s market in Essex, the other two of us harvested more bok choy for the last hour or so of the day. This was because it had already reached maturity and the likelihood of the choy bolting the next few days was high, so we took 200 of the biggest heads from almost one whole row. It’s better to harvest and store for a few days, maybe sell to local green grocers than for the whole row to bolt and become bitter.

After hauling them to the barn, we washed them and secured their space in the walk-in refrigerator. You can’t get fresher than this unless you live or work on a farm, certainly not at Whole Foods.

Phoning in Notes to My AI Assistant

It’s a bit weird to think that I’ve made it so easy to turn voice notes taken on a drive home into a process-oriented capture of my day, augmented by AI transcription (private) and summarization (below). By the time I get to writing the human part of this blog, ‘new_post.sh’ script backed by a small battalion of microservices I’ve built over the past month, is already armed with enough information to create the skeleton of the post and then I can focus on my own flavor to add.

At some point, I’ll probably play around with comparing my own writing to that of what a properly-trained LLM could generate, but that won’t be for a while I think. I write because I’m human…I don’t think of it as a cost center, but one of value, even if that’s just for myself.

For today, no significant changes to the LLM templates or accuracy, so this is what it produced:

Alright, so I've got this field note from a farm intern, and I need to break it down into its key components. Let me start by reading through it carefully. The intern talks about harvesting lettuces that are already tired from being cut at their roots. They mention using blue buckets to transport the lettuce back to the barn for washing or shading. The goal is to get the produce to market quickly, which means handling it gently and efficiently. So, what do I have here? Let's see: **Main Themes:** 1. **Post-Harvest Handling:** The emphasis on shade and immediate handling after harvest. 2. **Logistics Management:** Using blue buckets and efficient transport methods. 3. **Market Timeliness:** Ensuring produce is fresh enough for market. **Activities Performed:** - Harvesting lettuces. - Loading them into blue buckets using a truck. - Transferring to the barn for washing or shading. - Keeping lettuce in shade to prevent stress. **New Experiences:** - The process of handling lettuce post-harvest, which might be new to someone without farming experience. - Using specific transport methods like blue buckets. **Questions and Future Research:** - How long can lettuce stay fresh after harvest? - What's the most efficient way to transport it? **Suggestions for Actions:** - Implement quicker harvesting to reduce stress on lettuce. - Use shade structures or covers during transport. - Explore better storage solutions. I think I've got the main points. Let me make sure I'm not missing anything. The intern also mentions that the lettuce is tired after being cut, so stress management is key. They use blue buckets for transport, which might be a specific method worth noting. Is there anything else? Oh, they talk about moving produce to the barn and either washing or shading it. So, the handling process beyond just transport. Okay, I think that covers it. Now, let me put this together in a clear, consolidated summary.

Consolidated Summary:

Main Themes:

1. Post-Harvest Handling: Emphasis on providing shade and immediate care to prevent stress after harvest.
2. Logistics Management: Utilization of blue buckets for efficient transport to shaded areas.
3. Market Timeliness: Ensuring fresh produce is delivered timely to meet market demands.

Activities Performed:

• Harvesting lettuces from the field.
• Loading into blue buckets using a truck.
• Transferring to the barn for washing or shading.
• Keeping lettuce in shade to prevent heat stress.

New Experiences:

• Specific use of blue buckets and post-harvest handling processes, which may be unfamiliar to those without farming experience.

Questions and Future Research Areas:

1. How long can lettuce remain fresh after harvest?
2. What are the most efficient transport methods to maintain quality?

Suggestions for Actions:

• Implement faster harvesting techniques.
• Invest in shade structures or covers for transport vehicles.
• Explore alternative storage solutions to enhance freshness retention.

This summary captures the essential aspects of the field note, highlighting key processes and considerations for managing produce post-harvest.

Part 1

Okay, so I'm trying to figure out what the main themes are from this farm note. Let me read through it again and see what stands out. The intern starts by talking about washing eggs for 38 dozen by themselves, which took two and a half hours. Then they mention cleaning buckets of different colors—green, orange, and flat white ones. These were used for harvesting tomatoes last season because stacking them would bruise them. Now they're used by CSA members who pick up in bulk. After washing eggs and buckets, the intern helped harvest produce like lettuce, bok choy, broccoli rabe from the field. They washed these produce again. Then they had lunch, went back to wash more, and harvested bok choy with another person, which took about 200-230 plants. They noticed that if not harvested soon due to heat, the bok choy might bolt, making it bitter. Now, thinking about themes: It seems like a lot of the work is about washing and preparing various items for farm operations. The buckets have different uses depending on the season, which shows adaptability in farming practices. The emphasis on quick washing after harvesting suggests understanding that freshness matters for quality and sale. Activities listed include washing eggs, cleaning buckets, harvesting and washing produce, and working with CSA members. They also mention specific tasks like harvesting bok choy before heat affects their taste. They talk about the utility of flat totes for harvesting tomatoes and later for CSA pickups, which shows that tools can have multiple uses, requiring maintenance. Questions they might have: How do these flat totes compare in effectiveness to other containers? What's the best method for washing produce quickly without losing quality? How does timing of harvest affect taste or sellability? Suggestions could include investing in better washing systems, training on efficient harvesting techniques, and possibly experimenting with different container types. I'm not sure if I covered all areas. Maybe the adaptability of tools is a theme, the importance of timely harvests, and the physical labor involved in repetitive tasks.

Main Themes:

1. Adaptability in Farming Tools: The use of versatile containers like flat totes demonstrates how farming tools can be repurposed for different tasks based on seasonal needs.

2. Efficiency in Produce Handling: The emphasis on quick washing and harvesting highlights the importance of efficiency to maintain produce quality and meet market demands.

3. Seasonal Adjustments: The adjustment in tool usage from tomato harvesting to CSA pickups reflects the dynamic nature of farming practices across seasons.

Activities:

• Washing eggs and cleaning buckets.
• Harvesting and washing various produce (lettuce, bok choy, broccoli rabe).
• Collaborative harvesting of bok choy with another person.
• Managing tasks for CSA members.

New Information:

• The use of flat totes for both harvesting tomatoes and bulk pickups by CSA members.
• The impact of heat on bok choy flavor when not harvested promptly.

Questions and Future Research:

1. How do the flat totes compare in effectiveness to other containers?
2. What methods can be employed to wash produce quickly without affecting quality?
3. How does the timing of harvest affect the taste or marketability of crops like bok choy?

Suggestions for Action:

1. Invest in efficient washing systems or tools.
2. Train staff on efficient harvesting and washing techniques.
3. Explore alternative container types that might offer better utility.

This analysis captures the key aspects of the farm note, focusing on practical tasks, adaptability, efficiency, and the need for future research to enhance farming operations.

Part 2

Okay, so I just read through this field note from a farm intern, and I need to figure out the main themes, what activities they did, any new things encountered, questions or future areas of research, and if there are suggestions for actions. Let me start by breaking it down step by step. First, the main themes. The intern talks about handling lettuces that were just harvested. They mention how these lettuces are already tired from being cut from their roots and need to be kept in the shade to prevent them from getting too hot. So, I think the first theme is post-harvest care of produce, specifically lettuce. The second theme seems to be about logistics of transporting and storing harvested produce—like using blue buckets and a truck to move them back to the barn for washing or shading. Third, there's a mention of being able to get produce to market quickly because it's fresh, which ties into meeting market demand. Next, activities done by the intern. They harvested lettuces, moved them from the field to the truck using blue buckets, transported these to the barn, and then either dumped them into water or kept them shaded. So that's four activities: harvesting, transporting, moving to the barn, and washing or shading. Now, for new things not yet encountered. The intern talks about using blue buckets and a specific process of handling lettuce after harvest. They mention moving produce back to the barn and the importance of shade. I'm assuming this is standard practice in farming, but if someone hasn't worked on a farm before, this could be something new. Questions and future areas of research: The intern doesn't directly ask questions, but they do talk about the importance of handling lettuce quickly after harvest and how to manage the logistics efficiently. So maybe future research would involve optimizing the process—like finding better shade options or more efficient transportation methods. Also, understanding the ideal conditions for storing harvested produce could be another area. Suggestions for actions: The intern seems to suggest that you have to act quickly when harvesting lettuce, use proper storage methods like shade and water, and make sure transport systems are efficient. So specific actions would be implementing faster harvest processes, providing adequate shading during transport or after harvest, and investing in better storage solutions. Wait, but I need to make sure I'm not missing anything. The intern also mentions the market demand and being able to get produce to the market quickly, so that ties into supply chain efficiency. Maybe another theme is about meeting market demands timely. So perhaps that's a separate theme. Let me check if I covered everything. Themes: post-harvest care of lettuce, logistics and transport methods, and meeting market demand with fresh produce. Activities: harvest, move to truck, transport to barn, wash/shade. New things: possibly the specific use of blue buckets and understanding how to manage lettuce after harvest. Questions: How long can lettuce be stored without damage? What's the best method for transporting harvested lettuce? Future research could involve these storage times and methods. Suggestions: Invest in better shade structures, have more transport vehicles ready, maybe develop faster harvesting techniques. I think that covers it. Now I should structure this into a clear answer with each section as requested.

Answer:

Main Themes:

1. Post-Harvest Care of Lettuce: The intern emphasizes the importance of providing shade and immediate handling to prevent lettuce from becoming stressed after harvest.
2. Logistics and Transport Methods: Efficient transport using blue buckets and ensuring produce is moved to shaded areas quickly is highlighted.
3. Meeting Market Demand: The ability to deliver fresh produce to market efficiently is noted as crucial.

Activities Performed:

1. Harvesting lettuces from the field.
2. Loading harvested lettuce into blue buckets and a truck for transport.
3. Moving produce to the barn for shading or washing.
4. Ensuring lettuce is kept in shade after transport to prevent heat stress.

New Experiences:

• The specific use of blue buckets and the process of transporting and storing produce post-harvest, which may be unfamiliar to those without farming experience.

Questions and Future Research Areas:

1. How long can lettuce be stored after harvest before it becomes unsuitable for market?
2. What are the most efficient methods for transporting harvested lettuce to ensure quality retention?

Suggestions for Actions:

1. Implement faster harvesting techniques to reduce stress on produce.
2. Invest in shade structures or coverings for transport vehicles to protect produce during transit.
3. Explore alternative storage solutions that maintain produce freshness and reduce stress.

This structured approach ensures that the key points are addressed, providing a comprehensive understanding of the intern’s activities and implications.