Price supports rarely benefit small farmers.
Expectations
When I was growing up on the (high, dry, and fairly cold) plains of the Dakotas, watermelon was considered a luxury. We grew the majority of our own food, and ripening melons in that climate involved starting the seeds indoors and transplanting to the garden, many nights of covering the young plants to protect them from late frosts, and of course countless pails of water to keep them going. So while my sisters and I were free to grab tomatoes, cucumbers, etc, from the garden as we wished, watermelon was different. Watermelon required permission.
But one day, with our parents away in town, my sister Betty and I had a powerful craving for watermelon. We picked an enormous Charleston Grey, sliced into that juicy red flesh, and dug in. Nirvana. But we hadn’t considered the leftovers. If we put the rest of the melon in the fridge, our crime would be exposed, and we certainly couldn’t waste it….so the two of us ate the whole thing, and fed the rinds to the pigs. That took care of the evidence, but our lack of appetite for supper sure perplexed our parents when they returned!
Watermelon is still a favorite. Driving home last Saturday, I was thinking about the plump, juicy melon I’d bought the day before. I’d walk the dogs, finish a few emails, and then reward myself with a generous slice while catching up on some reading. But as I opened my laptop, I heard a strange gushing noise. The watermelon had sprung a leak-or really, several leaks-and was spewing its completely rotten, smelly, disgusting insides all over my kitchen. Eww. Also: BETRAYAL! How dare it?! Instead of feasting on watermelon, I was cleaning rotten melon guts off the floor, cabinets, and walls.
Smelly melon guts aside, cleaning the kitchen isn’t such a terrible task. It was the stark difference between expectations and actual that got to me, not unlike the difference between what many of us thought this autumn would be (large social gatherings, travel, normalcy) and real world (virus still hanging in).
Like everyone else, we wish we were done with this, but reality says we aren’t, so it’s time to adjust, and clean up the metaphorical watermelon guts. We’re playing this autumn and holiday season by ear, hosting some limited tasting events as long as we feel they are responsible and safe. If cases increase, that may need to change. Masks, ditto. If Governor Baker or the Town of Franklin re-imposes a mask mandate, we will comply. Along the way, we’ll do everything we can to keep you and us safe and healthy. And for those who still don’t feel comfortable in public spaces, we continue to offer online and phone ordering and curbside delivery. Call us. We’ll figure it out.
The next day, I bought another melon. It was delicious.