How time flies! Here it is, November already.

We had a superb late summer and early fall. The weather was great, with adequate rain when needed, but not too much, and our tomato, burdock and hemp crops all thrived in the warm, sunny conditions. We picked tomatoes until October, and have since cleaned out the greenhouses and the plants are now on the compost heap.

Fall is clean-up time when we prepare greenhouses and fields for next season. Repairs that have been on our ‘To-Do’ list are now finally being completed, from greenhouse end-wall replacement to installing culverts on our farm roads. We always hope it all gets finished before the snow flies, but there’s always something else that needs to be done. Regardless of our ongoing projects, the cooler temperatures are refreshing, to say the least, and the shorter days signal plants and humans alike to slow down. We keep busy during our winters, but work carries less urgency and we welcome the change of seasons.

The burdock roots are all harvested and safely stored in our walk-in coolers. We even finished washing all of the seconds to be sent over to Caledonia Spirits to be turned into Gobo (read the article in Seven Days)! The Cate Farm team breathes a sigh of relief after the last roots are dug, as we no longer worry about possible wet (or freezing) field conditions that can prevent harvest.

We are now busy processing our hemp crop that we grow for CBD production. We have a stellar team to harvest, dry and prune the hemp branches, before removing the flower buds from the stalk, also known as ‘bucking,’ and into totes before the buds are sold.

We hope all your gardens were productive and successful - maybe you even have a winter squash or two left for Thanksgiving!

Wishing you a happy, healthy holiday with friends and family!

The team at Cate Farm