Spud Harvest

Spuds (as in, potatoes) are in full swing right now. Nine years ago--before I ever dreamed or imagined that I'd someday live here--I left my parents' house and moved here for a couple months to drive a ten wheeler for potato and sugar beet harvest. I stayed with our friends John and Kathy. Their entire family of four worked on the farm and John graciously hired a very young city girl who had never driven any kind of a truck. Kathy took me around the block a few times until I got the hang of it--thankfully they gave me an automatic, so I wasn't bothered with all that shifting nonsense. I had so much fun that year. My truck had no working radio and no working heater. I had to dress for the weather and sing at the top of my lungs to entertain myself. With so many other fun young people working harvest, times never got boring. So this year I took the kids to ride along with Kathy for a few hours. Ezra and Caroline had a blast and didn't want to go home. First of all we had to bake up some cookies to take as an offering to all the folks whose way we were about to get in.

Ezra and Caroline had picked out Reese's peanut butter chips at the store the day before, so we used their recipe for chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips. It seemed "harvesty" somehow--and boy were they yummy!

They start 'em young here in Hi-da-do.

Ezra heard that truck drivers do uncouth things, such as picking their noses.

Eating while driving is also something that has to happen a lot during the busy days of harvest.

Ezra helped Kathy to "pick clods" (dirt clods, rocks, rotten potatoes and potato vines that go by on the belt) as her truck would unload each time around.

And Caroline enjoyed helping her to load up.

This little beauty and her Mama are up to help in harvest.

Kathy took my camera and started clicking away, so I'm in a lot of these shots...sorry. The digger driver was taking lunch when we got out to the field for one round. We took the opportunity to get out of the truck, play in the dirt and glean some yummy fresh potatoes.

WHO KNOWS???

She filled her bag full and lugged it all around.

There goes A, loading up her truck.

It was a very hot and sunny day.

The tiny little potatoes the kids were so fond of gleaning are perfect for tossing with olive oil and fresh rosemary and grilling on the bbq with your favorite meat.

We can't wait for them to harvest the field next to our house so that more gleaning (aka: digging in the dirt for treasures) can take place. Thanks, Kathy, for letting us tag along for a few hours!