October is a busy month on the farm. We are waiting for the perfect weather and time for all the grains and crops to dry. Hopefully, the same crop planted in multiple areas on the farm for good crop rotations and on contour strips will be ready at much the same time to avoid lots of equipment changes. When the crops are ready, we try to harvest them on a nice sunny, dry day.
This work coincides with bringing in the last of the garden crops and deciding which animals will need to be culled before the Winter. Butchering, Canning, and Field Work make the month go by very quickly.
Samhain is a welcome break. It is a day to reflect on what has happened in the past year and what is to come in the dark months of Winter. Wisconsin harvest does not line up with the Celtic festivals on the wheel of the year. Rather our last harvest is closer to the middle/end of November. Still the themes of Samhain is evident in the land around us even as we gather in the rest of the crop.
November brings the rush of finishing the harvest and preparing the land for Winter. We do not let the earth lay bare to erode away. Cover crops might be planted or other methods to keep the land in balance will be used. Time is spent sorting and cleaning seeds for next year. Winter seems like a long time to work on these projects, but even in November it is obvious that there is never enough time to do everything you wish to during the darkest of months.
May your harvests be bountiful this Fall and may the weather look favorably on your pursuits.
Esoteric Moment 