Who's the boss? — Encore Farm, Home of Heirloom Beans

Kids. They grow up so fast.

I had every intention to post a few of the beans’ baby pictures as they grew over the summer. They’re still young and adorable, but there’s no question they’re nearly mature.

“Intention” is one of the funniest words on a farm. You can have all the intentions you want, but it’s best to understand that they may exist more for your entertainment than practical purpose. You have to have an idea where you’re headed, of course, just understand that all is subject to whims that are not yours. Let’s take this year’s crop of Tarbais beans, for an example. My intention (insert laugh track here): grow 600 row feet, twice as much as last year. Reality: Nearly total crop failure. All conditions at planting seemed perfect. A little dry, but beans can handle that. The other six varieties pretty much shot out of the soil. Tarbais are taking the year off. A mystery, and a reminder of how not in charge I am.

There are consolations, and many of them. Thanks to aggressive tarping early on, weeds stayed under control, even quackgrass, which is the opportunistic Gordon Gecko of the weed world. Bird Egg beans are close to fresh shelling stage. Seven sandhill cranes are camped at the farm. And for the first time in four or five years there may be cornmeal from the flint corn. Jury’s still out on that one. Japanese beetles have trimmed the corn silk, and if no damage has been done, there’s still the issue of raccoons who consider Encore Farm their private all-you-can-eat buffet.

On the balance, though, all is good. And so, so worth it.