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Wrapping Up the Growing Season and Embracing Fall
66 Plays2 months ago
Join us as we reflect on the summer growing season and talk about transitioning into the fall season!
Questions/Comments/Feedback/Suggestions for Topics: [email protected]
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Transcript
The Joy of Fall Smells
00:00:17
Alexis
All right, so we're approaching fall, but we're not there yet. But my question for you today is what smell is like something that's bringing you like some some joy right now?
00:00:22
atack2010
The weather is variable.
00:00:31
Alexis
Like.
00:00:31
Jessica
Hmm.
00:00:32
atack2010
I'm going to say it's not cabbage, which we talked about a little bit on our last episode.
00:00:35
Jessica
Yeah, not cabbage.
00:00:36
atack2010
at the the not not Not rotting cabbage.
00:00:36
Alexis
Well, that's good, that's that's a positive.
00:00:38
atack2010
No, no.
00:00:40
Brett
Well, properly fermenting cabbage though, because I just pulled out, uh, we just pulled out our big batch of sauerkraut that I've let, I let rock and roll for a little while.
00:00:42
atack2010
Yeah. um bo that's That's not bad.
00:00:46
Alexis
on
00:00:48
atack2010
Yeah, that's good.
00:00:49
Brett
It's oh man.
00:00:49
atack2010
Yeah.
00:00:50
Brett
Oh man.
00:00:50
atack2010
Good stuff.
00:00:51
Brett
That's, that's a good smell. It doesn't, I mean, it's just, it's it's a different thing, but are you, are you asking for like this time of year associated sort of thing?
00:00:59
Jessica
Or just,
Weather's Influence on Fall Scents
00:01:00
Alexis
yeah Yeah, well, uh, you know, pick your poison, so
00:01:00
Jessica
yeah, smell in general.
00:01:01
atack2010
ah It's tough in zone 7 because we're I mean I know people are still producing the weather maybe 70 degrees it may be 90 here in Kentucky. It varies but I don't know it seems like I smell kind of a woodsy leafy falling kind of smell even though leaves aren't falling yet. I start to smell like a dry crunchy smell.
00:01:22
atack2010
I do. ah Maybe it's my wishful thinking leading into PSL season, or if you're uninitiated, smells dry and crunchy.
00:01:24
Alexis
I start to smell sounds.
00:01:26
Brett
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
00:01:26
Jessica
smell a leaf.
00:01:27
Brett
Smells, smells dry and crunchy.
00:01:31
atack2010
unlike I'm not talking about granola.
00:01:32
Jessica
Cereal.
00:01:33
atack2010
Come on.
00:01:34
Brett
Oh, but I'm, I'm, can you, can you give me more?
00:01:34
atack2010
Yeah. It's hot. and me let me Let me quantify.
00:01:36
Brett
Those are both, those are both textures.
00:01:38
atack2010
Yeah, I know.
00:01:39
Alexis
Those are not smells.
00:01:40
atack2010
But in my mind, there's a translator that one translates. and Sometimes I smell colors. It's fine.
00:01:45
Brett
Yeah. and You're a synesthete.
00:01:46
atack2010
It's fine.
00:01:46
Alexis
Yeah.
00:01:47
Brett
Okay.
00:01:47
atack2010
Yes, I have a translator in my head.
00:01:48
Alexis
Ooh.
00:01:49
Brett
Like Jimi Hendrix of fall.
00:01:49
atack2010
but
Humus and Wood Smoke: Fall's Signature Aromas
00:01:51
Jessica
no
00:01:51
atack2010
I guess you know we've dog days have happened. It's been hot and it's been dry. starting to say It's like the peak of growing. You hit this solar peak and start down the other side and there's more decay and more brown leafy material.
00:02:01
Jessica
Whoa.
00:02:04
atack2010
and It's got a certain smell in the garden or the woods.
00:02:07
Brett
Mmm.
00:02:08
atack2010
I'm thinking of the woods, but it's the foliage.
00:02:08
Brett
Mmm. Uh-huh.
00:02:10
Jessica
We'll be at the woods over the garden. Garden's like rotten tomatoes at this point.
00:02:14
atack2010
No, the but yeah, on commercial fields, you do get a little bit of that potpourri, that undertone of rot. Yeah, that's a good point, though, Jasper. But yeah, in the woods, I'm thinking of you start to get that hot leaf litter smell.
00:02:27
atack2010
And that means fall to me. And and I'm looking forward to kind of the cooler temps and stuff, which are not here.
00:02:31
Alexis
humus you and smell of
Halloween Weather Madness
00:02:33
Alexis
humus no no i don't don't want to smell humans
00:02:33
atack2010
Yes, not humans, but humus. A brief differentiation. But yeah, I mean, to me, that's that kind of this time of year, you may have these really hot days and I kind of associate that.
00:02:46
atack2010
Yeah, it's one of the things. Sure. Yeah.
00:02:49
Brett
I feel like I've smelled more more people around our neighborhood, uh, like cooking with wood or, or just having little bonfires in their backyard, or I don't know what exactly it is, but just like the smell of what would smell and like, uh, like, like lower, slower barbecue kind of vibe, um um, headed into fall.
00:02:49
atack2010
How about you?
00:02:54
atack2010
Oh, yeah. Wood smell.
00:03:01
Alexis
Oh, like campfire.
00:03:05
atack2010
Oh, nice.
00:03:06
Jessica
yeah
00:03:08
Brett
That's like a part of it for me that I just noticed that. Cause I was going to say overall, our August has been was relatively mild, I thought compared to what it could have been.
00:03:19
Alexis
Yeah, I would agree with that.
00:03:20
Jessica
I agree with that.
00:03:20
Brett
and compared Compared to the terrible June when it was like blazing hot and like the second week of June, we've had like a ah couple of multi-day stretches that were like very chill for for August.
00:03:24
atack2010
Yeah.
00:03:25
Alexis
Mm hmm.
00:03:31
Brett
And so that that ah gave me, fault it gave a little false fall vibes.
00:03:31
atack2010
Yes.
00:03:34
atack2010
Just, yeah. I mean, I had the flannel halfway out and then I was like, nope, too soon.
00:03:39
Brett
And too soon.
00:03:40
Alexis
Better.
00:03:40
atack2010
Too soon.
00:03:40
Jessica
Nope, too soon.
00:03:42
Alexis
Better
00:03:42
atack2010
Too soon.
Pumpkin Farms and Fall's Arrival
00:03:43
Alexis
not.
00:03:43
Brett
so So this will go to air. People will be hearing this on on September 1st. And, you know, I, I'm a, so I have a September birthday and so I always liked to, liked to believe that my birthday would be in the fall, but it was always a sweaty time still.
00:04:01
Brett
Can you all just do a quick check on when, when, when is it that we actually think about having some sort of a frost?
00:04:01
Jessica
Yeah.
00:04:08
Alexis
In central Kentucky, we usually say no early really no earlier than mid-October, but like lately it's been late October.
00:04:14
atack2010
mid-October.
00:04:17
Alexis
um
00:04:18
Jessica
I will say that it's usually pretty cold. It starts to get cold around the end of October and Halloween because of.
00:04:23
Alexis
yeah
00:04:23
atack2010
yeah
00:04:25
Alexis
yeah It's either 30 degrees or 85 degrees on Halloween.
00:04:28
Jessica
Yeah, yeah.
00:04:28
atack2010
I mean, I, I always want to buy Halloween hoodie cause I love, I mean, I enjoyed the Halloween season, but I never can commit to that because just as you said, Alexis, we've had these Halloween's it's 85, 90 degrees.
00:04:28
Alexis
There are no in-betweens.
00:04:41
atack2010
And then we've had Halloween's that are in the fifties.
00:04:41
Brett
oh My gosh
00:04:43
Jessica
Yeah.
00:04:43
atack2010
We've had
Fall Gardening Prep
00:04:44
atack2010
snow on Halloween before.
00:04:45
Alexis
raise your hand if your mom made you cover your halloween costume with a jacket because everyone i'm
00:04:49
atack2010
Somebody's bitter. I feel the bitterness.
00:04:50
Jessica
Oh.
00:04:50
Brett
For coal is this is this for cold or for like ah modesty I didn't know if you were asking me if my mom ever slut shamed me into wearing a coat over my
00:04:55
atack2010
Yes. That's an important differentiation there, Brett.
00:04:57
Alexis
not sure what that means you think about me brett but um no
00:05:02
Jessica
Oh.
00:05:03
atack2010
Totally modesty is yeah, totally, total modesty. Yeah.
00:05:08
Alexis
i was just saying it was snowing outside and mom was like you have to wear a jacket
00:05:10
atack2010
Cover up young child.
00:05:12
Brett
Oh, gotcha, gotcha, gotcha, gotcha.
00:05:13
atack2010
Oh yeah. Yeah. That's totally where we were going with her.
00:05:14
Brett
ah For me, it was because it was a little too risque.
00:05:17
atack2010
Yeah.
00:05:18
Brett
Like, easy there.
00:05:20
Alexis
Listen, mom did not have, yeah, you never know.
00:05:21
atack2010
It could be either cold or hot. Yeah.
00:05:24
Brett
Yeah.
00:05:25
Jessica
Yeah.
00:05:25
Alexis
That's true.
00:05:25
atack2010
and And that's why I can't commit to like the wardrobe.
00:05:25
Alexis
oh you put
00:05:27
atack2010
You do you cannot commit to a Halloween. Like Reed will commit to a full astronaut fleece lined outfit for Halloween.
00:05:33
Alexis
him Will You have to have two Halloween costumes.
00:05:33
atack2010
It turns out to be 90.
00:05:33
Brett
Oh.
00:05:34
atack2010
I'm like, you will perish inside of that son.
00:05:36
Brett
Yeah.
00:05:37
atack2010
You will perish.
00:05:37
Brett
He's simulating the coming back through the atmosphere and the hot
00:05:40
atack2010
Yes. The heat shields are down captain.
00:05:43
Alexis
ah
00:05:43
atack2010
They are way down. Yeah, exactly.
00:05:45
Jessica
My kids are just tractors. I just make tractor costumes every year out of the sniper boxes.
00:05:50
atack2010
Nice.
00:05:50
Brett
Oh.
00:05:50
Alexis
but Well, one of yours was going on the cob last
00:05:51
atack2010
Are they breathable?
Tobacco Farming Nostalgia
00:05:53
Alexis
year, right?
00:05:53
Alexis
So.
00:05:54
Jessica
Yeah, one of them was an ear of corn last year. So we had a ah John Deere tractor with a bucket loader on it. Yes, I built a bucket loader out of cardboard people.
00:06:02
Alexis
It's very important.
00:06:02
Brett
Wow.
00:06:04
Jessica
um And then an ear of corn.
00:06:05
atack2010
superstar.
00:06:06
Jessica
And there's a great picture of Alexis with the ear of corn last year.
00:06:10
Alexis
Mm hmm.
00:06:10
Jessica
So he was nice and toasty on Halloween.
00:06:11
Brett
Was there is.
00:06:11
Alexis
Mm hmm.
00:06:14
Jessica
My other child was like freezing to death, but you know, he can't really cover up a cardboard tractor.
00:06:19
atack2010
It's hard, man.
00:06:19
Brett
Cold gold start.
00:06:20
atack2010
It's really hard. It's really hard. Yeah.
00:06:23
Alexis
You must sacrifice for your craft.
00:06:23
atack2010
I mean, it's difficult.
00:06:23
Brett
is the Does the brand loyalty of the tractors shift or is it pretty?
00:06:27
atack2010
Oh, now we're meddling.
00:06:28
Jessica
Well, we do not discriminate in tractor color inside of my house, right? We have them of all colors that you can easily step on.
00:06:33
Brett
I got you.
00:06:37
Jessica
um But he will pick a John Deere.
00:06:40
Brett
I you.
00:06:40
Jessica
He likes a John Deere bucket loader, is what he said. He actually saw Alexis's soda, as he called it, and he was impressed with her orange tractor.
00:06:47
Alexis
Yeah.
00:06:50
Alexis
yeah
00:06:51
Jessica
Yeah.
00:06:52
Brett
I like that.
00:06:53
Jessica
Not so impressed with her small bush hog.
00:06:55
Alexis
a walk behind tractor unfortunately but yeah yeah but i
00:06:59
atack2010
Your BCS didn't cut it.
00:07:01
Brett
That would be a very, very like niche kid that was like, I want to be a BCS for Halloween.
00:07:06
Jessica
Yeah. but
00:07:09
Brett
Oh, okay.
00:07:10
atack2010
Yeah, okay, that's oddly specific.
00:07:10
Alexis
bet joel from earth tools dressed his kid up as a bcs tractor i said that would be something joel from earth tools would address his kids up and
00:07:12
atack2010
Let's go with that. Yeah.
00:07:13
Brett
Who did?
00:07:17
Brett
Oh, yeah.
00:07:18
atack2010
You can just like give them handles coming out the back of the costume and they could be like a little hay, you know, baler.
00:07:19
Jessica
Yeah.
00:07:20
Alexis
Yeah. Yeah. And then that's kind of how you lead them around when they're young, right? Instead of a leash, you just have the little.
00:07:25
atack2010
Nice. You can steer them.
00:07:26
Jessica
There you go. I like that idea. Sounds good to me.
00:07:29
Alexis
and
00:07:29
atack2010
What was your smell, Jesbess?
Seasonality in Agriculture
00:07:31
atack2010
Was that the original question? what What smells do we associate with what?
00:07:33
Jessica
i
00:07:34
Brett
Oh, yeah.
00:07:35
Alexis
Yeah.
00:07:35
atack2010
The oncoming fall or what?
00:07:36
Alexis
Yeah.
00:07:37
atack2010
Yeah.
00:07:37
Alexis
I was just like, you know, what are your vibing on?
00:07:37
Brett
Is your vibe on right now?
00:07:37
Jessica
Well, like the same like as Ray mentioned, but I think like fall wise, I think like I don't know.
00:07:38
atack2010
Yeah. Yeah.
00:07:47
Jessica
It's still very much summer to me like I don't like.
00:07:49
atack2010
it's It's almost a hay smell season still. Like last cutting of Alpha Alpha smell.
00:07:52
Alexis
um
00:07:52
Jessica
Yeah, hey mom. We've been baking a lot, so we make a lot of cinnamon rolls at our house.
00:07:56
atack2010
Oh my goodness.
00:07:58
Jessica
So like that cinnamon roll you kind of smell from bread and stuff.
00:07:59
Brett
Oh, man.
00:08:02
atack2010
I'll be over there in 35 minutes or less. Yeah.
00:08:04
Alexis
On my way.
00:08:05
atack2010
On my way.
00:08:07
Jessica
But it's definitely that weather where you like wake up in the morning and you're like, oh, it's slightly chilly.
00:08:07
atack2010
Yeah.
00:08:09
Alexis
Do I need a jacket?
00:08:12
Jessica
I could wear this like sweater. And then by the end of the day, you're like, I'm dying.
00:08:16
atack2010
Yes, I'm dehydrated.
00:08:17
Jessica
It's stuck to you. right It's like too hot. to
00:08:23
Alexis
Yeah.
00:08:23
Jessica
Like ah you did it when you started school back, I feel like.
00:08:26
Brett
Yeah, I
00:08:26
atack2010
Yeah, tough.
00:08:27
Jessica
And then you'd be melting.
00:08:28
atack2010
Yeah, that, that is a big breaking point. If you've got kids as when, so and I didn't realize that that would be the case, but and there's other markers of time. But one of the markers of time for me now is when kids go back to school, it's not necessarily weather related, but it's a certain amount of freedom in certain cases.
00:08:43
atack2010
Um, I mean, schedules change.
00:08:43
Brett
No, no.
00:08:45
atack2010
I mean, it's just kind of crazy that that's just one of those cycle things, one of those little monuments that, that may or may not be in your life. and it just kind of marks things as well. And I was not prepared for that when that's the case now, because it seems like everything flows around school schedules, you know, so much.
Harvest Time Reflections
00:09:03
atack2010
But that that can be interesting, just like farm schedules. and And you mentioned baking, Jessica. Is that a seasonal thing for you? You're a baker. I mean, you bake all the good things.
00:09:10
Jessica
Uh, I think, thank you.
00:09:11
Brett
You've been on the bike.
00:09:13
atack2010
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I was going to say, we've got, I see you as a like the bread man, like bread is like, you know,
00:09:14
Jessica
Um, yeah.
00:09:20
atack2010
bread king, and many other things.
00:09:21
Alexis
Affirmantation guy.
00:09:22
atack2010
Yeah.
00:09:24
Jessica
Yeah. Um, I don't think it's really seasonal, but I think like there's some, like, I mean, there's some things that you make that you really only make around like the holidays, right? Or like, like, I know
00:09:34
atack2010
Is that what it is? Yeah.
00:09:37
Jessica
Like in the spring, like when there's strawberries and stuff, you're not really thinking about making like, I don't know, gingerbread cookies, you know, versus you're going to make like a strawberry pie or strawberry cake with all the fresh strawberries that are out there.
00:09:40
Alexis
Ginger Redman.
00:09:46
atack2010
Oh, yeah.
00:09:52
atack2010
I don't know, bread.
00:09:52
Brett
is is
00:09:53
atack2010
It seems like bread would go good with that any time of the year. I'm just saying, not that I'm encouraging you.
00:09:56
Alexis
Bread is always good.
00:09:58
Brett
Well, it's this interesting, there's this give and take with it, because when it's warm, the fermentation tends to be happier, but me heating up my house to bake it is
00:09:58
Jessica
Bread and cheese.
00:10:05
atack2010
Oh, gotcha.
Ending the Growing Season
00:10:08
Brett
not so happy.
00:10:09
atack2010
Oh yeah.
00:10:09
Brett
And then when it gets colder, sometimes you got to kind of, I don't know, but ah i I tend, I first got into like bread baking in the summer, because and just because I, for whatever reason, did at that time.
00:10:10
Jessica
Right.
00:10:21
Brett
and It's pretty cool. And it is interesting to see like the culture, like if you're doing more of a wild fermented sourdough type culture, it does tend to do a little better in the warmer times of the year for one reason or another.
00:10:34
Brett
Um, even if you keep it in the same, at the same temperature, but, uh, I was going to ask Jessica, you said cinnamon rolls is cinnamon rolls, like a tipping point between summer and fall item in your old house.
00:10:47
Jessica
Oh no, cinnamon rolls all the time.
00:10:48
Alexis
yeah
00:10:48
Brett
Just twenty just a
00:10:48
Jessica
My kid thinks that. My kid is, yeah, he's kind of spoiled now with it because he doesn't realize, like, he'll be like, let's make cinnamon rolls.
00:10:50
atack2010
Tractors and cinnamon rolls.
00:10:56
Jessica
And I'm like, well, they take like, because I'm making them from scratch. And I guess I can, I don't have a can, but I like them now from scratch too, right?
00:11:00
Brett
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
00:11:05
Brett
Oh, yeah.
00:11:05
Jessica
And so it's like, well, let's take six hours to make these cinnamon rolls.
00:11:09
atack2010
It takes 30 seconds to eat them.
00:11:11
Alexis
It's my absolute worst nightmare.
00:11:12
atack2010
It's like Thanksgiving dinner. Six hours to make,
00:11:14
Alexis
like
00:11:14
Jessica
But you know, I
Adjusting to Fall's Transitions
00:11:15
Jessica
do it, right? Because I like bread and cinnamon and sugar and all of the things.
00:11:15
atack2010
30 seconds to eat them.
00:11:16
Brett
Oh, yeah.
00:11:17
atack2010
Did you like them? Yeah.
00:11:22
atack2010
glazes.
00:11:22
Brett
um' I'm sold.
00:11:23
Jessica
And wait, butter, lots of butter.
00:11:25
atack2010
I mean, you need not to sell this anymore because it's already hard sold into my soul.
00:11:25
Brett
I'm sold.
00:11:25
Jessica
but
00:11:29
atack2010
so
00:11:29
Jessica
And they're maple they're maple cinnamon rolls. so We put pure maple syrup that we got from Vermont in there.
00:11:32
Brett
Oh, wow.
00:11:35
atack2010
um I miss making maple syrup. You said maple syrup. You know, that's one thing you used to make almost every year. And I, and that's one of those cyclical things. Yeah, that's pretty cool. Uh, process.
00:11:44
Brett
Yeah, yeah, we need to do it.
00:11:45
atack2010
but No, we have not.
00:11:47
Brett
have we not Have we done a maple syrup episode?
00:11:49
Alexis
No, we need to do one.
00:11:50
atack2010
And, uh,
00:11:50
Jessica
I would it be a good one.
00:11:50
Brett
We need to. Yeah, we need to do one, you know, the the maple typical maple season being that just after kind of after Christmas through, um you know, yeah, depending, depends.
00:11:51
atack2010
Yeah. Sapflow, yeah.
00:12:00
Jessica
And Shaker shaker Village is here in my county. like They tap all sorts of trees. like They're doing like walnuts, and and now I can't think of the other ones, but they're not maples that they're tapping.
00:12:06
Brett
Mm-hmm.
00:12:07
atack2010
Yeah, you can do other stuff, yeah.
00:12:09
Brett
Yeah.
00:12:12
Alexis
purchase and...
00:12:12
Brett
yeah
00:12:13
Jessica
And they're making all sorts of different kinds of syrup. So it's kind of cool.
00:12:17
atack2010
so many So many things in, you know, and that's a good question. We talk a lot about cycles and
Holiday Anticipation and Reflection
00:12:22
atack2010
seasons, of course, on hort culture, but so much of what we do has this kind of seasonal rhythm to it. And so I don't know about you all, but I'm always fascinated by it because my mind my mind starts to switch gears at some point magically, ah you know, when the seasons start to change and kind of your flow and rhythm, even professionally, even the way we deliver educational programs and and the activities that we do day in and day out as ah extension agents and within the extension system, mind changes.
00:12:51
atack2010
So it's seasonality is a kind of a big deal to me still, even though I'm not an active producer anymore as far as production.
00:12:52
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:12:57
Brett
Yeah. In Kentucky, I always, I always had thought of like September is this magical month where you still have the summer produce and you start to have some of the fall produce.
00:13:07
Alexis
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:13:11
Brett
And so you can have like a lettuce salad with peppers and tomatoes in it all like off this. Oh man. It's just this weird confluence of crop timing.
00:13:20
Alexis
Yeah. It's like May.
00:13:22
atack2010
Is that what you call the shoulder season, Brad?
00:13:22
Alexis
It's like how May's spring and summer.
00:13:24
atack2010
I've heard you use that term.
00:13:25
Brett
Yeah, I guess so. Yeah, head, shoulders, knees and toes season maybe.
00:13:29
atack2010
Yes.
00:13:30
Brett
ah
00:13:30
atack2010
You know, those fringe seasons that are like everything all at once.
00:13:33
Alexis
Cuffs.
00:13:33
Brett
Yeah, it's that transition period that is just, it's so awesome and yeah and it makes you understand why, you know, we've talked we've talked in previous episodes about like the county fair and harvest festivals and stuff like that.
00:13:35
atack2010
Yeah.
00:13:44
Brett
It makes you understand why in a time where localism and seasonality wasn't something that you sort of had to try to do, it was something that you just coped with. why people would be like, oh my gosh, September and October is the best time of year.
00:13:58
Alexis
Mmhmm.
00:13:59
Brett
There's more food than we know what to do with. We're trying to put stuff up and save it. We're gonna, oh man, let's celebrate. Yeah, it makes sense.
00:14:09
atack2010
Seems like so much in horticulture
Managing Gardening Burnout
00:14:12
atack2010
production, just agriculture production also in general, especially in horticulture. But we're trying to take the seasonality out of some of this production with protected ag, you know, where, you know, we have greenhouses and all this other technology to extend seasons and stuff. But still, seasonality is a real thing here in Kentucky. May not be where you're listening from ah in your geography, but I know it's still a big deal for me here in Kentucky, no matter how much we put into um you know, taking some of that out with even like a greenhouse.
00:14:42
atack2010
But yeah, seasonality is still a real thing.
00:14:43
Brett
what What was this time of year?
00:14:45
Jessica
Thank you.
00:14:46
Brett
ah What was some of the key, whatever, meanings or or associations during when when tobacco was like the thing?
00:14:55
atack2010
Oh, man.
00:14:56
Brett
you know This time of year feels like one of those periods where there might be something important happening.
00:15:01
Jessica
They were, oh, you want to go for it? You grew it too.
00:15:01
atack2010
You're, yeah, no, don't go.
00:15:04
atack2010
Yeah, that's a way this sparks. Yeah, close to home. But go ahead. Yes.
00:15:08
Jessica
Oh yeah. i was So I think I've mentioned that before that. I don't know if I did in my first episode, but I grew up growing tobacco too. My family did that. And there's actually, I think one of the only tobacco fields left in the county where I live that's right next door to my house. So it's kind of weird and my kids get to see it, but getting close to that time when they would start cutting.
00:15:29
Jessica
right, right, and start cutting and and housing tobacco.
00:15:30
atack2010
Yeah, yeah. And that was a huge process.
00:15:33
Jessica
And that was a huge process, a big family event, a big community event, right?
00:15:38
atack2010
All the uncles and aunts. Yes, absolutely.
00:15:41
Jessica
Neighbors, everyone helping um to do that, actually cut it out in the field, but then to like help put it up and house it up in those barns.
00:15:50
atack2010
Yeah, I just remember,
Balancing Work and Well-being
00:15:52
atack2010
like you said, a community event. We would have a lot of family members, plus a few people outside of the family. But there's, I would just remember like huge pots of soup beans and cornbread and fried potatoes being brought out to like the field under these big shade trees because it was during a hot time of the year, generally.
00:16:07
Jessica
yeah
00:16:07
atack2010
I mean, There's still these intermittent hot days when you're cutting, you come in tired for lunch, and all these people just sitting together eating is really cool memories of cutting tobacco. Now, at the time, I didn't think there was anything cool about it because it's very hard work.
00:16:21
Alexis
Mmhmm.
00:16:21
atack2010
ah But yeah, remember I remember some good memories of those big meals we all ate together out, you know, right beside the field.
00:16:27
atack2010
They, to save time, they just bring the stuff out to the field.
00:16:30
Jessica
Yeah.
00:16:30
atack2010
or in a to barn if you were really lucky and have a little bit of sun protection.
00:16:32
Jessica
Mm hmm.
00:16:34
atack2010
So yeah, good time of year. I'm busy when tobacco is cut. You're just always looking at the radar fanatically, hoping that it doesn't rain when you have cure on the tobacco. So you can get that up without sand on it.
00:16:46
atack2010
And this whole process that surrounded that. But that's one of those highly, highly seasonal things that was very weather dependent. that whole entire process. So yeah, so cool.
00:16:57
atack2010
When that was a bigger part of Kentucky agriculture, I mean, it still obviously is a big part of Kentucky agriculture, but fewer people are involved in that process now, but it's still here.
00:17:05
Jessica
yeah
00:17:07
atack2010
And I love, it's just, it brings back memories every time I go past a field of stick tobacco that's carrying out in the field and just seeing that
00:17:12
Alexis
Mhmm.
Cultural Personality Frameworks
00:17:15
atack2010
I can smell that and I feel the gum and the nicotine kind of
00:17:19
Brett
Yeah.
00:17:19
atack2010
this residue, this resin you get on your hand from cutting tobacco for 12 hours a day, I can just feel that on my hands, I mean.
00:17:20
Jessica
Yeah. Yeah.
00:17:26
Jessica
So there you go, Alexis. That would be, if it was quite a few years ago, that could be the smell that, I guess, but so that would be that time.
00:17:32
atack2010
The smell of tobacco is very, yeah, it's very, even curing in the barn, but in the field when you're you're cutting it, yeah.
00:17:32
Alexis
Yeah.
00:17:33
Brett
Yeah.
00:17:35
Alexis
Mhmm.
00:17:40
Brett
Well, on a previous episode, we had talked about the the state fair and and that was one of the the smells of tobacco, of hay, of some of the, yeah, some of the, just the different like drying and, and and the you know, settling in agricultural products was one of, I remember the smell of the tobacco room in particular was just like, oh, it smells so, it smells I think it smells so good.
00:17:40
Jessica
What?
00:17:48
Alexis
Silage.
00:18:02
Brett
And um and so that's why i was I wanted to, for people who had had had that experience, I wanted to see what you all had to say about that this time of year.
00:18:03
Alexis
Yeah.
00:18:10
Jessica
something that I think about that's getting ready to start.
00:18:10
Alexis
So.
00:18:14
Jessica
All of them are getting ready to open. Some of them are already open. There are all of these um orchards and pumpkin farms and all of that.
00:18:20
Alexis
Hmm.
00:18:23
Jessica
I talked to one of my pumpkin growers this morning, um fortunately, about disease pressure potentially, but um because that gets really high right now for those pumpkin growers and it's go time for them, right?
00:18:35
Jessica
Nothing
Listener Engagement and Feedback
00:18:36
Jessica
worse would be than to get a fungal disease right now before those pumpkins are mature. But, you know, he was saying, oh, we're going to be open mid September. Right.
00:18:46
Jessica
And so I think like really when those places open, that really like jump starts everyone's like fall is here, you know, attitude for sure when all those get going.
00:18:56
atack2010
Oh, definitely. When all the orchards and stuff start to have events, and I know that a lot of their cash flow comes from just a few weeks in the fall or pre-fall, just whenever they start to do things, but that's when it goes into overdrive. When the weather starts to cool down and I see my local, we're very lucky to have a several local orchards around that we can visit, but when I see that big sign, you know, or local advertisements, then it's on. It is on. ah For me and my, I mean, we start visiting, you know, taking our sign, and my wife, we all go out and kind of do all the orchard things, and it's big fun, yeah, for sure.
00:19:33
Brett
Do you all you all ever do pick your own?
00:19:37
atack2010
Yeah, as far as taking part in those activities,
00:19:41
Brett
Yeah. Do you you and you and the school and the fam ever go out and and pick your own everything?
00:19:41
atack2010
um
00:19:44
atack2010
Yeah, you but but now it's a kind of relative because I know the pumpkin patches every evening, most pumpkin patches get overran, the original pumpkins get picked and then you will go out and pick up a pumpkin that they have set there as far as pick your own.
00:19:56
Brett
Hmm.
00:19:56
Alexis
so
00:19:58
atack2010
But now I used to do a little bit more of that with a orchard that's no longer, it's transitioned into new ownership. We always enjoyed going to a certain orchard and picking like our own apples right off the tree.
00:20:09
atack2010
We love that.
00:20:09
Brett
Mm hmm.
00:20:10
Jessica
We do that, yeah.
00:20:10
atack2010
And you love it. Yeah.
00:20:12
Jessica
We go and get the apples from the orchards versus the pumpkins, which I think I may have shared before how my husband's kind of like the pumpkin fairy where he like he buys, I love pumpkins, but I'm not allowed to grow them because they as we've talked about before, they take up a lot of space.
00:20:12
atack2010
and
00:20:22
Brett
That's right. Too much space.
00:20:31
Jessica
um So he likes to buy a truckload and then shares them around with everybody. um
00:20:38
Alexis
I've never gotten any of those pumpkins, I'm just saying.
00:20:40
Jessica
Well, we'll have to make sure you're on his his stop, his lot on his way.
00:20:43
Alexis
I need a delivery beyond the delivery list.
00:20:43
Brett
Why don't you try?
00:20:45
Jessica
Yeah.
00:20:45
Brett
It could very well be that you're on the naughty list.
00:20:47
Jessica
Well, that's true.
00:20:49
Alexis
Well, I do give Jessica gourd plans, which like pumpkins take up a lot of space, so he might have put me on the the the do not.
00:20:56
Brett
Yeah.
00:20:57
Jessica
It's fine. I wish you had given me more to take over.
00:21:02
Alexis
Well, I'm glad you have some because um I semi on purpose, semi on purpose killed mine. so um
00:21:10
Jessica
one of them is like struggling that I have and it only has like one gigantic like gourd on on it and it's like this tiny little vine so I don't really know what's going on there but have just one big one yeah
00:21:17
Alexis
That's okay.
00:21:22
Alexis
It's doing its job. Yeah. I think for me, fall starts when I am starting seeds for fall, which is um just kind of coming from like a, like a grower perspective. um You know, we've got crops that are finishing up.
00:21:40
Alexis
In September they're you know usually going down from disease or something like that and then a lot of people have you know maybe a second succession if they're doing annual crops um of stuff that's maybe just starting to come in to fruition and I feel like fall is just as busy as spring for a lot of growers who are doing some type of annual production because it's that transition period again and so you're starting to flip beds you're putting down cover crop, you're you know putting in new crops, maybe you're starting seeds. so ah that you know It is temperature dependent to a point, but um you do kind of know generally when the frost is going to come. so Even if it's 90 degrees, you got to get those plants in the ground so they have enough time to kind of you know be chill before the first ah freeze comes. but
00:22:30
Brett
can Can you talk about the timeline of that?
00:22:30
Alexis
um
00:22:32
Brett
of like so we We have, I think, sounded the alarm at various times on this podcast to say, you know in July, in June even, be thinking about your fall garden.
00:22:43
Alexis
Mm hmm.
00:22:44
Brett
Make sure you understand how long things are going to take.
00:22:45
Alexis
Mm hmm.
00:22:46
Brett
If you're being outside, obviously some people have high tunnels or low tunnels or whatever else.
00:22:49
Alexis
Mm hmm.
00:22:51
Brett
So what's your you know in your all's experience with growing stuff this time of year, what is your typical timeline? You said it starts when you start seeding stuff.
00:22:58
Alexis
Mm hmm.
00:22:59
Brett
um but when Or you know you start thinking about it when you start seeding stuff. When is that?
00:23:05
Alexis
Um, for me with a lot of the cut flowers, um, I've either, I've got, my goal is to have plants in the ground around the beginning of October to mid-October that I'm going to overwinter, you know, with a little bit of protection, usually either outside or in you know a tunnel situation. So the same could be said.
00:23:26
Alexis
for, you know, lettuces or radishes or kales or things like that. So what that means, if I want them in the ground around, you know, by mid-October, I'm seeding them the for at least the first of September, if not earlier, you know, just kind of depends on what it is. um So seeding those into flats, if you're doing like a leaf lettuce or a radish, you could do, you know, you could be direct seeding those kind of um throughout September, really. A lot of those are super cold tolerant.
00:23:55
Alexis
But really thinking about, you know I'm trying to do a better job at cover cropping, building organic matter, not you know bringing in as many inputs from like a compost type standard, which I know a lot of people who are Growing or doing, or at least, at least a lot of the people I talk to are just because compost and those types of things are expensive. So, you know, ways to cut down on that. A lot of people are moving to cover cropping, even some of our, um, just home gardeners. And we've got an episode on that. So if you're unfamiliar, go find it. Um, but you know, that stuff needs to be in, in semi established before it gets too cold. And so.
00:24:32
Alexis
and central part of Kentucky. I've pushed it to like mid-October and towards far as the end of October depending on how warm it's been in the past um and it was okay.
00:24:44
Alexis
It did alright but I didn't quite have as much um above-ground growth to really protect that soil as I was wanting to so I'm really trying to make sure it's in by like October 1st this year which you know we'll see but there's still time to do that if you've not so from that perspective.
00:24:56
Jessica
Yeah.
00:25:02
Jessica
we excuse me We don't really end up growing a lot of fall produce. We always have the intentions to grow it. We're like, yeah, this is the year. And sometimes we've even seeded stuff. But I kind of mentioned to everyone earlier, is like we've, we're still like in full like tomato production right now.
00:25:22
Jessica
But thinking of one fall thing that we do that's have been a big investment for us and something that we were going to continue is doing plastic culture strawberries. And that's a crop that we had to place our order for those plants back in May.
00:25:37
Jessica
So when you're picking strawberries, that's when you have to place your order up to prepare for the fall because these things have to get in by the end of September.
00:25:39
Alexis
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
00:25:44
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:25:45
Jessica
And so there's going to be a whole block of time where we're going to be reworking that ground, getting soil tested, you know, fertilizer, laying plastic again, um all of that irrigation hookup to get those plants in for the fall to hopefully get a great crop of berries as early as, you know, mid April next year.
00:26:04
Alexis
Mm hmm.
00:26:07
Jessica
um
00:26:08
Brett
so you're So you're, in that case, you're growing the strawberries like as an annual, essentially?
00:26:13
Jessica
Yeah. Yeah. So the strawberries, when they're grown on plastic culture, you tend to treat them as an annual crop. They end up having some disease issues if you keep them over. They won't be as productive. So, you know, normally when we do a matted row of strawberries, just plants regularly in the ground, you know, you break off those blooms the first year, you let those plants get established and your hopes to get that second year, you get a good crop of berries on them versus these plants that are already older plants that you're planting.
00:26:44
Jessica
um you're going to get big large berries the very first year. But there's a lot of maintenance you know that goes in with them watering them through the winter, fertilizing through the winter, covering them when temperatures hit a certain level. But that all starts actually like way back in May. If you want a chance of even getting some varieties that you may want, you've got to order them in May to get them planted in September.
00:27:08
Alexis
Yeah, it's the same for um like bulbs and stuff like that we talked about that before just like your tulips your daffodils you know you can find them and lows and stuff you know you'll be planting those in the fall, um pretty much any time before the ground freezes October through.
00:27:22
Alexis
December really I've planted in December peony roots kind of the same way but if you're wanting something really specific and not just whatever the box store has you're ordering those usually like at the latest when you're starting to pick them some of that stuff you're ordering even earlier which is always hectic but um but even if in like ordering plugs so I know a lot of people who are growing small scale like you know so whether they're considered commercial because they're selling stuff or even just kind of large home garden style, some people are ordering in their plugs. And like Jessica said, like even with strawberries, with flowers, you know, that stuff takes time to grow from that greenhouse grower. So you're going to have to order it early enough. Um, you know, for the annuals that I order and have delivered, it's like 16 weeks is the lead time.
00:28:17
Alexis
Um, for some of that stuff to get it so that it has, it comes to me the size that it can go in the ground. Uh, so that's also kind of a thought process, but I like want to reiterate if you can still do some stuff like except, you know, it's the first of September. If you're wanting to get some stuff in the ground, like rip those tomatoes out and put in some lettuce or some radish and just look at stuff that is.
00:28:39
Alexis
Cold tolerant and in Kentucky, you know, depending on where you are and kind of what your microclimates are You may be harvesting in this into December and if you can give it a little bit of protection um you You know, you might be harvesting later than that just kind of depending on what wild what wild week of weather we get coming in or no, but and then if you don't want to do it because
00:28:57
Jessica
Yeah.
00:29:02
Alexis
By September, by the end of August, usually a lot of us are exhausted and we're like, we're done and respect ah goes out to you there. um ah We've all been there. ah You know, do a soil test and just kind of get prepared for next year. so I encourage you to cover your soil. So whether that be with a cover crop or something living or just covering it with just like a piece of plastic to kind of prevent erosion, um that can be enough. you know just Just cover it with something is usually what we say. But now is a really great time to start putting down you know if you need lime or you need sulfur or you know you're low in magnesium or whatever that is. I'm doing a soil test now, which I just dropped mine off today.
00:29:44
Jessica
Just got it.
00:29:44
Alexis
um So doing one now to prep for your spring crops or early summer crops that you're going to put in is ah is a great thing to be doing. And then just kind of like doing some cleanup.
00:29:57
Jessica
Yeah, as Alexis also mentioned, like when you're done, you're done, right? So going hard all summer, taking care of those plants, keeping um you know going going to markets every single weekend.
00:30:10
Jessica
right And it's kind of like for us personally, when we make that decision of like, all right, we're not going to do our like weekly or every other week fungicide spray for these tomatoes that keeps them going.
00:30:22
Alexis
Mm hmm.
00:30:25
Jessica
And it's amazing to see the difference of when you are on a fungicide spray schedule for some of these plants, when you stop how fast they go down.
00:30:34
Alexis
Yeah.
00:30:35
Jessica
And so that's kind of one of the things that's for us too. It's like, okay, how much much longer do we want to keep this up and really try to keep them going? Um, and then stopping that. And then how, how many, how many more Saturdays do we want to give to the market?
00:30:49
Alexis
yeah
00:30:49
Jessica
Oh wait, it's football season. We really want to go to football games now, right?
00:30:53
Alexis
right
00:30:53
Jessica
How many more times, but I think a lot of that goes into it is just like, okay,
00:30:53
Alexis
hey
00:30:58
Jessica
Because that's you know money, too, going into those sprays and all your time and everything.
00:31:05
Alexis
I like to tell people and doing this myself and seeing the change it's made of making some reflection on the season right after the season. so We usually talk about like winter is a good period, time for reflection. and you know That's not wrong. right like Absolutely, by all means, do some of that big thinking. but I think what has at least helped me a lot is you know, reflecting on the past couple months, you know, whatever you would call summer or spring or whatever, right after it happens, because it's like you're really feeling it. And maybe you go back again in December and like think about it more strategically. But um what do you feel like at the end of it? Do you feel great? Could you have done more? Or was this the perfect amount? And feeling that in the moment I think is really important.
00:31:51
Alexis
um And you know for me like doing that last year and how exhausted I was by like the first of August when I still had a whole fall season when falls are really big season for cut flowers you know I said this whole fall to go and it was like.
00:32:06
Alexis
just exhausting to even think about because I was so tired until one thing I did, you know I made note of that and I kind of semi took July off. I started a lot of crops later so that they weren't, you know didn't need a whole lot. I wasn't doing a ton of picking in July. I didn't have big events and that has made a huge difference in how I feel right now.
00:32:26
Alexis
um you know, going into September in a big busy season. And so I think making some immediate thoughts on how you feel at the end of each kind of quarter it can be really, really valuable. So just my thoughts on that.
00:32:41
Brett
Yeah, I think that the, you know, you mentioned how fall can be like spring as far as busyness and planning everything else. The difference is you're not coming off of a forced period of sitting inside the house sipping hot cocoa and chilling and looking at seed catalogs here.
00:32:53
Alexis
Yeah.
00:32:57
Brett
Oh, wow. Another you season of planning after I'm already exhausted from a season of working.
00:33:01
Alexis
Yeah.
00:33:02
Brett
um Just a couple of things just to follow up in case, in case anybody's not familiar, hasn't heard the soil testing and amending episode Alexis was mentioned and stuff like ah Sulfur and lime to be able to adjust the pH of your soil if your soil is one way or the other those things take time And so that's part of the reason why this is a good time to do that is you can get that down So that you it'll be ready for you in spring. um I Think the other thing too as far as crops go we have a whole episode on garlic and and garlic is something this time of year. Unfortunately, it's probably sold out in many places. I don't know. We were just talking about that a little bit before um for one of these episodes. and But I think you know this is this is the time of year where you're thinking about s starting to plant garlic that will then grow throughout the year and then be usually available the following July, you know somewhere in there. um That's another part of as far as the crops go. but ah so
00:34:02
Brett
can i Can I just go ahead in the last little bit of time we have here? Asked to be a little bit touchy-feely, like I said I would. of So you said you...
00:34:10
atack2010
We would be disappointed if you did not, Brad.
00:34:11
Brett
yeah you
00:34:12
Alexis
little bit
00:34:13
atack2010
You need to.
00:34:13
Brett
You did. No, you did.
00:34:14
atack2010
You need to.
00:34:14
Brett
And you opened up the door for me. So you have only yourself to thank for for that. But you said, you know, at the end of at this time of year, what are the things that you're thinking or feeling this time of year? and And so I'm curious right now, what is it that you are feeling as this this initial transition toward fall happens, whether that be horticulture and seasonality related or something else?
00:34:36
Brett
I'm just I'm curious.
00:34:37
Alexis
I started a little bit.
00:34:37
atack2010
so One of my smarty pants friends ah happened to mention two or three days ago, he ah he likes to throw darts at me. I think he said, you know, this is the last eight 30 cents that we're going to see until next May.
00:34:48
atack2010
And I was like, thanks for that, bro. um But that is something that, you know, makes me feel a certain way when you get off work at whatever time that is, let's say an average day, not a long day, but an average day you get home, you have a certain amount of daylight left.
00:34:50
Alexis
um
00:35:03
atack2010
And that's really special to me to do activities and ah have all the fun and do all the things. And that's getting shorter. And so I'm keenly aware of that.
00:35:11
Jessica
It is.
00:35:12
atack2010
I mean, that's a huge thing.
00:35:13
Alexis
Hehe,
00:35:13
atack2010
I mean, daylight and, um you know, if it's personal or if you were doing production, it's, it's always been a big thing ah to me, but that's what I'm feeling this time of year is that the days are getting shorter and that that impacts a lot of different things for me.
00:35:18
Alexis
um...
00:35:28
Jessica
I've noticed that too. The fall is a busy but relaxing time if that makes sense for us, for my family, because it's kind of like I get through county fair, I get through state fair, and then we have like one or two other big things at work. And then I'm off a lot because my I'm going to have a two year old in the end of September and then a four year old on Halloween.
00:35:53
Jessica
So, um, I ended up taking a lot of time off in September and October and we have, and it's kind of, you know, like I said, the garden is all wrapping up, right?
00:35:54
atack2010
Fun time.
00:36:03
Jessica
Like Alexis and I always joke about, um, I'll see you in the winter or I'll see you in the fall. Like if we ever want to hang out, right? Cause that's just how, our schedule so we're actually like where we don't ever do vacations like really in the spring or summer that's but a very foreign concept to me for like my whole life to be like vacation in the summer what right um we that tends to be more of our fall and so it kind of just like all leads in and the next thing i know it's like thanksgiving and christmas and a new year like it's all when i say it's all downhill it's not downhill in a bad way it's like just you know coasting into like
00:36:36
atack2010
The holidays.
00:36:39
Alexis
yeah
00:36:42
Brett
Yeah, like the best part of the bike ride when you get to the top of the hill and then like, okay, here we go.
00:36:43
Jessica
fun things. Right, yeah.
00:36:45
Alexis
Yeah. Here we go!
00:36:46
Jessica
And I love the summer months too, but just a lot of fun things to look forward to coming up.
00:36:53
atack2010
Seems like once the holidays hit, I mean, I know that's it's always been a time to gather for gathering for me and I love all the gathering things and events. I mean, that's ah that's a big switch over to um is the gathering.
00:37:05
atack2010
that I call it the holidays, D-A-Z, because I mean, it goes by so quick.
00:37:10
Alexis
motion
00:37:10
atack2010
It can, especially, ah you know, depending on if you're traveling, you know, for family or whatever, vacations or breaks or from production, whatever, but that that's a big change too, is the holidays tend to have an impact on all of those things.
00:37:23
Alexis
I'm starting to get amped again, because like I said, Mike, from a growing perspective, but even as like an agent, um, until the first freeze, you are going to keep getting calls because that you know all your, all these plants are going down in the home gardens.
00:37:35
Jessica
Mm hmm.
00:37:39
Alexis
Um, you know, people are, you know, again again, it's, if you're commercial, a lot of those people are doing the same stuff, kind of stuff they're doing in the spring. And so you're, you're where July.
00:37:51
Alexis
Actually, um at least in my experience, tended to be a little bit more quiet.
00:37:55
Brett
Thank you.
00:37:55
Alexis
Like you would think, you know, the heat of summer, everybody's got a garden. um It'd be a big deal. The plants are usually doing pretty well by that point in the season.
00:38:06
Alexis
You know, they're like really starting to take off. People are excited or they're away on vacation and they come back and it's fall in their home, you know, because they've got school and they're looking at their garden more and the plants are starting to decline because diseases come in, insects have come in,
00:38:20
Alexis
the cooler nights, stuff like that. so I think um from an extension perspective, it'll ramp up and then shut down. right like right As soon as freeze hits, it you're you're done from that perspective.
00:38:29
Jessica
Okay.
00:38:33
Alexis
and Then from a grower perspective, at least for winter growing, whether that's fruit, you know veggies or or flowers or whatever, Um, you know, we start to amp back up and you know, my brain doesn't shut off until like December 31st because, um, you know,
00:38:51
atack2010
Because it just doesn't.
00:38:52
Alexis
Yeah, well, um, yeah, joe January don't call like I'm tired, but, uh, for people who, you know, maybe are selling CSA shares or things like that, they're thinking of things for, um, you know, they're doing holiday markets or they're doing, um, you know, was prepping stuff for, um, marketing.
00:38:56
atack2010
Sorry.
00:39:08
Jessica
Thank you.
00:39:13
Alexis
Like there's a lot of marketing that happens in November and December, and then you tack on just like. family stuff. so like I'm starting to get amped, but also stressed.
00:39:20
atack2010
Yeah.
00:39:23
atack2010
No.
00:39:24
Alexis
Where I had that like kind of took a little bit of a break, i'm starting to I feel better this year than I would have this time last year. so
00:39:31
atack2010
And you said that break was like a strategic kind of thing, wasn't it?
00:39:31
Alexis
that's
00:39:34
Alexis
Yeah, yeah, that was like, uh, well in just like you, you looked at multiple things.
00:39:35
atack2010
To kind of see. Awesome. Awesome.
00:39:39
Alexis
It was like, you look at your sales, you look at how you feel, you know, and I think it, I think looking at the sales perspective made me feel better about wanting to do it anyways, if that makes sense.
00:39:50
Alexis
So I think a lot of the time we. you know As farmers, we're like, we got to take advantage of it. you You got to be constantly selling, constantly selling. And even though, sustainably speaking, maybe it would be better if you took that time because you you know you would do better in the fall ah when you're really needed. So looking at the numbers really backed up the feeling I was having. And so it made me feel better about that. um So that's why it's important to keep your numbers.
00:40:16
Brett
So you weren't you weren't losing as much juice as you were gaining from the squeeze or the lack of squeeze.
00:40:16
atack2010
Yeah.
00:40:20
Alexis
Right.
00:40:22
Brett
Yeah.
00:40:22
Alexis
Exactly. exactly so Feeling a little bit more refreshed to maybe do some more things during a more lucrative time of the year, um hopefully.
00:40:23
atack2010
you know
00:40:31
Alexis
I might not. I might just be like, whatever, I'm done.
00:40:35
atack2010
I'm done because I am. Yeah, exactly.
00:40:36
Alexis
I done because I am and that's what's going to keep you going. So listen to yourself a little bit. You know, like you got to grind sometimes, but there's also, you know, that's why we want farmers to keep farming.
00:40:48
Alexis
Right. So they've got to listen to themselves and and be supported by people um that it's OK to maybe, you know, quit a few weeks early. Like Jessica said, maybe you just stop spraying.
00:40:58
Jessica
Maybe we have to separate and we go to football games on Saturday.
00:41:00
Alexis
Yeah.
00:41:01
atack2010
Yes, let nature take its course and schedules take their course.
00:41:04
Alexis
Yeah, you've got to take care of you know your men mental and that I have learned the hard way.
00:41:07
atack2010
um
00:41:11
Jessica
We want to still love this, right? Like it doesn't need, I mean, there it's all chores, right? Chores. But at the same time, there's a reason why we keep doing it, right? You still want to enjoy what you do at the end of the day.
00:41:11
Alexis
so Yeah.
00:41:17
Alexis
Yeah.
00:41:28
Alexis
Yeah.
00:41:29
Jessica
not get burned out.
00:41:29
Brett
you think, do you think you yourself in like May would annoy yourself in August?
00:41:39
Jessica
yes Yes.
00:41:39
atack2010
Hmm.
00:41:40
Brett
You're like, what is wrong with you?
00:41:41
atack2010
Hmm.
00:41:42
Brett
Why are you, why are you committing to their ordering?
00:41:42
Alexis
I think, um yeah, it will be for me in September, me, our very different people.
00:41:44
atack2010
Did we not learn from last season?
00:41:49
Brett
Yeah.
00:41:49
Jessica
Right.
00:41:49
atack2010
Yeah.
00:41:50
Jessica
Oh, January, like January and February. And I'm like, oh my gosh, we should do this. We should add this product. Look at the C catalog. like I'm going to make all of these labels, let's you know all these marketing things.
00:42:01
Jessica
What has CCD offered that we can you know learn about and do?
00:42:05
Alexis
You go to all these conferences and you're like, that's such a great idea.
00:42:07
Jessica
and then you know
00:42:10
Jessica
It's a great idea.
00:42:10
Alexis
I'm going to do it.
00:42:11
atack2010
you
00:42:11
Alexis
And you're like.
00:42:12
Jessica
I could do that.
00:42:12
Brett
This is almost as good an idea as the bottomless coffee available in the lobby. Woo!
00:42:16
atack2010
You're... Yes.
00:42:17
Jessica
Yeah.
00:42:18
atack2010
Both of them have their downsides. Yes. It all starts with the seed catalogs with me, man. When I start getting those and look at new cultivars and things, I'm like, oh, oh, oh. And then at the end of the season, I'm like, oh, oh, oh.
00:42:28
Jessica
um' I'm going to grow all the things, even if I know it doesn't grow in this zone.
00:42:31
atack2010
Yeah. Yeah.
00:42:36
Jessica
I'm going to keep buying that lemon tree.
00:42:37
Alexis
Yeah.
00:42:39
Jessica
right i'm go to get I got another one.
00:42:39
atack2010
Yeah, good. You're going to have that special season where your avocados and lemon tree does both equally well. so
00:42:46
Jessica
i mean
00:42:46
Alexis
Listen, I've decided I'm a winter tulip grower apparently this year, so I've got, you know, a couple thousand bulbs coming. in So who knows what December and January, Alexis will actually feel like this
00:42:59
Brett
Winter, winter tulip.
00:43:00
atack2010
you You mentioned um a big breaking point, Alexis, is like that that frost. you know Once we get that first hard frost, I've spoken from an allergy sufferer, my whole family, and I look forward to that because that really is a biological breaking point for a lot of growing things and things that have blooms. and and this, that and the other, but for allergies and all of that. I mean, that that's a real breaking point for me. And that and's I'm kind of, it's always bittersweet to see that first hard frost. It's going to wipe out whatever's in the garden. That's left. What few things I had that's, that's left, unless it's super cold hardy, but it also knocks out all of the, a lot of the allergy causing things for me. So it's not all bad.
00:43:41
Brett
a friend A friend referred to that that time of year is that she felt like that she usually like it was like she shed a skin like a snake almost.
00:43:54
Brett
And that the well the one year a couple of years ago where it was like 90 degrees all the way through Halloween and there was no real break.
00:44:00
Alexis
Yeah.
00:44:01
Brett
It was like feeling like you were stuck in that skin and couldn't shed it until like that cold, that cool had come. And I thought that was a really apt description.
00:44:09
Alexis
that hermit crab who couldn't find another shell just stuck in it.
00:44:12
Brett
Yeah, just, just stuck here.
00:44:13
Jessica
Hmm.
00:44:15
atack2010
I may have outgrown my home, but I'm going to stay here for a bit longer.
00:44:17
Alexis
Yeah. There, there always comes a point where you're in the season. You're like, I just wish you would die. Just die. Just I'm done.
00:44:22
atack2010
I feel that way about tomatoes.
00:44:23
Brett
It's okay.
00:44:23
Alexis
Cause you feel guilty about not doing anything with it.
00:44:24
Brett
It's okay.
00:44:26
atack2010
You know, the indeterminate tomatoes, yeah.
00:44:26
Alexis
Right. But you're like, just die already. And that's why the flail mower is such a great investment.
00:44:29
Brett
Don't tempt me.
00:44:31
Alexis
Cause you can just mow it down.
00:44:33
Brett
Yeah.
00:44:33
Alexis
And then you don't, you're like, you only feel a bit guilty for like the two minutes it takes you to mow it down. And then it's just like this big relief.
00:44:41
atack2010
Yeah, and then you look at a nice clean palette.
00:44:41
Brett
So in your BCS costume, you would have a flail mower attachment.
00:44:44
Alexis
Oh, oh, yeah.
00:44:45
Jessica
Oh, that's fitting, yeah.
00:44:45
atack2010
Yes.
00:44:45
Alexis
Oh, yeah. Destroy it all. Yeah.
00:44:48
atack2010
And all of your problems are in front of the flow mower, every one of them.
00:44:48
Brett
Yeah.
00:44:50
Alexis
I'm thinking of like does that like painting on like one of those um like just like a mouth with big teeth on it and like angry eyeballs on the flail mower just like really getting after it.
00:44:56
Jessica
Mm-hm.
00:44:57
atack2010
Like Salvador Dali style or?
00:45:01
atack2010
like like ah Like a World War II fighter plane with the big mouth kind of retro.
00:45:03
Alexis
Or like cookie monster.
00:45:04
Brett
a made and Made in Italy.
00:45:05
Alexis
It's sort of like cookie. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's what I was thinking.
00:45:07
Jessica
Yeah.
00:45:07
atack2010
Yeah.
00:45:08
atack2010
I like it.
00:45:08
Alexis
Like a bomber.
00:45:08
atack2010
and I like it.
00:45:09
Alexis
Yeah.
00:45:09
atack2010
Yeah.
00:45:10
Alexis
Yeah.
00:45:10
atack2010
Ooh, the blue bomber. i say I see something forming in my mind that needs to happen with your BCS.
00:45:14
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:45:16
Jessica
Well, I'm really good at taking diaper boxes and other cardboard and making costumes.
00:45:21
Alexis
Nice, nice.
00:45:22
Jessica
So when you when you have some free time, if you want to start working on that, we can we can get that knocked out.
00:45:22
Alexis
All right, well.
00:45:25
Alexis
OK, all right.
00:45:26
atack2010
Well, first of all, that's your downfall when we have free time.
00:45:27
Alexis
Bo and I will go sugar treating together as as tractors.
00:45:31
atack2010
See, it's already started.
00:45:31
Jessica
When we have free time, see you in the winter, right?
00:45:33
Alexis
Yeah, see you in the winter.
00:45:35
atack2010
TikTok has made sure that nobody has free time anymore because there's all of these wonderful little ideals floating around out there. It's like, oh, that won't take that much longer to do homemade, you know, cinnamon rolls. It's going to be great.
00:45:46
atack2010
It's going to be fine. And then you're addicted all of a sudden.
00:45:48
Alexis
Six hours later.
00:45:49
atack2010
And you stick ours later. Yes, exactly.
00:45:53
Alexis
What about you, Brett?
00:45:53
atack2010
Exactly. I don't know. I look forward to the winding down. Yeah. What what do you have going on, Brett?
00:45:56
Jessica
Yeah.
00:45:56
Alexis
what's your What are your reflections?
00:45:57
Brett
What's that?
00:45:58
Alexis
What are your reflections?
00:45:58
Jessica
Yeah, we talk the whole time.
00:46:00
atack2010
What are you thinking? What do you got in the fields?
00:46:02
Brett
Oh, I don't know.
00:46:04
atack2010
More bread?
00:46:04
Brett
It's what's that more bread.
00:46:05
atack2010
I'll advocate for that. and More bread. You make a beautiful loaf, so.
00:46:08
Alexis
Just open a thing of sauerkraut and just eat on it.
00:46:12
Brett
Yeah. we We do sauerkraut guiled grilled cheeses. That's like a very, uh, strong part of this year.
00:46:15
Jessica
That sounds good.
00:46:15
Alexis
oh It's delicious. Yeah.
00:46:19
Brett
Uh,
00:46:19
Alexis
i Annie gave me the thought.
00:46:21
Brett
Yeah. um I don't know. It's been it's been kind of a difficult and unusual year for me in ah a variety of ways. And with each passing part of the season, there's kind of like a reminder that things keep moving and keep going. And that's that's kind of, I don't know, it's been like a re-realization. I also have We've put in a bunch of perennials and stuff in the in our at our house in the inn the yard over the last number of years and done some pretty intense re-landscaping. And so seeing everything move through the seasons and begin to senesce and then looking ahead to when it will come back around is pretty cool. i am
00:47:09
Brett
Ready for to not have to water bonsai as much I love them, but whoo It's like a lot especially when it's hot um So yeah, I mean those are some of the main Things that are on my mind or that I'm kind of feeling I tend to like to read as it gets cooler and cooler even more and so I've already I got a head start on that been reading some stuff and I
00:47:12
Alexis
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
00:47:32
atack2010
Yes, absolutely.
00:47:36
atack2010
I'm starting on my 80s collection of horror movies, ah but reading is way up there.
00:47:40
Brett
Oh.
00:47:40
Jessica
That was the thing.
00:47:41
atack2010
That is true. When if it's darker, it always seems like I read a little bit more. Yeah, I'm talking about that bread.
00:47:46
Brett
Yeah.
00:47:46
atack2010
That's always a cool time.
00:47:48
Brett
And I don't know if that's just me ah symbolically going back to school or something like, OK, time to read books.
00:47:48
atack2010
Yeah.
00:47:53
atack2010
Literally or symbolically, yeah, they read all the books.
00:47:54
Alexis
No, you're just hibernating.
00:47:55
Brett
Yeah. If they're not going to give me a personal pan pizza for reading during the summer, then it's not going to happen.
00:48:01
atack2010
A bucket was the thing back then.
00:48:02
Brett
Yeah. Lose my lose my number, Pizza Hut.
00:48:04
atack2010
Absolutely.
00:48:06
Brett
i't But yeah, I don't know. it's it's ah I don't know. I'm figuring it out all over again, I guess. But yeah.
00:48:16
Alexis
It's a season of change.
00:48:18
atack2010
I feel like there's a yeah song in here, you know, seasons change. Yeah. I don't know.
00:48:24
Brett
We were singing ah singing Landslide earlier, because Jessica was like talking about getting older, and I'm like, oh.
00:48:24
atack2010
it's a Yeah.
00:48:26
Jessica
Yeah.
00:48:26
atack2010
ah Yeah. I was that was my vibe. I was going to do some Fleetwood. Yeah.
00:48:31
Brett
And I am getting older, too.
00:48:31
atack2010
I'm always up. Um, there you go.
00:48:33
Alexis
assistance
00:48:35
atack2010
It's a good, it's good times. It's good times, but heading into fall. Good times.
00:48:40
Brett
Well, not to end on a bummer note, cause, uh, you know, as Ray said, p PSL's about to, about to redrop or have they already dropped Ray?
00:48:42
Jessica
Right.
00:48:43
atack2010
Yeah.
00:48:48
atack2010
ah They maybe dropped for me a week or two ago at the gas stations.
00:48:50
Brett
Uh-oh.
00:48:51
atack2010
Hey, listen, they may be dollar store PSLs, but they're still PSLs.
00:48:52
Brett
Uh-oh.
00:48:56
atack2010
They may taste like pure sugar, but that's fine.
00:48:57
Brett
ah Yeah.
00:48:59
atack2010
One and done with those guys.
00:48:59
Brett
ah Yeah. What's, what's in a name, a PSL by any other name would taste just as fall like.
00:49:05
Alexis
Sweet.
00:49:05
atack2010
Oh, yeah. They're kind of rough.
00:49:07
Brett
I think that's what they said. Yeah.
00:49:09
atack2010
Uh, I, there's a lot of variation in the quality of pumpkin spice lattes.
00:49:11
Brett
That's pumpkin spice latte for the uninitiated. I'm sure everybody out there knows, but.
00:49:14
atack2010
Yeah. Yeah. That did. It seems like that those things have gotten sweaters. I've gotten older, not in a necessarily a good way. I don't know. Maybe it's just me, but I'm like, whoa, a lot of sweetness to those.
00:49:24
Jessica
I used to think that I really liked them, but now I'm like, I'm not so sure.
00:49:27
atack2010
They're a lot now.
00:49:27
Alexis
yeah
00:49:29
atack2010
Yeah.
00:49:29
Alexis
yeah I'm an apple cider girly. so
00:49:31
Jessica
Apple cider.
00:49:31
atack2010
Okay.
00:49:32
Alexis
yeah
00:49:33
atack2010
Taste of the season to come.
00:49:34
Brett
Hot or cold.
00:49:34
atack2010
I like it.
00:49:35
Alexis
Both.
00:49:37
atack2010
I do love hot apple cider.
00:49:37
Brett
But like if you had to choose.
00:49:37
Jessica
Yeah.
00:49:41
Alexis
but Literally whatever's handed to me.
00:49:41
Brett
You gotta choose. You gotta choose.
00:49:44
Alexis
Oh.
00:49:44
Brett
If you don't choose, you get neither.
00:49:44
Jessica
I would be told.
00:49:44
Alexis
um Well, hot then.
00:49:46
atack2010
I'm going hot.
00:49:47
Alexis
I'd probably go hot.
00:49:47
atack2010
I'm going hot.
00:49:48
Brett
I don't know why I felt the need to escalate this to a crisis scenario.
00:49:50
Alexis
I was like, oh, OK.
00:49:50
atack2010
forceche not the Force the dichotomy.
00:49:51
Alexis
We're doing aggressive apple cider choices.
00:49:52
atack2010
Yeah. Yeah.
00:49:55
Alexis
You have to choose or you get nothing.
00:49:56
Brett
Hot or cold, see ya.
00:49:56
atack2010
If you're going to an orchard in 30 minutes, are you getting the hot or the cold?
00:49:59
Alexis
Yeah. Well, I guess when I'm usually drinking it, it's cold outside. So it makes sense for it to be hot.
00:50:04
Brett
Yeah, I think other than like water and water adjacent things, I think most drinks I prefer hot.
00:50:04
atack2010
Yeah, that's when I drink those. Yeah.
00:50:11
atack2010
Um, um, tea, tea even.
00:50:12
Alexis
It
00:50:13
Brett
Tea, coffee, cider.
00:50:15
atack2010
Yeah. I like the warmth of the things. Yeah. Especially when it starts to, you know, get colder out. I like all the hot things.
00:50:21
Alexis
fuels my cold soul.
00:50:24
Brett
If you all have ever heard of the Ayurvedic Doshas, it's sort of like a popularity, and not popularity, a personality test adapted for like crunchy people who like to appropriate Eastern philosophy.
00:50:25
atack2010
I don't think I have.
00:50:29
Alexis
No.
00:50:29
Jessica
No.
00:50:40
atack2010
Hmm. Perfect.
00:50:41
Brett
It's like, you know, it's like yoga, sort of, you know, like it has a meaning, it has applicability, but it has a different context, blah, blah, blah.
00:50:42
atack2010
I like it.
00:50:42
Jessica
Okay.
00:50:43
atack2010
Okay.
00:50:44
Alexis
Yeah. Yeah.
00:50:47
atack2010
It's like the general's checking.
00:50:47
Brett
But it's like this idea, the idea that like, we have these, like, these elemental, I'm gonna butcher it now, and it's gonna be on the record.
00:50:49
atack2010
Sure.
00:50:55
Alexis
Hmm.
00:50:56
Brett
So I'm going full, full speed ahead.
00:50:58
atack2010
Everyone's going to know.
00:50:59
Brett
ah But you have these sort of different people have different distributions of Ayurvedic doshas of like this, sort of like fire, earth, water, that kind of elemental thing.
00:51:11
Jessica
So Avatar, right?
00:51:11
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:51:12
Brett
Exactly.
00:51:12
Alexis
Right?
00:51:13
Brett
Oh, you are familiar.
00:51:13
Alexis
So avatar.
00:51:14
atack2010
okay
00:51:14
Brett
Yes. Yes.
00:51:16
atack2010
okay
00:51:16
Brett
So I would be so like if you have ah like a ah fiery Dosa, there's certain foods that tend to be in the Ayurveda tend to be more applicable to so whereas if you have more of like a slow, you know, you need a little bit more excitement in your life, which is like someone like me.
00:51:35
Brett
you want something that's spicy, that's hot, hot drinks, et cetera, have this way of kind of nourishing that.
00:51:40
atack2010
Okay, yeah, okay
00:51:40
Brett
it's It's an interesting way of thinking about like the self and overall you're supposed to kind of be balanced, but it's when you become imbalanced, which direction do you go?
00:51:42
Alexis
Okay.
00:51:49
Brett
And we all know there's there's some people who get quiet and go off and pout in a corner like me. There's people who get lash out and mad and fiery. And there's you know there's a whole whole range of different people, but I have found that I like hot stuff, spicy, hot, brings it brings up a little life in me.
00:52:10
atack2010
trying to liven things up.
00:52:10
Brett
I don't know why, I don't know where that and that came from, a deep...
00:52:11
atack2010
You do, you, you do.
00:52:14
Jessica
Is there a quiz that we can take to figure this out?
00:52:14
atack2010
Hey, is there Myers, Myers Briggs?
00:52:16
Alexis
Right? Like, is it a cosmos phase?
00:52:17
Brett
Probably.
00:52:18
Alexis
I want to take one.
00:52:19
atack2010
Yeah, I do want to tell you, I want to see what you avatar. I am.
00:52:21
Alexis
We should do.
00:52:21
atack2010
Is it water form or wind form and air or what am I?
00:52:24
Alexis
We need to do the, um, what's it called bread?
00:52:25
Brett
Yeah.
00:52:27
Alexis
Enograms.
00:52:29
Brett
Enneagram, yeah.
00:52:30
Alexis
And yeah, with, we should do it with this group and then like talk about how that makes it, what kind of gardeners we are because of that.
00:52:31
Jessica
Natto.
00:52:33
Brett
Ooh, are you all familiar with the Enneagram?
00:52:37
Alexis
Like, I feel like that'd be cool.
00:52:38
Brett
You guys want to buy some crystals from me? I'm just kidding.
00:52:41
Jessica
Oh.
00:52:43
Alexis
Do you know what your moon sign is?
00:52:43
Brett
um
00:52:46
Brett
Yeah, Enneagram also a fun thing. ah The poor people that work with me and and were hang hanging out with me last year, I think it was, I got super into it. it's That one's one where like there's just numbers from one through nine.
00:53:01
Brett
and they all each one of sort of has like a associated set of practices or or tendencies. it's it's Again, it's along the lines of a personality test, though though the people who hold it up would say it's slightly different.
00:53:12
Brett
But at the core of it is about how to figure out trying to figure out how to work better with other people by understanding them better, understanding yourself better, and and that sort of thing.
00:53:19
Alexis
Mm hmm.
00:53:24
Brett
so Yeah.
00:53:27
Alexis
i want to I want to make it like a garden version, like what kind of, how that relates to how we are our gardeners.
00:53:31
atack2010
What kind of vegetable?
00:53:32
Brett
o Okay.
00:53:32
atack2010
to her
00:53:34
Alexis
Just like, um, yeah.
00:53:34
atack2010
ah
00:53:35
Jessica
That would be fun.
00:53:36
Alexis
So if you're like normally a three, you tend to like, I don't actually know what a three is, but I'm guessing here you, I don't, I don't know what I am.
00:53:40
Brett
Are you a three?
00:53:44
Alexis
I've never done it, but I'm, I'm, I don't know.
00:53:45
atack2010
She's not going to own that, is she?
00:53:45
Brett
She's doing three.
00:53:46
atack2010
No.
00:53:47
Alexis
I was like, do you tend to like straight lines in your rows or are you more of a like, you know, throw it anywhere kind of grower?
00:53:53
atack2010
An English gardener.
00:53:55
Brett
Are you more of an English gardener?
00:53:55
Alexis
I don't know. I found, I think that'd be fun.
00:54:00
atack2010
I like fish with my chips.
00:54:01
Alexis
Exactly, exactly.
00:54:04
Brett
save this Alexis I don't know where I don't know where are you Vedic doshas I have not thought about that in like over 10 years
00:54:04
Alexis
Alright.
00:54:08
atack2010
This is where reflections go people.
00:54:09
Alexis
we're We reflected on fall.
00:54:10
atack2010
We reflect.
00:54:11
Alexis
We hope we gave you some tips to maybe do your own a little bit of reflection or, you know, looking towards the future. ah So maybe that's where you're at. And or maybe you just got a few laughs out of the random things that we we come up with.
00:54:24
Alexis
We're here to please. So if you enjoyed this episode, ah please leave us a review. If you didn't enjoy this episode, you can still leave us a review. We still expect five stars, but you can tell us not your best ah if you so choose.
00:54:37
Brett
Who would say that?
00:54:39
Alexis
No one. but That's why I'm saying it, because I know nobody likes to do it.
00:54:40
Brett
Yeah, ah don't even don't even bring that energy in.
00:54:42
atack2010
The threes would say that. I'm pretty sure the threes would.
00:54:44
Brett
Yeah, threes would say could have been better.
00:54:47
Alexis
of Even better. I mean, that's, it's, you know, free. Anyways, so we would love if you leave us review, it helps other people find us. You can also find us on Instagram at Hort Culture Podcast. ah You can shoot us a message on there. If you you know have any ideas, if that's something easier for you to access,
00:55:05
Alexis
If you have any thoughts, please feel free to reach out. You can also do that. We've had people who email us and say, I am very lost about um what you meant by this episode and or have ideas for future ones and you can do that.
00:55:18
Brett
People just say more mulch content, more mulch content.
00:55:21
Alexis
more mo And then we will make sure to invite Josh back on ah for the Mulch 2.0 episode, Mulch Boy.
00:55:23
Brett
like
00:55:29
Alexis
so ah But you can do that. You can reach out to us via email. ah That's hortculturepodcast.l.uky.edu. That goes to all of us. And so one of us will answer depending on kind of what what the question is.
00:55:43
Alexis
Some of us are better than others at things. But anyways, ah we hope you've enjoyed this podcast and that as we grow it, you will grow with us and that you'll join us next week. Have a great one.