Bittersweet endings

Saturday was the final Farmers' Market of the season here on the NCR.  Some diehards will continue to sell at an indoor market for a few more weeks, but mid October is a long enough season for me.  There was still a nice harvest of fall vegetables (not veggies, as the Divine Mrs. M is quick to remind me).  Spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, beets and nappa cabbage were the highlights, but I still harvested a few heads of lettuce and bunched some basil from the cold frames, so Almena Gardens finished the season on a high note.  I still plan to cut back the offerings next year, and even the accolades from some regular customers are unlikely to change my mind.  There is something about interacting with the people who consume the crops you grow which is almost as important as the money which enables you to do it.  Let's face it, you have to be passionate about growing, because the financial rewards are meager at best when you do it as a part timer.