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By: Jim Fitzpatrick |
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Email: jim@nunica.com |
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Local Farmer in Polkton Township writes for the Coopersville Observer. |
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Along Brandy Creek By Jim Fitzpatrick
The Coopersville Observer August 15, 2011- - No. 115 |
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During the daylight hours his time is spent at work between the rows of vegetables and flowers that will be sold at local farmer’s markets. Late in the day and on into the night he is part of the pizza making crew at Dan’s down on Main Street. Will lives at home on the farm with his mom, his sister Anne and his dad; who all help out when the work becomes too much for one guy to keep up with. Laura S. helped out for a few hours a while back when more help was needed. Grandma and Grandpa arrived from Texas to spend a week and he put them to work full time for their entire stay.
Out there in the gardens of Will’s along State Road you will see rows of sweet corn, vine after vine of zucchini, and small patches of green beans that were planted weekly through mid-summer. There are areas of tomatoes, some egg plant in the west field; sun flowers, cabbages and broccoli in both the west and east gardens. In rows behind Great-great Grandpa’s old barn can be found green bell peppers, little red hot peppers, radishes, and red cabbages randomly spaced in with the green ones. He planted part of his mom’s garden by the house to carrots and more green beans.
Will usually shows up at daybreak on Wednesdays and Fridays at the Fulton Street Farmer’s Market in Grand Rapids. His stall is filled from end to end with the colors and freshness of recently picked vegetables and flowers. There is an added display of sunlight-catching glass bottles of maple syrup that he and his dad processed in February and March.
Will is good at keeping his mind on the work; but, does admit to drifting off, at times, into fantasies of winters-gone-sailing in the Caribbean or maybe scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef as soon as the first freeze comes on in the fall. In reality however, with summer’s end it’s back to college for Will and another year of higher education. |
