It's hot out there - eat some watermelon to stay hydrated! Photo by Scott David Gordon

It has been one hot week out there! Like many of you, though, I am thankful that the above 100-temps at least waited this long to get to us. And for you tomato lovers out there, this delay in the heat has an added bonus. I was talking to Vicente, our Harvest Manager, and he said our tomato plants may produce fruit for up to four more weeks! Now, granted, the tomato quality may go down a little bit since the plants will be fighting 100+ temperatures, but I am amazed that we may still have this crop well into August. I think the reason for this length in productivity can be explained in two ways. First, as I said, until now, we've had a pretty mild summer. Second, Vicente and his crew have done an amazing job taking care of these plants. Typically, we hire a temporary summer crew to handle the tomatoes because the volume is so high. This year, though, we decided to organize things a little differently. Vicente took the lead on the tomatoes, and he and his full-time crew did an outstanding job. So, when you are able to have one of our tomatoes this August, know that you have Vicente to thank!

Vicente, our amazing Harvest Crew Manager, helps out with the gathering of sunflowers. Photo by Scott David Gordon

On a totally different note, I have been hard at work on my submission for Farmer as Artist, the annual show that exhibits the artwork of individuals in the farming community. In the past, I have shown some of my paintings and photographs at this event. And this year, while I will still include some photos and video (I caught the photography bug this Spring!), I also wanted to do something different, but I didn't know what. Then it came to me - I should redo the fish sculpture I created back on Holly Street about 10 years ago! That fish has literally weathered many storms (we've kept it outside for 10 years...) and so had been looking a little worse for the wear. Now, with my son Jimmy's help, it's on its way to a full restoration.

Ten years ago when I sat down to create what would become this fish, I didn't really have a plan in mind - I just knew I wanted to make something. I had some chicken wire and some concrete mix let over from other projects I was doing for our small backyard garden CSA, so I decided I would use these as materials. As I went along, the fish started to emerge. Once finished, it wasn't exactly a friendly fish - it looked a little fierce, but I loved it. When we moved from Holly to Hergotz, it went will us and has guarded our house ever since.

My thanks to Jimmy for helping me to restore this one-of-a-kind amphibian. Amazingly, he wasn't even born when I first created this fish, so it's even more meaningful to me that he now has a hand in it's restoration. Thank you, Jimmy, for all of your help! I was going to include a photo for everyone to see, but then I thought, people need to come to the show to see the finished product! So, mark your calendars: the opening reception for Farmer as Artist will be on Saturday, August 29th, from 7pm to 9pm at Prizer Gallery (2023 E. Cesar Chavez, Austin, TX 78702). Stop by and see the fish as well as the work of so many other talented area farmers.

Photo by farmer Tim Miller and Laura Baskin. Come see their work at the Farmer as Artist show Saturday, August 29th!