Cape Native

Fall marks the beginning of the hard season

Fall feels like the end of our barbarian season. Gone are the long days and longer nights of fishing on the ocean beach. The last basil leaf has dropped from the bush, and darkness begins to encircle us, stealing hours from our mornings and our afternoons. What seems like the end is really only the beginning. We begin to tally the depth of our stores. Winter lays bare the truth of what we did or didn’t do while the sun was high in the Northern sky. How many storing squash did we manage to produce? How many potatoes remain in the ground? How much honey did we extract? How many bluefish did we smoke, and are there really enough chickens in the freezer?

Cape Cod winter calls on us to dig a little deeper and make use of the resources we have around us. As economists puzzle over recent wild swings in the market, a familiar pondering arises; how long and how deep will this winter be? For the present, opportunities still abound. Clams are calling from the cold water flats.

This blog is about what it is like to be a little self-sufficient. At the very least, it may serve as a reminder that when the wallet is utterly bare, it is still possible to put protein on the table. At best, we can celebrate the bountiful environment we call home.