I say tom-AY-to, they say tom-AH-to

South Farm is not your typical farm. South Farm is a wedding venue. It's a "farm" that Martha Stewart would feel comfortable visiting.

That being said, I will luckily be working behind-the-scenes in the vegetable gardens and will not have anything to do with ceremonies, cocktails, and crowds. As a bit of background, South Farm includes a "pretty" garden (well-trimmed beds overflowing with a rainbow of flowers with a water lily-covered pond and romantic gazebo thrown in), vegetable farm, and animals (pigs, fowl, pygmy goats). There is also a commercial kitchen, guest rooms, reception hall, etc.

- Birds that are typically called "peacocks" are actually peafowl. The males - with the photogenic fan of feathers - are peacocks, while the females are peahens. When I first heard this, I thought my informant was lying and called his bluff. Oops. Incidentally, they make the most annoying squeals and seem to be scared of thunder.

- When vegetables are well cared for, they can become massive beasts. I think in all my experience, I considered it a good thing if the plant stayed alive for a season. Here, plants have to be dug up for growing too much.

- Tomatoes: To enhance the productivity of tomato plants, there are several tricks that concentrate the plant's resources on the fruit. As the plant grows, the "shoots" should be removed since these will not develop flowers. As I was informed today, these are branches formed at the "elbows" of the plant. Going up the main stalk, there should be only single branches diverging from the stem. If there are multiple branches diverging from the same point, then the ones in the middle should be removed. When the plant matures, the bottommost leaves can be removed every few weeks or so. These are shaded by the upper leaves and will not get sufficient sunlight to be effective sources of photosynthetic energy. The undersides of these leaves also give a good indication of the types of bug inhabiting the plant. Each of our tomato plants is grown vertically along a cord, which is similar to using a wooden support. The main stem is twisted about the rope quite tightly to support the plant.

- Harvesting potatoes is like looking for lost treasure. After ripping out the plant, the soil is dug up and turned over with potatoes occasionally surfacing. This becomes exceedingly difficult for purple potatoes, which look nearly identical to clumps of mud and mud-covered stones.

- Pigs chew with their mouths open. While grunting. So much cuter than humans who behave likewise.

- Compost: Ours is a mixture of ash, sawdust, manure, and compost waste (dead plants). Any plant that might contain fertile seeds should be burnt instead of composted directly so the seeds don't sprout.

The winds, the sea, and the moving tides are what they are. If there is wonder and beauty and majesty in them, science will discover these qualities. If they are not there, science cannot create them. - Rachel Carson