Mike's North Fork Moment of the Month

Not too long ago it became common to see mustard fields in bloom in our area this time of year. It was 2012 when I saw my first one and wasn’t even sure what it was. Goldenrod? Rapeseed? Soon photographers and painters were flocking to them in an effort to capture their unique beauty - myself included.

I was standing on the side of Route 105 taking this picture in 2014 when the farmer who owns the land drove up in his truck. He explained that the mustard plants aren’t for harvesting but are a kind of disinfectant that gets plowed into the soil in order to cleanse it. He mainly uses it the year after cultivating a crop of pumpkins because the rotting fruit that gets left behind generates a lot of bacteria.

The fields of yellow have been fewer and farther between lately but I’m happy to have spotted a couple already this year.

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