A few months later...
Rayne woke up early. Today would be the base's first harvest and it was a big occasion for everyone.
All of the farmers were already up and working, even before the sun rose, getting everything ready for the harvest today.
Rayne got ready and skipped to the farmland to help with all of the action.
Many of the others woke up early as well, trying to be part of the action.
Rayne looked at the fields and saw the beautiful and lush vegetables. There was lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, potatoes, onions, carrots, and many other beautiful vegetables.
The farmers were setting up crates and baskets near each of the plots where they would be harvesting today.
"Are these strawberries?!", exclaimed Rayne happily. She knew that there were plenty of vegetables that were planted, but she didn't know they even had strawberries!
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One of the designated farmers walked over and washed a ripe strawberry in a bucket of water, handing it over to Rayne.
"Yes! We managed to plant a few strawberry plants this time. We're hoping to expand the farm to accommodate more berries to make jams and preserves in the future".
Rayne accepted the big ripe strawberry, happily placing it in her mouth. Her eyes squinted from joy as the sweetness from the strawberry filled her mouth.
"Wow, it's the most delicious strawberry I've ever had!", she exclaimed after she finished eating it.
The farmer smiled, "Thank you. They're my pride and joy. I come from a family of farmers, and strawberries were always the plants I cared for the most. When the disasters happened, the first thing I packed was these seeds"
Rayne's eyes widened, "You mean these strawberries are from the seeds you brought?".
She initially thought that all of the seeds they used for planting the fields were the ones that she provided from the warehouse.
However, knowing that their settlement had such passionate people who were willing to plant their treasured seeds warmed her heart.
The farmer smiled and nodded, "I'm just happy that I could continue this legacy. These seeds are a special and unique breed. Now they won't be lost forever".
Rayne looked at the thriving plants and thought about the other settlements she'd been to. While she left many seeds behind when she left Fred's ranch, they were mostly staple vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers.
Even the chicken farm settlement seemed like they had a few fields. "It would be nice if we could set up some sort of trade route between our settlements", she mumbled to herself as she continued to walk around the fields.
Trade had always been vital to growth by providing new goods that places didn't have before.
If she could set up a small trade caravan that went from place to place, she would be able to upkeep relations with the other settlements. It would provide the resources necessary for these settlements to grow and accept new refugees.
About an hour later the entire settlement was up and congregating around the fields. Everyone was tasked with a small section of the field, harvesting all of the ripe vegetables from that area.
Rayne joined in, harvesting various peppers from her section. They were all plump and juicy, shining brightly under the green leaves of the plant.
"Our farmers are very skilled", she said to Julian who was harvesting cucumbers in the adjacent area.
"They are indeed, I'm surprised at how much we were able to grow on this moderate size field", he smiled, throwing a cucumber at her.
Rayne caught the cucumber and placed it in her basket, shaking her head at him.
Just today's harvest would fill the remaining empty shelves inside the food warehouse and refrigerators.
Ella walked over with a full box of red tomatoes, "Rayne, at this rate we will need to throw a salad party or something! There's more lettuce that I know what to do with"
"Wait, that's actually a great idea! I'll find Mila and see if we can make something happen for this evening", clapped Rayne.
They haven't had a party in a few weeks, and today was definitely an occasion worth celebrating.
Rayne quickly finished plucking the rest of the peppers and went to place the full basket at the edge of the field where the others were and set off to find Mila.
Mila was in the outdoor kitchen gazebo, cleaning all of the surfaces for today's use.
"Hey Mila, what do you think of having a salad party today in celebration of today's harvest? We have so many different vegetables and it would be great to eat them fresh!", asked Rayne cheerfully.
Mila looked up from the table, "Well, that's a wonderful idea! Let's do that! I'll get some loaves of bread baked as a side"
"Perfect, let's grill some chicken too!", suggested Rayne, thinking of eating her favorite chicken Caesar salad.
Now that they had a steady supply of chickens, eating chicken meat and eggs was no longer reserved for special occasions.
Just as Rayne was about to make her way over to the food warehouse to prep the chicken, she ran into Laura.
"Oh hello Rayne! How's the harvest today? I begged David to walk me over so that I could take a look", greeted Laura.
Her belly was very round, and she was estimated to give birth any day now. David was carefully holding her by the arm, ensuring her safety as she wobbled over.
"Honey, the farm is a long walk away, are you sure you want to go? How about I bring a chair over and you can sit in the shade", said David. His eyebrows were scrunched together as he spoke, giving away his nervousness.
Laura waved her hand, "All I've been doing these days was sit. I want to be part of today's fun!", she exclaimed, adamant about wanting to walk over.
"Okay, okay. Let's just take it slow", he said, conceding to his wife's desires.
Rayne smiled looking at the couple. Much like the rest of the settlement, Rayne couldn't wait to meet the baby.
Anna said that the pregnancy was going very well, and there shouldn't be any problems. It was only after hearing her assessment that David finally managed to relax a little bit.
He spent most of his time catering to Laura or putting together all of the necessary furniture for the baby.
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Rayne continued to the food warehouse and brought back a few frozen chicken breasts from the freezer. She quickly threw a few more chicken breasts into the freezer to replenish the stock and walked back to the kitchen area.
Ella came over a few minutes later, wearing her new necklace cheerfully.
"How may I be of assistance?", she asked, walking into the kitchen area.
Mila ordered the two girls around to fetch and wash the freshly harvested vegetables and began to prep for their cookout party.
A few hours later, everyone in the fields finished up and made their way over to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Rayne and Ella just finished grilling the chicken when everyone came over to eat.
The ingredients were all prepared individually, creating something similar to a massive salad bar. People could choose exactly what they wanted in their salads, while others simply took a bit of everything.
It was a very bright and festive atmosphere where even the pickiest eaters were saying that these were the best-tasting vegetables they had ever had.