Farm News 8/26/08

Hello Folks,
Another week has passed without rain and it’s beginning to make life a bit challenging down here on the farm. As I mentioned previously we are in the midst of a heavy direct seeding and transplanting cycle and both are greatly facilitated by a bit of moisture in the soil.

We have been moving the sprinklers around to water in the thousands of brassica (broccoli, cabbage, etc-pay attention!) transplants we put in last week and they have rooted and are beginning to grow. But the soil is so dry that I am unable to plant seed, because the mechanical seeders that I use won’t set the seed properly in dust. I am forced to irrigate the beds I have prepared before planting and then again a day or two later if it hasn’t rained.

The winter squash field looks great; we have managed to beat the grasses and they are beginning to set lots of fruit, but the size of the squash will be much larger if we get some rain soon. There are also many varieties of potatoes still growing in the field that could use a little water to fatten them up.

Tomatoes are ripening up prodigiously, so expect lots of tomatoes for the next few weeks. Melons have begun ripening in great numbers as well, but unfortunately I am having a terrible problem with the crows. About 2 weeks back they began poking holes in the watermelons, even before they were ripe, and have now destroyed hundreds of fruit of different varieties. We will begin to deliver melons over the next 2 weeks in a rotation amongst the groups as availability allows. There will be a choice among cantaloupes, watermelons, gala melons, honey dews, and a Korean melon called Sun Jewel. These last have an elongated shape like an overgrown cucumber and are yellow with white stripes. They are quite sweet and have a crisp flesh somewhat like a pear. The dark green watermelons are Sugar Babies with red flesh and the striped ones are yellow.

We are still heavy on beans so look for a generous helping again this week. Ground cherries have begun falling in large numbers and will make their debut in the share this week. For the uninitiated Ground cherries are in the tomato family, and are closely related to the tomatillo, with a similar paper husk around the fruit, but they are quite sweet and have a unique flavor. They fall off the plant when they are ripe and we gather them off the ground, hence the name. They are also known as Cape gooseberries or Husk tomatoes. Slip them from their paper shell and eat them out of hand or in salads; they make great snacks for kids.

The share for this week will be: Potatoes, red onions, string beans, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, choice of a root vegetable (carrots, beets, or radishes), melons (maybe) and choice of cherry tomatoes or ground cherries. These last 2 items come in a plastic clamshell which I would like to reuse, so if you wish you can return them to the pickup site for recycling.

Thanks and Enjoy! Farmer John

Farm News 8/20/08

Hi Folks,

The mild summer weather continues, leaving me with little to complain about on that front! We could use some rain though, as the scattered thunderstorms we experienced this past week came and went quickly and served only to interrupt our field work. Much of the crew’s time this week was again spent on bean picking.

The rattlesnake pole beans have begun producing and the early bush beans are still providing a third and final harvest. Expect to receive a double dose in the share for this week. Beans freeze well, but need to be blanched in boiling water or steamed for a minute or two, to destroy enzymes which breakdown the vitamins. After blanching plunge them into cold water and then place them in zip lock bags to freeze.

We have hit a gap in our lettuce production at present with the next planting still a couple of weeks from harvest. I have tried to obtain some from other local farms, but everyone seems to be in the same boat, there just isn’t any local lettuce available. Other greens too are in short supply. My Swiss chard beds have been over cut and need to rest and regenerate a bit and the kale has been decimated by both a pesky insect called the flea beetle and a pesky mammal known as a ground hog.I have been addressing both issues and with cooler weather ahead the plants should begin to again produce good quality leaf. I

am also busy planting spinach, arugula, and other mustard greens which we will start to harvest in about 5 weeks. This past week we planted thousands of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower seedlings which will be ready in mid October and into November. The share for this week will be: Potatoes, onions, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, string beans, garlic, either summer squash or eggplant, and choice of basil or parsley.

Enjoy! Farmer John

Farm News 8/12/08

Hello Everyone,

I hope you have all been enjoying the beautiful weather this past week. The mild temperatures for early August are quite a pleasant surprise and have made the hard work my crew and I do a bit more bearable.

It seemed as though most of the crew’s time this week was spent picking beans which are producing quite prolifically. There are hundreds of pounds stored in the new cooler and many of them are French filet beans, haricot verts.

We have also been busy trying to catch up with the trellising and tying of tomatoes which had been neglected due to our preoccupation with the garlic and onion harvest. And we also needed to turn our attentions to part of the winter squash patch which was in danger of being overtaken by the grass in the former hayfield.

Another important task during this past week has been moving tables and other infrastructure, putting up shelves, and generally organizing, as we make the transition to working out of the barn where the new cooler has been completed.

August marks the beginning of a new round of intensive planting in the field, as we begin to sow all of the cool weather crops such as spinach, radishes, turnips, arugula and other mustard greens, for the fall harvest. We are also still busy planting lettuces, brassicas, and chicories in the greenhouse. This week we will be trying to transplant broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower plants that we started in late June.

Tomatoes are starting to come in a bit heavier now and I believe there will be enough for at least one or two per share in the distribution this week. Very soon I expect the flood gates to open and we will have large quantities of tomatoes to ship.

The share for this week will be: White onions, peppers, eggplant, carrots, haricot verts, tomatoes, sweet corn (conventional), choice of fennel or celery, and choice of an herb.

Enjoy!
Farmer John

Farm News 8/6/08

Hi Folks,

Murphy’s Law ruled again this past week, with various problems with tractors, and the refrigeration unit on my box truck. After having spent $1800 to set up 3 phase electric to run the reefer unit on my truck, when we plugged it in everything ran in reverse. After the electrician finished making some changes it wouldn’t run at all, and now the diesel engine won’t run either.

The electrician swears that everything is correctly installed and says that the problem is with the unit. So now I must somehow find time to drop the truck off in Carlstadt for Thermo king to check it over.

But the weather has been good, with reasonable temps and adequate rainfall. The crops are mostly growing nicely and we have started picking a few tomatoes; which means we should have sufficient quantities to distribute soon, perhaps by next week.

The share for this week will be: Potatoes, red lettuce, summer squash, cucumbers, garlic, cabbage (red or savoy), string beans, Swiss chard or kale, peppers, beets or radishes, and choice of an herb.

Enjoy!
Farmer John