Farm Update 10/30/08

Hi Folks,

We received some much needed rain this past weekend that has helped to germinate

my final (almost) round of seed planting and enables the fall lettuces and brassicas to continue growing beautifully. Now I’m hoping for a nice warm Indian summer to allow a late planting of beans and zucchini to begin producing; at least for a week or two.

We are transitioning back to the cool weather crops, such as broccoli (in 2 weeks) and the fall treats like winter squash and parsnips, but for now we will continue to enjoy the last of the summer veggies.

I just returned from the Garlic Festival in Saugerties, NY where thousands of garlic lovers gather each fall to share their passion for this unusual and almost magical vegetable. There are a multitude of garlic growers in this part of New York and many attend to sell their harvest. I bought about 200 lbs. of seed stock for planting later this month; and ate enough garlic adulterated food to give me bad breath for the rest of the week!

My challenge for this week will be fixing the potato digger that broke down last week. My mechanic made a temporary repair on it, but as he predicted it didn’t hold very long (30 row feet), however with the help a digital photo an equipment dealer in Western PA was able to come up with the right parts to make the repair. In the meantime we may have to dig some the old fashioned way-with pitch forks!

The share for this week will be: Butternut squash, garlic, potatoes, red onions, choice of lettuce or endive (frissee), peppers, eggplant, and choice of radishes or Chioggia beets, tomatoes, choice of edamame soybeans or string beans, and choice of kale or Swiss chard.
Enjoy! Farmer John

Farm Update 10/28/08

Hello Everyone,

We received some needed rain this past weekend; almost 3 inches it would appear. It’s been 2 weeks since the last precipitation and we had begun moving the sprinklers around again. While the remaining crops will certainly benefit from the moisture, the ground is now so wet that it is making it difficult to harvest the rest of the potatoes. More rain is predicted for this evening and tomorrow; I’m hoping the weatherman is wrong!

We are shipping several less common items this week- celeriac or celery root, All Blue potatoes, and carnival squash. Celeriac can be cooked in soup or grated and used raw- mixed with mayonnaise and/or mustard and onion to make a kind of a slaw. The All Blue potatoes have quite a loyal following at the markets, although I find them rather dry. Using them for mashed potatoes helps to solve this issue; will your children eat blue mashed potatoes? Carnival squash is a colorful variation on acorn squash and is cooked the same way. They make great decorations until you get around to cooking them!

The share for this week will be: All Blue potatoes, radishes, celeriac, onions, choice of lettuce or escarole, carnival squash, choice of arugula or tatsoi, cauliflower or broccoli, and choice of an herb.

Enjoy!

Farmer John

Farm Update 10/21/08

Hi Folks,

While winter is still officially more than 2 months away, the cold weather is coming on fast! Last night (Sun) we dropped down into the mid 20’s out here in the cold northwestern corner of the state. This constitutes a hard freeze rather than simply a frost, but most of what remains in the field is quite hardy and can endure these temperatures, at least briefly. Several of my workers came to work on Sunday afternoon, to harvest a few crops that I thought might sustain some damage.

We harvested the last few tomatoes that had begun to ripen in the greenhouse and tied the leaves over the cauliflower than had begun to form heads. We are busy harvesting the potatoes that remain in the ground and removing trellising and plastic mulch in preparation for planting cover crops. I will also be preparing ground for planting the garlic crop for next year, which we will begin in about 2 weeks.

We have begun harvesting broccoli in substantial quantities, but there may not be quite enough for all groups this week. Some groups will receive cauliflower instead, and can expect broccoli in next week’s share. For those who receive broccoli there will also be broccoli leaves, which are quite tasty and nutritious and can be used like kale or as a base for cream of broccoli soup.

We are also shipping one of my favorite root vegetables this week- Hakurei baby salad turnips. They are sweet and mild flavored and can be used in salad, as you would use radishes or can be cooked, as you prefer.
The share for this week will be: Potatoes, onions, buttercup (kabocha) squash, broccoli or cauliflower, salad turnips, choice of a green (arugula, mustard greens, tatsoi) choice of lettuce or escarole, ornamental gourds, and choice of an herb.

Enjoy! Farmer John

Farm Update 10/14/08

Hello Folks,

This past week we transplanted the last of the lettuces and planted the last seeds for

crops to be harvested this year. We have almost finished harvesting the winter squash, with only some spaghetti squash left to gather.

The only major harvest left is the potato crop which we will be digging over the next week or two. We began digging some of the potatoes planted in my new field and they are large and beautiful, so the hours of work invested in battling the grasses there has proved worthwhile.

I am preparing ground to plant cover crops and for garlic, which we will be planting in early November. We still have some peppers and eggplant left, but this will be the last week for these crops. Broccoli is beginning to form heads so I expect we will have sufficient quantities for distribution next week.

We will be shipping pumpkins this week. There will be a choice of one large or two small pumpkins; some of the large ones will be ornamentals and some with grey or flesh colored skins which are good eating. All of the small pumpkins are good to eat or can be used for decoration.

The share for this week will be: Potatoes, eggplant, peppers, garlic, Chinese (Napa) cabbage, Romaine lettuce, radishes, white acorn squash, choice of pumpkins, choice of two greens( arugula, tatsoi, mustard greens, escarole, endive,) choice of an herb (dill, cilantro, parsley).

Enjoy! Farmer John

Farm Update 10/7/08

Hello Everyone,

An unexpected frost this past Friday dashed my hopes for a late season harvest of string beans and zucchini. It was a very light frost but it was enough to burn the leaves of the peppers and eggplant as well. Today, Monday we harvested all of the remaining fruit from these two crops, in anticipation of another (predicted this time!) frost tonight. Depending on how they hold up, we may have enough for distribution for two more weeks.

The parts for the potato digger did not arrive until this afternoon but I was able to complete the repair just as darkness fell. I was forced to make a last minute substitution of sweet corn for potatoes last week, for the Wednesday and Thursday groups, as we ran out of potatoes. Tomorrow we can resume the potato harvesting and I expect to have an abundant supply for the rest of the season.

While it is sad to see the summer crops go, the cool weather crops are thriving and broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower will soon be in the shares.

The share for this week will be: Lettuce, white onions, parsnips, choice of arugula or turnip greens, Sweet corn (Tuesday groups) or potatoes (Wednesday and Thursday groups), peppers, eggplant, celery, delicata squash and choice of an herb.

Enjoy!

Farmer John