In the Share
RED POTATOES: “New”potatoes are dug fresh and the skins have not yet cured. They aren’t for keeping, but man are they tasty.
ONIONS: These Desert Sunrise red onions are well cured and ready for all your allium needs. An overwintered onion, it can be strong.
CUCUMBERS: You might see a variety of cucumber types in your share, regular slicers and picklers.
SUMMER SQUASH: Tonight our vegetable side dish is zucchini and onion with garlic and tomato sauce garnished with basil. It is a yummy addition to any meal.
BASIL BUNCH: This year we bought several basil varieties that are resistant to a mildew that has plagued our basil the last several years. This year’s crop is healthy and green. Some varieties are small leafed and others are large. All have a great basil flavor.
SALSA PACKS, GREEN BEANS OR OKRA: Most all of the summer crops are beginning to kick in this week at various stages of harvest.
GREEN PEPPERS: A green and a purple pepper to start the harvest. Grilling them with some onions and garlic creates a great side dish, omelet stuffing, meat topping or burrito addition.
TOMATO: These fruits of summer are just starting too. We grow a wide variety of hybrid and heirloom in a rainbow of colors. Enjoy!
Farm report
It is the busiest time of year for us as we juggle all three seasons of crops in the field. The potato harvest today was a beautiful thing. The old timey plow opened the hills like a zipper. The soil was loose, dare near crumbly. This is remarkable given that all too often the potato harvest on our upland soils end up breaking plows in the hard dry ground. Instead, it was like buttah…
Nothing lifts a farmers spirits more than a good harvest. A second planting of cucumbers and squash should be coming in as the first one is tapering out.
The plants are producing well, but the pest pressure is getting to be too much. Hopefully it will take them awhile to find the new crop on the other side of the farm.
So far we have been keeping on track during this strange season. The month of July is long days filled with the summer harvests and plantings for fall. It is a lot to juggle in a normal year. Our strategy remains to stay focused on our work, keep social distancing and stay healthy and as sane as possible. Progress continues on the preparations for fall. First step, back in March, plant a cover crop. Several steps later, we have incorporated the cover crop, spread compost and minerals, shaped the beds and subsoiled. Now we are ready to begin planting.
With a little sweat and toil, this area and several others around the farm will be transformed into roots and greens for the fall harvest.