All posts by Farmer Rebecca

In the Share: Week 24

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LETTUCE (F/P)
GREENS (F) cabbage, kale or chard
HERBS (F/P) cilantro, dill or arugula
VARIOUS ROOTS (P) choice of beets, turnips, rutbagas, watermelon radishes and kohlrabi (not really a root, but it looks a bit like one.) Check Tom’s blog from last week for a photo i.d. of the various roots.
CELERIAC & CARROT (P) a bit of each for a nice soup or salad
BULB FENNEL (F/P) eat them like they do in Calabria in a salad
BEETS OR KOHLRABI (F) A bumper beet crop this fall. They’re still on the bulk list!
FRENCH BREAKFAST RADISHES (F/P) the mildest, most delicate radishes.
WINTER SQUASH OR SWEET POTATOES (F/P) Tis sad, but true, the winter squash harvest this year was a bust. We’ve got about 60 shares worth between the pumpkins and butternuts that made it. We only grow pumpkins fit for pies and such, so only take one if you plan to eat it. They will keep until after Halloween if you must use them as decorations first.

ALSO THIS WEEK: Parker Farms delivery

NEXT WEEK: Take stock of your crisper drawer. Hopefully you’ve accrued another week’s worth of Fair Share Farm veggies.

END OF THE SEASON
The day is about to come when the CSA season is complete. Since February we have been counting down to this day: the final plantings done, the earlier crops turned under, but somehow it always feels suprising when we arrive at the final week of the season. Last week the chilly, wet weather made the season’s end seem eminent. But then the sun came out for the first time in weeks heralding the Indian Summer. The sunshine and warm weather has gotten us moving again. It is just too darn perfect outside not to.

The Saturday crew prepared the seed garlic for planting:


clipping the heads


separating the cloves

We planted the hardneck today and will plant the softneck over the course of this week.

THANK YOU
Tom and I may be the farmers at Fair Share, but we wouldn’t be successful without the labor, energy and spirit of many people. A huge thank you to Lori Watley and Kara Jennings, our brave apprentices who slogged it out with us all season long. It is an accomplishment to even stick it out and they did so with such style and grace. We wish them bountiful harvests in all that they endeavor. And to all of you who pay us in advance in the hopes that we will feed your family for 24 weeks, thank you for sticking with this also. Your support and crazy faith in us is just amazing. We were lucky this year. The weather was moderate and the harvest was good overall, unlike many farms in the northeast where blight and flooding dominated. So, finally we must thank the soil that grew our food, the moderate rains that watered it and the mild temperatures that ripened it.

In the Share – Week 23

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LETTUCE (F/P) We will be pulling them out from under their blanket of double row cover.
FALL CARROTS (F/P) Finally found the Bolero carrots that I know I planted somewhere amongst the storage carrots. Darn sweet and long-legged, perhaps the best of the season.
GARLIC (F) Mostly our artichoke variety. Partials have a choice with the herbs.
GREEN PEPPERS (F/P) A long, slow frying releases their sweetness
BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER OR THE LAST TOMATOES (P)
CABBAGE (P)
VARIOUS ROOTS: HAKUREI TURNIPS, RUTABAGAS & WATERMELON RADISHES (F) See Tom’s blog for an identification lesson.
GREENS CHOICE: KALE, SWISS CHARD OR BOK CHOI (F) See if you can taste the difference after a couple of frosts.
HERB CHOICE: CILANTRO, DILL OR ARUGULA (F/P)
ALSO THIS WEEK: Bread of Life Bakery delivery
NEXT WEEK: Our last CSA distribution for 2009. Next week we’ll have lettuce, herbs, greens, more carrots, beets, kohlrabi, celeriac and radishes. The few winter squash that we harvested plus the last of the sweet potatoes and bulb fennel.
THE FIELDS: Fall is in full expression at the farm. Frosty mornings, the yellowing leaves and some glorious sunrises. All that remains after the frosts last week (29 degrees or thereabouts) are the brassica family standing solidly with no need for cover, as are the last of the leeks and celeriac. Then, there are those that are hardy with a bit of help from us: the lettuces, beets, carrots, arugula, herbs. The summer crops are in various stages of decomposition. After we remove irrigation tape, trellising, stakes and cages, we mow and then spade the crop under. When not deconstructing the season, we mulch. This week it’s the speedy kind. Take an empty 200′ bed, a round hay bale and three farmers and in 20 minutes or less it is covered with a thick winter blanket of organic matter.
After a morning of cold-weather farming, the farm crew appreciates a pot of tea and some indoor work. Today we inventoried what is left of this year’s seed and processed seed we had collected earlier this season. It’s a necessary step in the process of planning for next year’s harvests. Can I say I’m already looking forward to next season??

In the Share: Week 22

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Sweet potato harvest

GREEN TOMATOES (F/P) We’ve gleaned the patch in preparation for the coming frost. Check Tom’s blog for info on cooking them.
CELERIAC (F) The perfect fall ingredient in soups and salads
SWEET PEPPERS (F/P) The last of the colored peppers. Next week we’ll have green ones.
EARLY JERSEY WAKEFIELD CABBAGE (F) Sweet heirloom with a pointy head
BEAUREGARD SWEET POTATOES (F/P) The orange-fleshed sweets everyone knows and loves.
LEEKS (F/P) Another week of the buttery alliums
LETTUCE (F/P) More smallish heads from the fall crop that refuses to get very big before bolting. What gives, dear lettuces?
BROCCOLI OR CAULIFLOWER (F) Not much left after this week. The partial shares will get whatever we have next week.
SUMMER SQUASH, SALSA PACK OR EGGPLANT (F) Should be the last of these too depending on what happens tonight.
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Rosemary, sage or parsley or a dried herb
ALSO THIS WEEK: Parker Farms delivery
NEXT WEEK: More lettuce, greens, green peppers and cabbage. Beets, turnips, kohlrabi and garlic. Watermelon radishes.
THE FIELDS: Today we prepared for the possibility of frost. The forecasters are predicting 36 degrees which is close enough to freezing to get the row cover out and bring the tender crops in. We harvested all of the green tomatoes, peppers and baby eggplants. Most of these will be in the shares this week, with just the green peppers holding in the cooler for next week. We covered the lettuces and tender greens that might get nipped by the frost. A thin layer of the fabric gives an extra 4 degrees or so of warmth. We also pulled the drying pepper plants up by their roots and hung them in the greenhouse to dry.

Mulching with hay has been an almost daily task lately. We are laying down thick layers on all of the perennials as well as many new areas that we are converting to the no-till system. The hay makes me sneeze, but the crops appreciate it as do those who get to ride in the back of the truck with a full load. Lori and I are joined here by Mindy, a student from the ‘Ecology of Food’ course at William Jewell College.

In the Share: Week 21

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hakureis waiting to be harvested

TOMATOES (F/P) The last week of ripe tomatoes. Next week you’ll get green ones.
JADE BEANS (F/P) The last week of these too. What a great harvest it was – 354 lbs. so far! Partial shares get a choice with okra.
BEETS OR KOHLRABI (F/P) Partials get a choice of turnips too.
GARLIC (F)
HAKUREI TURNIPS (F) A beautiful crop of the raw treat.
SWISS CHARD (F/P) The chard has grown back gloriously from its summer cutting.
BROCCOLI (F/P)
CAULIFLOWER (F/P)
LETTUCE (F/P) One head for all. We’re letting the rest grow until next week.
SWEET PEPPERS, EGGPLANT OR SUMMER SQUASH (F/P)
PARSLEY OR ARUGULA (F/P) Partials also have the choice of garlic.
ALSO THIS WEEK: Bread of Life Bakery delivery
NEXT WEEK: More lettuces, greens, turnips, broccoli and cauliflower. Sweet potatoes and more leeks. It might be time to harvest all the green summer fruits. We’re watching the forecasts to see if a frost is coming. If so, we’ll have green peppers, green tomatoes and baby eggplant. If not, they’ll at least be green tomatoes and ripe peppers and eggplant.
THE FIELDS: Ah, autumn. Have I mentioned that I love fall. Yes, while all of you dear members are lamenting the end of the season, your farmers are thrilled! While, of course, we hate to see the fields empty we are looking forward to time to rest and replenish ourselves. To kick off the restful season we are looking forward to celebrating the harvest at the …
FAIR SHARE FARM CSA END OF SEASON DINNER Saturday,October 24th, 5-7 pm
Mark your calendars now for the best potluck in town, awesome door prizes, activities for the kiddos and the chance to converse with your favorite farmers (ahem.) FSF CSA Social Coordinators Ann and Mark Flynn are getting the party started with an invite which will soon appear in your inboxes. They will be assigning potluck dishes, looking for door rizes and recruiting volunteers to help with set-up and break-down. Hope to see you all there!
But before we can celebrate, we’ve got a month of work to do. Right now our time is split between harvest and clean-up. We’ve begun dismantling the tomato trellising. Most of the cages are stacked back at the barn. As are the t-posts that supported the trellises for the paste and hybrid varieties. The heirlooms are all that remain, leaving their hybrid compadres in the dust.
This year we are really seeing the effects of our fertility management systems. Areas where we used the no-till method or turned under a lush cover crop before planting are really thriving. Here’s our healthiest squash ever in a no-till bed:

In the Share – Week 20

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broccoli
TOMATOES (F/P) A few more from the dwindling patch
BROCCOLI (F/P) A bountiful crop (hooray!)
JADE BEANS (F/P) Another big week for the beans from this last planting.
SWEET POTATOES (F/P) This week they are the specialty Japanese type with the white flesh. Extra sweet and creamy.
LEEKS (F/P) The first fall harvest of the most buttery allium.
ASIAN GREENS (F) An assortment of tat soi, bok choy, etc. from the patch.
SWEET PEPPERS (F/P) Despite their image as a heat lover, they really thrive in the cool weather of early fall.
OKRA, SUMMER SQUASH OR EGGPLANT (F) Summer crops that are still kicking it into the fall.
ARUGULA (F) Partials have a choice of arugula with their herb choices.
HAKUREI TURNIPS OR RADISHES (F/P) The Hakureis are just melt-in-your-mouth good right now. They are tasty cooked, but they usually go right in our mouths raw.
HERB CHOICE: JALAPENOS, SAGE OR BASIL
ALSO THIS WEEK: Parker Farms delivery
NEXT WEEK: Fewer tomatoes and beans. Lots more broccoli, turnips, greens and peppers. The summer squash, eggplant and okra continue. Lettuce returns along with beets, kohlrabi and garlic. The beginnings of the cauliflower.
THE FIELDS: As I write this the sun is setting on the first day of fall. It is a happy time of year at the farm. The season for planting has passed and our responsibilities now rest with tending to the crops we have. Whatever we have has to be good enough, no more can be squeezed in before the approaching frost. In our case, this year, we are pretty content with the state of the crops. The cauliflower appears to be smaller than we would like and there’s spots on the leeks, but overall the harvest is good, even perhaps great. This week you may notice that your shares are pretty hefty. Full shares are getting 11 items this week, partials 8. The fields are yielding a bounty and we are very pleased to be able to share it with you.

Besides harvesting the bounty this week we found some time to turn the compost pile. We have a three-bin system. Raw materials go in the first bin and accumulate, then we shovel them into the second, and by the time we get to the third it’s beautiful black gold. The finished product is destined for next February’s first seedlings in the greenhouse.

As Tom mentioned we are going on a short overnight trip after the harvest tomorrow. We are excited about our first overnight away from the farm since, well, February? We have planned nothing yet and will be largely making it up as we go. Destinations may include Arrow Rock and/or Powell Gardens new Heartland Harvest Garden. Many thanks to farm apprentice, the lovely Lori Watley for keeping track of the animals during our short absence.

In the Share – Week 19

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Bean picking

TOMATOES (F/P) A quick flush from the summer planting of hybrids
BROCCOLI (F/P)
KOHLRABI OR BEETS (F/P) Mostly beets, Chiogga and Cylindra. Not a beet fan? Give the Chioggas a try with Tom’s hash recipe.
RADISHES (F) Partial shares get a choice with the kohlrabi and beets.
LETTUCE (F) Two heads
JADE GREEN BEANS (F/P)
GARLIC (F) A choice for the partials with the herbs.
HERB CHOICE (F/P) The full shares get the choice of okra or basil, parsley or thyme.
SALSA OR OKRA OR SUMMER SQUASH (P)
CHINESE CABBAGE (F) The perfect stirfry or Asian slaw green. Check Tom’s blog for more.

ALSO THIS WEEK: Bread of Life Bakery delivery

NEXT WEEK: A few more tomatoes, okra and squash. Peppers and eggplant return. More broccoli, radishes, green beans and kohlrabi. The first of the fall Hakurei turnips, sweet potatoes and leeks.

THE FIELDS: The fall harvest is in full swing. The green beans are especially exuberant at the moment. Those who answered my plea for help with the picking tomorrow are much appreciated. We realize most of you can’t drop everything to pick beans, but we encourage as many of you who can to do so. Today we spent the entire day harvesting for tomorrow’s shares to reduce the amount that needs to be done. Still, we’ve got herbs, lettuce, chinese cabbage and yes, beans to pick. A super size crew did a bang up job on Saturday.

We also managed to harvest the first crop of sweet potatoes on Saturday. We have three rows, 2 are the standard orange-fleshed type, Beauregard. We dug the third row which is a Japanese variety with white flesh with a jewel-like purple skin. Very pretty. They will be in your shares next week.

Tom and I are often asked what we do when we are not farming. The question always stumps us as for the most part we spend all our waking hours either physically working on the farm, writing about working on the farm or planning for our work on the farm. But every now and again we actually leave the farm to do something entirely different. Such was the case this past Sunday when Tom and I and our pals from the Bad Seed, Brooke and Dan went to work on a vineyard. I know, quite the ‘busman’s holiday’, as someone pointed out to us in the vineyard. Ah vel. Last season we started the tradition of picking at our friend’s vineyard and making wine from the grapes. We’ve been drinking last year’s product for a couple of weeks now and it is pretty decent table wine already. Here’s the process in nutshell with some steps omitted (there is a ‘racking off’ process at some point, and we let the wine age for a year before it is bottled. Ask farmer Ruggieri for the real dealio on making your own vino).
grape harvest

crushing the grapes

Then, the pressing
and bottling

In the Share: Week 18

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No-till French Fingerling potatoes
TOMATOES (F/P) After this week, expect not so much.
GREEN BEANS OR SWEET PEPPERS (F/P)
CHERRY TOMATOES OR SALSA PACKS OR OKRA OR SUMMER SQUASH (F)
FRENCH FINGERLING POTATOES (F/P) From our awesome no-till bed shown in the photo above.
REDWING ONIONS (F/P) A new red storage type we are trialing.
MELONS (F) More luscious watermelons and a few cantaloupe.
LETTUCE (F/P) The 4 inches of rain that fell a few weeks ago is causing some of them to bolt prematurely. We’re picking the best from the patch and sending them in.
EGGPLANT (F)
BROCCOLI (P) The first of much more to come. The patch looks very promising.
CHOICE OF GREENS (F) Arugula, kale, Asian greens or more broccoli raab.
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Jalapenos, thai basil, Genovese basil, parsley or a dried herb.
ALSO THIS WEEK: Parker Farms delivery
NEXT WEEK: More tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, beans and okra. The salsa fixins and the melons are dwindling. More fall crops like broccoli, greens, lettuce and perhaps some kohlrabi. The first of the fall beets and more garlic.


The irrigation pond on a foggy morning
THE FIELDS: How quickly summer has faded. It seems it never fully arrived and now its already gone. Lucky for us the summer fruits are still around. This is truly the time of season to celebrate the harvest. During the transition from summer to fall you get the best of both seasons: tomatoes and broccoli, melons and lettuce.
We’ve been finishing up the last of the fall plantings. This week we planted cilantro, dill and more arugula. Today we were going to plant the spinach and the last radishes but an isolated cell popped up and dumped an inch of rain on us in about an hour’s time. Seems to be the story with the spinach this fall. Every time we prepare to plant it, it rains. If we don’t get it planted soon, it will not mature in time for a fall harvest. Instead we can cover the young plants for the winter and harvest it in the spring. That is if we can ever get it in the ground!

In the Share – Week 17

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TOMATOES (F/P) more juicy jewels from the tomato patch that just keeps on giving

CHERRY OR ROMA TOMATOES (F)
SALSA PACKS (P)
GREEN BEANS (F) more oh-so-tender Rattlesnake pole beans
MELONS (P) Predominately ‘Peace’ watermelons, a yellow-flesh variety (handle with care – they pop open easily) along with a few of the red Sangria and Sugar Baby
SWEET PEPPERS (F) Two each this week as the patch starts to finally ripen
EGGPLANT (P)
BROCCOLI RAAB (RAPINI) (F) A super-tasty Italian cooking green, check out Tom’s blog for info.
LETTUCE (F) what was supposed to be enough for everyone of the summer lettuce varieties got swamped last week with the 4 inches of rain and is now barely enough for the full shares. So sorry, partials, we’ll get you next time. There’s much more lettuce coming soon.
SUMMER SQUASH OR OKRA (P)
CARROTS (F) ditto as with the lettuce above – half of this planting rotted in the ground.
GARLIC (F/P) according to the survey folks want more garlic, so here you go.
HERB CHOICE: Basil, Garlic Chives or Thyme (F)
ALSO THIS WEEK: Bread of Life Bakery

NEXT WEEK: More melons, beans, tomatoes, salsa packs and eggplant. Potatoes and onions.

THE FIELDS: This week’s farm report is going to be brief as I want to save time to give you all a heads-up on the travails of our dear friends and fellow farmers at the Bad Seed. Actually we had a pretty interesting week here. The Saturday crew dug our best potato crop ever in one of our no-till experimental plots. No-till is the method where you pile on the hay and/or other organic matter and plant into it. The soil stays loose and no tilling is necessary. Some crops (like the potatoes) seem to really enjoy the environment that results. Other crops, not so much. Here’s a photo of our little home garden next to our house which has been no-till for a few years. The gargantuan chard seems to be taunting the diminutive carrots. Carrots, it appears, prefer to be left alone to struggle through the hard, crusty soil. There must be some truth in that as our carrot harvests over the years have always done well with no coddling. Ah, if only we all could be so hardy.

Alright, enough about the darn carrots. There’s real trouble afoot in our local food community.

THE BADSEED GETS BADDER
The good folks at BADSEED FARM are under attack for growing food in their backyard at Bannister Road and State Line in KCMO. Due to complaints from the absentee homeowner next door, they have been forced to remove their goats and relocate their chickens. Additional citations threaten to force the shutdown of their farming operation completely. The KC Star magazine Ink covered their plight this week. I attended the hearing a few weeks ago where the farmers appealed the removal of their goats and it seemed to me that there is alot of education needed amongst the KCMO government on the importance of local food production. BADSEED FARM is a model sustainable farm practicing no-till, companion planting and integrated pest management. They provide an oasis of life amongst the suburban monocrop of Kentucky Bluegrass. And I can attest from personal experience, the farm is immaculate, beautifully manicured, without a weed in sight. The goats were healthy creatures that along with the chickens provided fertility and pest management to their operation.

Tom and I are grateful to be farming in the countryside on family land, but not everyone can be so lucky. Urban farms are a great alternative. Urban and suburban lawns should be re-purposed for a future where food and oil will be more precious. Please consider supporting the BADSEED in their efforts to create a new vision for suburban living.

Here’s how you can help:

1. 6th District Residents (anywhere south of 85th St., KCMO) Contact your District 6 Representatives: Cathy Jolly, City Hall, 24th Floor, 414 E. 12th St. KCMO 64106; John Sharp, City Hall, 22nd Floor, 414 E. 12th St. KCMO 64106

2. Others. Brooke and Dan are really focusing on their district representatives, but it wouldn’t hurt to contact others that you know or who represent you in the KCMO government. To find out who represents your district go here

3. Come down to the Friday nite BADSEED Market this Friday. Tom has written some great lyrics regarding the BadSeed plight to the tune of the Ballad of John and Yoko . Ernest James will be on hand to perform the song along with our own Lori Watley on percussion. We are currently working on getting the performance filmed so that we can post it on YouTube and spread the word. At this point we are looking a some time between 6 and 8 pm. We’ll post when we have a more definite time. The more, the merrier. Tell your friends. Let’s show our beleagured farmers some love with music from the heart.

In the Share – Week 16

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Onions curing in the barn.
TOMATOES (F/P) The cool summer has really kept the plants producing steadily.
CHERRY TOMATOES (P)
SALSA PACKS (F)
WATERMELONS (F) Mostly Sangria with a few round Sugar Babies.
SUMMER SQUASH, CUCUMBER OR PEPPER (F) An assortment of extras – take one.
EGGPLANT OR OKRA (F)
SWEET PEPPERS (F/P)
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Basil, garlic chives with flowers or jalapenos. Chive flowers are edible and make a great garnish. Read Tom’s blog for more on the jalapenos.
POTATOES (F/P)
ONIONS (F/P) Mixture of red and yellow types, including some Tropea onions (red torpedo)
BEANS (F/P) More Rattlesnake (purple-striped) pole beans and Roma (flat-pod) bush beans.
ALSO THIS WEEK: Parker Farms delivery
NEXT WEEK: More tomatoes, watermelons, salsa packs, beans, peppers, eggplant and okra. Carrots and garlic. Broccoli raab (rapini).
NOTE: The arugula that was destined for your shares this week died a quick death with the 4 inches of rain we received. A second planting should be ready in a few weeks.

Rattlesnake pole bean harvest on Saturday
THE SURVEY
Last Saturday, the FSF CSA Core Group spent a lovely couple of hours on the Barth’s back porch reviewing the results from the mid-season survey. We were all thrilled to see such a great response – 96 members out of 140 distinct email addresses. A big thank you goes to Gary Glauberman, FSF CSA Inreach Coordinator, who created a beautiful and easy-to-use survey. Thanks also to everyone who took the time to give us your two cents. Because of the number of responses, we are taking the next month to digest the results with a final review at our September meeting. In the meantime, I thought I’d share a few of the highlights that we have found so far.
1. The Distribution Teams Rock! According to your fellow members, everyone unanimously loves the distribution process. We are very lucky to have 10 Distribution Captains who keep the veggies flowing at pick-up and do it with a smile. Thank you Mary, Gary, Stacey, Jes, Emily and Traci. Thank you Heather, Kathy and Glenn, Fred and Carole, Kim-Marie and Judith. We literally could not do it without you.
2. The Partial Shares have veggie envy. Every survey we hear from some of the partial members who feel their shares are a bit underwhelming. There’s alot we could say here about the balance between share costs and veggies, farm work and fairness. I will say that Tom and I ruminate about this every week as we are preparing the share list. We strive for balance between fulls and partials. If full shares get 9 items, then the partials get 6; if 7, then 4. If the full shares got the cherry tomatoes last week, then the partials get them this week, etc. With over 100 households, it is difficult to provide a share that everyone enjoys. If you are unhappy with a partial share, might we suggest for next year to try sharing a full share with a friend or family member. We have seen many a partial do just that with good results. Tom and I will continue to mull over this quandry and any suggestions are, as always, welcome.
3. And finally, you all care about your food. Here’s a sprinkling of some of the many comments that filled the pages:
“It is about the vegetables … and it is about valuing and working for the integrity of our food, which is the foundation of our health and well-being, as well as that of our community.”
“I think the help given on the farm is an excellent way to contribute to a great cause. Not only is the activity fun, but it also has some emotional benefits because of being outside, being active and most importantly the thought that you are helping harvest so many people’s dinners.”
“Love the farmers, farm, veggies, other members. Love eating seasonally. Being a member of Fair Share Farm is nothing but rewarding and fulfilling for our family.”
“Thank you all for what you do to give me and my family good, clean, fresh food!
“Being a part of the Fair Share Farm has been and continues to be a beautiful reminder for me of the connection that we all share and our interdependence on one another. I am enriched by my connection with the farm and am so grateful for that. I think that the farm continues to have a ripple effect out to the rest of the world every time a member talks to someone about the CSA and why they joined one, or an article in the paper is read by someone who may start then making a conscience choice to buy local, or one of the apprentices goes on to start another farm, etc. “

In the Share – Week 15

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TOMATOES (F/P) They are starting to slow down a bit but there’s still lots of green ones on the vine.
CHERRY TOMATOES (F) We’ll harvest just enough for the full shares tomorrow hopefully.
SUMMER SQUASH (F) A new planting is starting to kick out the fruits that go with everything.
GREEN BEANS OR SALSA PACKS (F) A choice of a variety of beans (Romas, Rattlesnake or Jade) or a kit for the salsa bowl.
SALSA PACKS (P) All the partials get one
EGGPLANT (F/P) A choice for the partials with the okra that is finally starting to produce.
SWEET PEPPERS (F) One ripe pepper this week
MUSIK GARLIC (F/P) A choice for the partials with the herbs.
CARROTS (F/P) We’re pulling some big beauties out of the ground right now.
HERB CHOICE (F) Parsley, basil, chives or a dried herb

ALSO THIS WEEK: Bread of Life Bakery delivery.

NEXT WEEK: More tomatoes, beans, squash, eggplant and peppers. Potatoes and onions. Arugula perhaps. More watermelons.

THE FIELDS: Neither of us can remember an August like this one. The plant world is luciously alive and growing. Fresh new, green growth abounds in what is usually a dry, desicated time of year. Such a climatic abnormality has its upsides and downsides. On the upside, the plants are vibrant and full of life. While we only have 2 months until frost, the tomatoes and other summer plants continue to flower and sprout new leaves. At this rate we should have a good pre-frost harvest of the summer crops in early fall including lots of green tomatoes, peppers and baby eggplants. The wet summer also is providing ideal conditions for the growth of the fall crops. Below is pictured some of the fall broccoli which seems to be doubling in size every week. All of the direct seeded crops have sprouted well, all but guaranteeing a bountiful autumn.

But, of course, with every upside, there is a downside. Wet and warm are the ideal conditions for the fungi family. Leaf spot on the tomatoes is starting to reach the fruit, anthracnose on the peppers is keeping alot of ripe peppers out of your hands and in the #2 bin, our onion harvest is not curing well and many are ending up in the compost pile. Such is the tradeoffs of growing vegetables in an erratic climate. You’ve got to take the good with the bad as they say.

Before the recent rains (about 4 inches fell earlier this week) we managed to harvest the main potato crop. Above is the Saturday crew on task hunting in the dirt. We also pulled the last of the onions, a late red storage onion which so far appears promising. It is always nice when you can get the digging done before the rain. Nothing leads to rot faster than ripe veggies mired in mud. So, a big thanks to the Saturday crew. Today we pre-dug tomorrow’s carrots. With the weather forecast calling for rain all day on Wednesday, we didn’t want to chance not being able to hand out the beautifully big roots.