All posts by Farmer Rebecca

In the Share – Week 14

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TOMATOES (F/P) Lots of colorful heirlooms this week.
ROMA TOMATOES (F) A handful for the full shares – makes the best pasta sauce! Partial shares get a choice of romas or cherry tomatoes.
CHERRY TOMATOES (F)
ONIONS (F/P)
DESIREE POTATOES (F/P) Creamy, rose-skinned deliciousness
SALSA PACK (F)
SUMMER SQUASH (P) Partial shares get one good sized squash and cucumber from the new patch
CUCUMBERS (F/P) Time for some cucumber soup! Full shares are getting two or three good-sized ones. Order extra on the bulk list this week.
MELONS (F/P) A choice of a cantaloupe or a Sangria watermelon
HERB (F) Pesto bunch of basil. Big enough for a dish or two.

ALSO THIS WEEK: Parker Farms delivery

NEXT WEEK: More tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, salsa and melons. The Roma- type beans (flat-pod) should be starting. Carrots and garlic return. The eggplant returns along with the first few ripe peppers.

THE FIELDS: Its a bountiful time of year at the farm. Above is a photo from the carrot digging last week. Those are the Bolero carrots – our favorite all-around producer of crunchy roots. The carrots should keep coming as we have more in that bed, plus 2 more plantings for fall.

The farm crew is spending at least half of each week harvesting the summer crops. The tomatoes continue to provide us with their delicate fruits. When the August heat is on it is difficult to keep up with them. We are trying our best to give you tomatoes that will keep for the week. We put less ripe fruit in the shares but when it’s 95 degrees, they ripen quickly. Some farms have a room that is cooled to about 50 degrees to keep their tomatoes. That temperature keeps the fruit from ripening too quickly but doesn’t harm the flavor and texture of the fruit like a refrigerator would. An insulated box with a window air conditioning unit would do the trick. Another project for the supposed ‘off-season’.

Ah, there’s nothing like an ice-cold melon in the heat of the summer. Tom and I are ecstatic when the melon crop comes in strong as they are one of the most difficult crops for us. It may be suprising as trucks full of cantaloupes and watermelons are ubiquitous this time of year. To grow an organic melon in our climate, however, is a real gamble. Melons are prey to a host of pests and diseases that thrive in our humid climate and heavy soils. So, while our melon crop is usually short-lived and rather plain-looking (we gave up long ago on the heirloom french beauties that chefs rave about, but the bugs always decimate), we treat each one like the rare jewel that it is. This week we have Retato d’Ortolani cantaloupe (an Italian variety that is hardy and tasty) and Sangria watermelon (a red-fleshed variety that has a crunchy texture and an almost spicy flavor).

In the few spare hours not spent harvesting this week, we managed to renovate the no-till beds. Although we heaped on the hay this spring the cover was getting thin and weeds were poking through. A thorough weeding and another thick layer should do it for the rest of the season. A big thanks to the Saturday crew that renovated the cherry tomato beds. On a hot day one cannot help but get bits of hay mixed with sweat stuck to every inch of you. Thanks to all of our sticky efforts the crops should keep producing until frost.

In the Share – Week 13

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TOMATOES (F/P) About the same as last week, with still many green ones on the vine
CHERRY TOMATOES (F/P) Enough for everyone this week
CARROTS (F/P) Some yellow and orange
GARLIC (F/P) A choice with herbs for the partial shares
EGGPLANT OR PURPLE PEPPERS (F) The peppers are still behind, but the eggplant continues to pump out fruits
CUCUMBERS AND SQUASH (F) Our third planting of squash arrives
SALSA PACK (F/P) Enough for you all – glad you like em.
BEANS (P) The partial’s turn for the beans – the last of the green and yellow. Next up will be some romas.
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Basil, summer savory, chives, thai basil or dried herb

ALSO THIS WEEK: Bread of Life Bakery delivery

NEXT WEEK: more tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, summer squash and peppers. A break from beans for a bit. And we hope to finally get enough melons for the full shares at the Bad Seed.

PEAK SEASON: The end of July into the beginning of August is one of the busiest times of year on the farm. It rivals the April/May planting crunch. These hot days and warm nights ripen the summer crops as quick as we can pick them.
Hundreds of pounds of tomatoes are coming out of the field twice a week. Our tomato tying will soon be done as we are about to reach the tops of the posts. Both Wednesday and Saturday, we thankfully had reinforcements in the bean patch as it took most of the morning to harvest them. The bi-weekly harvests of tomatillos, eggplant, peppers, squashes, cucumbers and okra are on the increase. Sometime soon we need to find the time to harvest the bulk of the remaining carrots and potatoes.
Meanwhile all of our rows of tender little fall crops must be pampered through the hot weather with timely weeding and watering so they will grow big and strong by autumn. This two-headed monster -half summer, half fall – that we unleash on ourselves each year is sometimes a bit overwhelming.
Few growers in the area tackle the fall quite as vigorously as we do. They tell us that by Labor Day they want to turn their fields under and take a rest. It’s very understandable. Many of our fellow farmers are busy harvesting and marketing right now and not much else. This is the make or break time for most farmers who need to make the bulk of their sales before school is back in session and the tomatoes are gone. By October the only local vegetable that gets any press is a big orange fruit that is bred not for it’s flavor, but it’s capacity to have funny faces carved on it.
Fall is different for us. Farming for the CSA allows the full expression of the autumnal season. We are able to squeeze in the fall planting during our summer harvest season thanks to the CSA itself. Between the extra hands on Wednesday and Saturday mornings and the fact that we don’t spend time at markets or making deliveries to wholesale accounts, we instead plant rows of cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, turnips, lettuces, carrots and beets.

So, enjoy the summer fruits of all of our labors. Savor the season in all its bright juiciness. But don’t forget that the growing season doesn’t end with that last tomato sandwich. The vegetables will keep coming through the fall, thanks to all of you.

In the Share – Week 12

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TOMATOES (F/P) Literally bursting with flavor this week from the frequent rain showers. Treat gingerly.

CHERRY TOMATOES (F)
BEANS, GREEN AND YELLOW (F)
CUCUMBERS (F)
EGGPLANT (F/P) check out Emily’s blog for the prettiest aubergine dish ever
ONIONS (F/P) the last of the Walla Walla and the first of the Ailsa Craig, which is more pungent but a better keeper.
POTATOES (F/P) Bintje, pronounced ben-jee. Very similar to the famous Yukon Gold, but more prolific.
SALSA PACK (F) go to Tom’s blog for a roasted recipe
PURPLE PEPPERS (P) Tequila is a green pepper that starts out purple and will have you dancing on the table.
SUMMER SQUASH (F) The last few before we take a break until the next planting kicks in.
HERB CHOICE: BASIL, CHIVES, PARSLEY, SUMMER SAVORY OR A DRIED HERB (F/P)
ALSO THIS WEEK: Parker Farms delivery
NEXT WEEK: More tomatoes, beans, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers and melons. Carrots and garlic.
THE FIELDS: It’s hard for farmers to say that things are going well. Somehow it seems decidely dangerous. The moment I write such a thing I want to take it back before the twister/hail storm comes along to make me wish I’d never been so boastful. But, it cannot be denied that the farm is in much better shape than last season. Same time last year we literally had rivers running through the fields, most of our potatoes had rotted and many crops were barely parsing out enough twisted fruit to fill the shares. In contrast, for most of this season the harvests have been plentiful and the shares full.
The rains have been just generous enough, giving us around an inch per week. In between the rains we’ve managed to squeeze in the turning under of the finished crops and the preparation of new ones. Thanks to a bit of hustling on the part of the farm crew the fall planting is pretty much on schedule. The far field is filling up with cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts and lettuce. The direct seeded carrots, beets and turnips are sprouting. Monday we planted the K family: kale, collards, kohlrabi, and chinese cabbage. To transplant a tender seedling on a summer day we have a definite routine. First, prepare the bed and lay out the irrigation tape. Second, let the sunshine pump water on the beds for a few hours. Next, turn off the water and wait for the wet holes at each emitter to drain until damp but not sticky. Finally, plant the crop right into the wet spot. Oh, one more thing, turn the pump back on and you’ve got a happy transplant in the heat of the summer.
While we’ve been busy planting, the sheep have been busy eating. Our little paddock of six Parker Farms sheep are doing a bang-up job of mowing the unused areas of the fields and depositing nutrients at the same time. We move their electro-netting every three days to a new paddock. Here you can see them in their new spot with their old, munched-over spot on the left.

In the Share: Week 11

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TOMATOES (F/P) A good share’s worth this week, if a bit more cracked due to the rain.
SALSA PACK, BELL PEPPERS OR GREEN BEANS (F) Your choice with many more of all three to come
EGGPLANT (F/P) One for everyone
GARLIC (F/P) The Musik variety is the first to harvest and thus, the first in the shares. Big, meaty cloves with a kick
COLORFUL CARROTS (F/P) A rainbow of carrots this week, each with its own unique flavor
CABBAGE OR BEETS (F) The last of both until fall.
CUCUMBERS (F/P) One for everyone
SUMMER SQUASH (P) One squash and one small cucumber for each partial share
GREEN BEANS (F) ‘Jade’ beans are our favorite, so long and lean.
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Italian basil, summer savory, parsley, chives or a dried herb.

Also this week: Bread of Life Bakery delivery

Next week: More tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, salsa packs and beans. Time for onions and potatoes again. The okra will begin appearing in the swap box.

Phew! We just finished a 3-day farming marathon as we attempted to catch up on all of the work that the wet weather had been preventing. The skies were blue and the temperatures mild as we sprinted through the fields sowing cover crops in all the empty beds, seeding the fall beets, carrots and turnips, transplanting broccoli, brussel sprouts and lettuce, preparing beds for fall planting, hoeing several beds of young summer crops, tilling the strawberry patch, and pulling all the onions we could as the rain began falling. The newly-planted broccolis are already spreading out their leaves to take in the sun. The onions are nestled warm and dry in the barn and your farmers will soon lay down their heads for a much-needed rest.

For a few hours on Saturday we shifted our attention to the youngest in the membership. Melissa Laycock, the FSF CSA Kids Activities Coordinator, organized a fun event on the most beautiful day of the season. The kids sat in rapt attention as the Stubblefields explained the secrets of beekeeping. The screened tent kept the little ones safe as Keith opened the hives and pulled out the honey-filled combs for all to see.

Later, we looked for worms in the compost pile and then they planted bean, lettuce and pea seeds in pots to take home.
At the end of the afternoon they cut bouquets for their family from the u-pick flower garden.

In the Share: Week 10

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TOMATOES (F/P) Read below for some helpful hints for enjoying your tomatoes
CABBAGE OR SALSA PACK (P) America’s favorite condiment is now in season. Check out Tom’s blog for more info.
BEETS OR EGGPLANT (F/P) We are going to have a good crop of eggplant this year, so get ready!
‘Walla Walla’ ONIONS (F/P) More of those sweeties.
POTATOES (F/P) We’re a bit in between new potatoes and fully dried-back storage potato season so eat these soon or refrigerate.
SWISS CHARD OR KALE (F) Thanks to our no-till experiments the greens keep coming.
CUCUMBERS (F) Our first planting is winding down, but we have more plantings coming.
SUMMER SQUASH (F) ditto
GREEN BEANS (F) May have some yellow wax beans mixed in this week. They are just starting. The green variety is our favorite bush bean, ‘Jade’.
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Italian basil, summer savory, mint, chives or a dried herb.

Also this week: Parker Farms delivery

Next week: More tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers, salsa packs and beans. More garlic and carrots. A few bell peppers perhaps.

Tomato 101: Tomatoes are nearly everyone’s favorite summer vegetable, but we find that many have a hard time figuring out when they’re ripe. Granted we don’t make it easy on you as we grow tomatoes in every color of the rainbow. Waiting for your Fair Share Farm tomato to turn red is not always a sure solution. We do grow a good amount of the standard red and gold hybrid types, but we also grow many heirlooms, old-timey varieties with names like ‘Aunt Ruby’s German Green’, ‘Cherokee Purple’ and ‘Brandywine.’ The flavors of the heirlooms are as diverse as their coloring from sweet and mild to rich and meaty. All that said, the best way to determine if a tomato is ripe is to feel it. Pick it up in your hand. The fruit should give slightly when you just barely squeeze it. If it feels more like an apple than a peach, let it sit a day or so on your kitchen counter. Then, when it does ripen, enjoy the lusciousness that only a local, organically-grown tomato can offer.

Weather: As we led the Growing Growers CSA workshop attendees through the fields yesterday evening, I remarked that our soil had finally dried out to the point where we could finally finish the garlic harvest and plant some fall crops. Alas, I spoke too soon. This morning Mother Nature had other things in mind. We received an inch of rain and had to put off the garlic harvest for another day. Here’s a photo of what we were doing yesterday when we could have been farming.

The Fields: While we can’t accomplish all that we wish, we have been keeping busy in the fields. Harvesting the cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers takes most of our Tuesday and Friday mornings. The remainder of our days are spent weeding, tending to the fall crops in the greenhouse and keeping up with the tomato trellising. Thanks to the Saturday work crew we removed the pea fencing and on Monday we installed it on the rapidly growing pole beans just in time. This afternoon Tom mowed down the strawberry patch. The before and after shots look a little severe, but the plants do seem to like it. Next we’ll take the walk-behind tiller down either side of each row. Those in the know call this practice ‘renovation’. Mowing removes all of the diseased leaves and opens up the ground to the sanitizing power of sunlight and air. Tilling thins out the rows further and re-establishes the paths that we need to harvest. Last thing to do is apply some organic fertilizer or compost and watch the patch grow back renewed.

In the Share – Week 9

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TOMATOES (F/P) More than last week with many more to come.
LETTUCE (F/P) A brief bit of summer lettuce until it leaves us until fall.
CABBAGE OR EGGPLANT (F) Check out the best eggplant recipe ever on Tom’s blog – so delicioso and simple.
CARROTS (F/P) More freshly dug roots, topped for longer storage.
FRESH GARLIC (F/P) freshly pulled, not cured so keep it in the fridge.
CUCUMBERS (F/P) the essential crunch of summer
SUMMER SQUASH (F/P) lots of round zucchini, for those who want to try the stuffed squash recipe from last week.
GREEN BEANS (F/P) Thanks to all the pickers that are keeping those beans a-comin.
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Italian basil, Thai basil, herb fennel or a dried herb.

Also this week: Bread of Life delivery

Next week: More tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers and beans. More onions, beets and carrots.

Weather: Sunny skies and mild temperatures keep us smiling. The sky has been such a brilliant color of blue that you might think it unnatural if it wasn’t shining down on our heads. The sheep have been enjoying the weather. We now have six lambs ‘on loan’ from Parker Farms. Currently they are helping us clear out the fencerows of poison ivy. Yes, they seem to love the stuff!

The Fields: The garlic harvest continues. With over half of the crop dug, sorted and hung to dry in the barn we are cautiously optimistic. Last year was a bad one for our garlic. The ground didn’t dry out once while the crop was growing, much less during the critical period prior to harvest. We ended up with many small and/or rotten heads as a result. So we had fewer, smaller heads in the shares last year and not enough good-quality seed to plant in the fall. To fill in the gap, we purchased about a bed’s worth of seed from California. Since the early spring we have noticed that the plants from the purchased seed were variable. Some failed to grow at all, many grew very oddly with extra bulbs along their stems instead of just one underground. Overall, the yield from the purchased seed is much diminished. That is in comparison to our two beds of saved seed plants that look amazingly good this time around. We’re seeing the best quality garlic harvest ever on our farm from those two beds. We’re putting the goofy California garlic in the shares this week and saving plenty of the best for next year’s crop.

Links: If the buzz about Food http://www.foodincmovie.com/Inc. is true, the film should be the biggest hit yet in the ‘what’s wrong with our food system’ genre. Produced by some of the same folks that brought us ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, ‘Food Inc.’ promises to be the catalyst for change in how we eat that the former film was for changing the way we use energy. The Tivoli Theatre in KC begins it’s showing this Friday.

In the Share: Week 8

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TOMATOES (F/P) First juicy globes of the season! Everyone gets a half pint of cherry tomatoes or one slicing tomato.
RED RUSSIAN KALE (F) Full of calcium, iron, anti-oxidants and tasty too.
NEW POTATOES (F/P) Fresh from the ground with their delicate skins. Keep these refrigerated until you use them. See Tom’s blog for more info and a recipe.
‘WALLA WALLA’ ONIONS (F/P) Oh so sweet.
GREEN BEANS (F) First of the season. Partial shares will get them next week.
CUCUMBERS & SUMMER SQUASH (F/P) Full shares get some of each, partials get a choice.
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Italian basil, summer savory or a dried herb.

Also this week: Parker Farms delivery

Next week: More carrots, summer squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and beans. Fresh garlic and cabbage.

Weather: After last week’s heat wave, the farm crew has been enjoying the beautiful cool, cloudless days. We are continuing to start work at 6 am, a practice that began to beat the heat but that we are now used to. Rising an hour earlier allows us to see some gorgeous sunrises, as shown here. This is a shot from the top of the farm looking east across the no-till beds of flowers, kale, chard and cherry tomatoes.

Which reminds me, the flower garden is now open for picking. Anytime you visit the farm, feel free to pick yourself a bouquet. We have lots of zinnias, yarrow, phlox and an assortment of others blooming now.

The Fields: We continue to seed more crops both in the fields and in the summer greenhouse. This week we planted the ‘Rattlesnake’ pole beans, some ‘Roma’-type bush beans and more cucumbers and summer squash. We seeded the fall cauliflower, cabbages, kohlrabi, bulb fennel and lettuces at the picnic table under the shade of the silver maple. Today I re-seeded the bulb fennel after a hungry mouse dug up and ate most of the seeds planted late last week. Today we harvested the first of the garlic: ‘Musik’, a hard-neck variety and one of our favorites. The bulbs are a nice size and appear to be in great shape. All 982 bulbs are now hanging in the upper barn where they will cure for a few weeks before they are ready for you all. We save the biggest for next year’s seed, label the mediums for eating and save the small ones for next year’s green garlic.

Reminders: With the month of July on our doorstep, it is time for a friendly reminder of the approaching deadline for CSA payments. We ask that the entire balance is paid by the end of July. Please send payments to: Fair Share Farm, 18613 Downing Road, Kearney MO 64060. Email Rebecca (that’s me) if you need me to look up how much you owe. If times are hard in your household, let me know if you need more time or would like to receive a Veggie Voucher. Veggie Vouchers cover $100 of the cost of the CSA share with money raised amongst the membership at the Spring Signup.

In the Share: Week 7

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LETTUCE (F/P) Enjoy those salads while you can, the lettuces won’t last more than another week.
BROCCOLI (F) A bit more from the patch until it gets a reprise in the fall.

CUCUMBERS OR CHERRY TOMATOES (F) We’ll give you one or the other, depending on the first harvests of each – just a small tasting with many more to come.

SUMMER SQUASH (F/P) The ubiquitous summer vegetable – easy to prepare and good in so many ways.

SWISS CHARD (F/P) A gorgeous bunch from the splendid patch.

KOHLRABI OR BEETS (P) Your choice: clean and crunchy or complex and earthy.

CARROTS (F/P) Another round of carrots, this time topped for better storage in your refrigerator.

BASIL (F/P) Italian basil for a real taste of summer.

Also this week: Bread of Life delivery

Next week: More squash, cucumbers and tomatoes. Onions and beets.

Weather: It’s been a scorcher this week. The farm crew is now starting at 6 am to avoid the heat of the day. We harvest and hoe in the morning and save shady or low-impact jobs for the afternoon. If you are coming out to the farm this week, please come prepared with hats, water bottles, sunscreen, etc.

The Fields: The fall planting continues. This week brussel sprouts, kale, collards and chicory were seeded. We are also planting the last of the summer crops in the fields: another round of melons, squash, cucumbers and beans. We are thrilled to see the summer crops beginning to bear fruit. We have picked the first tomatoes, mainly the cherries but also a few of the bush varieties. There are young little melons growing in the melon patch and loads of flowers on the cucumbers. Today we planted the long-awaited sweet potato plants. We’re hoping that the tender sprouts will survive the blazing sun and heat while they get their first roots established. A heavy dose of irrigating will surely do the trick.

Links: We will be participating in the Urban Farms and Gardens tour this Sunday by helping out at Fairview Church Garden. Check out http://urbanfarmstourkc.com for all the events this week. Start your weekend right with a quick tutorial at the Bad Seed by FSF CSAer Emily Akins and others. Here’s the scoop:>Want to preserve the bounty of the season? You can learn the basics in no time at all!

Come to Badseed for bite-sized demonstrations including…
freezing greens
fermenting
making jam
pickling

All that great info in just 90 minutes! Don’t miss it!

Friday, June 26, 2009
6:00pm – 7:30pm
Badseed Market
1909 McGee
Kansas City, MO
8164720027

In the Share: Week 6

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In the Share: Week 6
STRAWBERRIES (F/P) 1 pint for everyone
ASIAN GREENS or KALE (F) Enjoy the greens while they last
SUGARSNAP OR SNOW PEAS (F/P) More from the bumper pea crop

LETTUCE (F/P) 1 head for everyone. Hopefully we’ll get a few more weeks from the lettuce patch before the heat gets to be too much for them.
GREEN ONIONS (F/P) The bulbs are beginning to fill out now that the daylight is longer.
KOHLRABI (F) The first of the spaceship-shaped vegetables. Just peel them and eat them raw or lightly steamed.
BEETS OR HAKUREI TURNIPS (F) The first from the beet patch and a few more yummy Hakureis. Check Farmer Tom’s blog for a buttery mashed turnip recipe.
BROCCOLI OR SUMMER SQUASH (F/P) The broccoli is trying its best to make up for its chilly start this spring. Some heads are a little wacky looking but they taste just fine.
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Thai basil, tarragon, garlic scapes or a dried herb.

Also this week: Parker Farms delivery

Next week: More peas, lettuces, broccoli, carrots, kohlrabi and summer squash.

Weather: A couple more inches of rain fell this week. It is muddy but we are not flooded. The crops seem to be handling the moisture so far. The sun and heat are doing a good job at drying things out quickly. We are hopeful for a dry stretch of days so we can run our tools through the ground to knock down the weeds.

The Fields: The mulch spreading continues. This week it was time for the leeks, celeriac and okra. The Saturday work crew did half of the job after the harvesting was done. Mulching conserves moisture, prevents weeds from growing, provides good cover to the soil life and protects the soil from the pounding rain.

We also started the first of the fall crops in the shade tents. The shade keeps the seeds cool enough to sprout and protects the growing plants from pests.

Links: While we farm our rolling hills of vegetables in the quiet countryside, city folks are reclaiming urban areas for food production. Many hands are at work in back yards, reclaimed abandoned spaces and school grounds to grow food in the city. The Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture has organized a tour of the many green spaces cropping up in the metro for June 28th. Tom and I plan to lend a hand that day at one stop on the tour, Fairview Church Garden, a ‘church supported agriculture’ farm headed by our 07-08 farm apprentice, Jeff Hunter and his wife Stacey Schulz. For all the details on the week of urban farming activities and the tour itself, visit http://urbanfarmstourkc.com/ Also, Emily has a very nice description of her own involvement in the Urban Farms & Gardens tour at ‘Everything begins with an E’ (see our blog roll).

In the Share: Week 5

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In the Share: Week 5
SPRING CARROTS (F/P) The first of the season, young and tender.
STRAWBERRIES (F/P) 1 quart for everyone
TATSOI (F) Makes a darn good stir fry with some of those peas, radishes or turnips.
PEAS (F/P) Remember, you can eat the pod. Check Tom ‘s blog out for a tangy spring pea salad recipe.
LETTUCE (F/P) 2 heads for the full shares and a choice with chard for the partials.
SWISS CHARD (F/P) My favorite cooking green. Tart and earthy.
RADISHES OR HAKUREI TURNIPS (P) Love those Hakurei’s – no need to cook them, just ‘eat em like an apple’ as Bad Seed Farm says.
BROCCOLI OR SUMMER SQUASH (F) The first real offerings from the struggling broccoli patch. The first of the sunny summer squash planting.
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Oregano or parsley or a dried herb.

Also this week: Bread of Life bakery delivery

Next week: More peas, lettuces, broccoli and summer squash. Beets perhaps and kohlrabi.

Girl Scouts in the Pea Patch 6/3

Weather: We sure felt lucky to miss the hail and tornadoes to our north. Today’s .7 inches of rain fell gently and did not pool. While we always wish for more dry-weather days for getting the fieldwork done, the rain has been very pleasant. We were a bit caught off guard by a 30% chance in the forecast that ended up as an all-day affair. The cool mornings and evenings keep suprising us too. Where did I put my warm hat???

The Fields: During the rain we prepared the upper barn for the onion and garlic curing that will begin in a few weeks time. The old tobacco barn is a perfect setup for allium curing. Once cleared of a season’s worth of detritus. We found a brown recluse, collected items for Stacey’s yard sale, vacuumed up the winter dust and debris, and organized the various piles of salvaged lumber, old windows and doors. We left the back corner that is piled high with assorted farm junk. That will have to wait until the next rainy day. When it hasn’t been thundering and lightning overhead, we lay out irrigation tape, weed and mulch. The newly sprouted okra was thinned to a foot between plants.

Links: This past Sunday afternoon, the FSF CSA Core Group met under a shade tree surrounded by lush green fields of Clay County. We mulled over the mid season survey, reviewed the Spring Signup, had a crop report from the farmers and discussed fundraising projects for this season. As always, Tom and I enjoyed meeting with a group of such dedicated and creative folks. We appreciate their work to organize the community around which our community farm depends. Look for notices regarding surveys, fundraising for the Veggie Voucher program, and the Harvest dinner in the future. If you haven’t already done so, mark Oct 24th on your calendar for the best potluck in town.