The Halfway Mark
Welcome to the halfway point of the CSA season! The weather is starting to feel fall-like with some cool nights. Cool season crops are being planted as time allows. Two weeks ago it was brassicas and radishes, this week it was boc choy and lettuce. We still need to plant arugula, mustard, salad turnips, and spinach. There is still a lot of time left to fill your weekly shares. We need to keep planting to keep up with the wonderful variety we are getting into this month. Growth starts to slow as we approach September.
Sweet Corn
Mixed Beans
Rainbow Carrots
Cucumbers
Walla Walla Sweet Onion
Garlic Bulb
Swiss Chard
Celery
Mixed Tomatoes
Bell + Carmen Pepper
Basil
Melon (larges only)
This week we harvested all of the remaining garlic and it is the nicest garlic year yet in regards to bulb size and quality despite being two weeks later than usual. This is being attributed to increased soil fertility. Oftentimes we get too busy this time of year and put off the garlic harvest too long. When this happens the bulb wrappers decay in the soil and we can’t sell it. This is not the case this season thanks to the amazing help we’ve been getting and also employing our boys to do their part on the farm. The very best garlic will be saved for planting next year’s crop and the rest will be shared with you in the coming weeks and sold at market. At this point, your garlic can be dried and stored for the winter in a cool, not cold place. It can also be separated into cloves and planted in October for harvest next summer.
The broiler chickens are no longer following us around the farm. They were slaughtered and processed for our customers this week and the final product looks and tastes fantastic. We are excited to share these birds with our customers. Having them gone will lessen the daily workload and stress. While free-range chicken is healthier than the alternative, chickens seem to have a death wish and raising them can be unnerving. It can be difficult to keep them out of trouble and even then, the list of predators that go bump in the night is rather frightening. Large numbers can disappear with no warning signs. Fortunately, nearly all of our birds made it to the end without incident.
There was an incident however when we were hauling the birds to the processing facility. Our new farm kitten, Rodger hitched a ride under the truck and ended up in Dorchester. He was scared but survived the ordeal!
Growing for you,
