FALL HARVEST
This week fall actually is in the air and it is somewhat enjoyable. The apples are ripening for fall cider, the winter squash are hardening for storage, and the last blossoms on the fireweed have turned into white fluff. Eric’s mind is wondering off the farm and into the woods and the pursuit of game. We love fall and all the bounty it brings, but it is also the last chance to get everything from the garden tucked away before old man winter rears his head. And who knows what the weather will bring from one day to the next.
The tomato field is finally ripening and they are flooding in now! The slugs are wreaking havoc all over the place, but there are still a lot of romas. Slim, tapered roma tomatoes have more meat and less seeds than regular tomatoes which makes them great for making pasta sauces, salsas, soup, ketchup, and much more. If you need romas for your recipes, just let us know and we can bring them to you with your share.
We’re preparing to take our first pigs into the butcher so we will have fresh pork for the farm to table dinner. They have spent the remainder of the summer happily within their fences rooting and eating and eating and eating. There was no shortage of mud for wallowing with all the rain. A dirty pig is a happy pig.
This week on the farm not a whole lot got done being we were picking tomatoes pretty much every minute we weren’t at market. That and Mrs. Farmer took a day off and traveled away from the farm all day on Thursday. If you came to the Rib Lake market, you probably got the scoop from Mr. Farmer. The winter rye has sprouted and is growing like it should. As the crops get harvested and the ground is cleared, we’ve also started preparing the soil by removing weeds and adding manure fertilizer for the coming season. Out comes the corn, potatoes, beans, cabbage, squash, onions and the list goes on.
With much left to harvest,
Eric & Rebecca