Author: Bryan Housel

Hi Folks, Happy Labor Day!  I hope you enjoyed it however you spent it!  Of course, there’s no day off for us here on the farm — the show must go on!  My workers don’t mind — they are here to work and earn money to help their families.  And I get my vacation time in the winter.  Speaking of winter… it feels like it will be here soon!  We have had a few very chilly nights up here in North Jersey.  The long range forecast doesn’t call for frost until sometime in Mid-October; I hope that will be the case.  The fall crops are loving it, and the warm weather crops are hanging in there (excepting the melons and tomatoes, which were done in by the rain). (more…)

Hi Folks, So I have some good news and some bad news; which would you like first?  The bad news you say; well it seems we will have a short melon season.  The rain was just too much for these delicate plants — the first planting did not produce a second crop and the second planting is probably not going to produce much of anything.  The watermelons are a little hardier and we will be trying to get some to all groups that have not yet received any, over the next 3 weeks or so.  The good news is that we are back in lettuce harvest mode, and should have it in the shares for most of the rest of the season.  We are also beginning to pick from the second planting of beans, so beans should be abundant for the next month. (more…)

Hello everyone, I am a bit under the weather at present so I will, with apologies, skip the usual complaints about the rain and get right to the part of the update that most of you probably skip to anyway.  Lol! (more…)

Hi Folks!  So, we begin, as always, with the weather report.   We received a whopping two and a half inches of the wet stuff over a 12-hour period last Friday.  Fortunately, it fell mostly at night and did not rain on any of my weekend markets. Also fortunate is that we have well drained sandy soil.  (more…)

Hello Everyone!  So, a couple of weeks ago I was at a training with a bunch of my fellow farmers.  Some of them were discussing the wet season we are having and one said “yeah, but farmers never complain,” and everyone laughed.  It’s true though, we only complain when it rains too much or when it doesn’t rain enough; when it’s too hot or too cold!  I’m sure that some of you are tired of my griping about the rain, but who else will listen, if not my members who are impacted by the weather in terms of what they receive in their shares? (more…)

Hi Folks!  So the weather this past week was copacetic.  Most of the rain that was forecast didn’t materialize, and the cool temps were a relief from the heat.  I am hopeful that the week to come will develop similarly; as it stands now rain is in the forecast every day from Wednesday until Wednesday next except for Sunday.  (more…)

Hi Folks!  Well, it continues to rain, but at least this round brought us some relief from the heat!  It looks as though the temps will be more moderate this week; the humidity not so much.  So, summer is officially in full swing now — the tomatoes have begun to ripen!  While we won’t have enough to distribute this time around, we should by next week. (more…)

Hello Everyone!  So, it continues to rain, and I continue to worry; it’s an occupational hazard, I guess…  We got 2 inches last week and thunderstorms are rolling through as I sit down to write.  I was about to head out and plant some seeds, having waited for it to cool down a bit.  The rain was not really forecast until about an hour before it arrived and by the time I got to the barn where my seeding tractor is kept, the wind was kicking up and the first drops began to fall. (more…)

Hello Everyone!  So, it’s been a wet season thus far and it seems that this weather pattern will continue into the normally dry month of July.  We have received 5 inches of rain in the past 2 weeks, when we normally hope for an inch a week.  This is not bad for most of the crops, but it is a little worrisome for the tomatoes and the cucurbits (squash, melons, and cukes), which are susceptible to fungal diseases.  We are doing our best to keep them sprayed with protective organic remedies such as biologicals, oils, garlic, and kelp.  Let’s hope the rain eases up a bit soon! (more…)

Hi everyone, happy Fourth of July!  We have a wonderful share for you this week.  The peas continue to come in and we have carrots; peas and carrots just like my mom served us out of a can (not!). Also new for this week are cucumbers; we have some Kirby (pickle type), English (long slender, bumpless, and mostly seedless), and some regular slicers.  You will get some of each type in the coming weeks. (more…)