Farm News- October 2, 2008

Hi Folks,

We received some much needed rain this past weekend that has helped to germinate my final (almost) round of seed planting and enables the fall lettuces and brassicas to continue growing beautifully. Now I’m hoping for a nice warm Indian summer to allow a late planting of beans and zucchini to begin producing; at least for a week or two. We are transitioning back to the cool weather crops, such as broccoli (in 2 weeks) and the fall treats like winter squash and parsnips, but for now we will continue to enjoy the last of the summer veggies. I just returned from the Garlic Festival in Saugerties, NY where thousands of garlic lovers gather each fall to share their passion for this unusual and almost magical vegetable. There are a multitude of garlic growers in this part of New York and many attend to sell their harvest. I bought about 200 lbs. of seed stock for planting later this month; and ate enough garlic adulterated food to give me bad breath for the rest of the week! My challenge for this week will be fixing the potato digger that broke down last week. My mechanic made a temporary repair on it, but as he predicted it didn’t hold very long (30 row feet). However, with the help a digital photo, an equipment dealer in Western PA was able to come up with the right parts to make the repair. In the meantime we may have to dig some the old fashioned way with pitch forks! The share for this week will be: Butternut squash, garlic, potatoes, red onions, choice of lettuce or endive (frissee), peppers, eggplant, and choice of radishes or Chioggia beets, tomatoes, choice of edamame soybeans or string beans, and choice of kale or Swiss chard.

Enjoy!
Farmer John