Farm News- November 26, 2008

Hi Everyone,

I guess I don’t need to inform you that it’s been brutally cold this past week. The frigid temperatures have destroyed almost everything that remained in the fields. At the beginning of last week when I realized the severity and duration of the cold snap predicted, we began frantically cutting and pulling everything we could that I knew could not withstand the onslaught of the arctic express. We tried covering a few crops but our efforts were in vain. It was heartbreaking to watch so many beautiful crops wiped out, and I am disappointed that these last 2 shares will not be as spectacular as I had hoped. Yet, through our efforts we did manage to save decent amounts of greens and root vegetables and I believe that the extension will still be a good value. You will have a choice of various types of pie pumpkins this week: New England pie, which looks the same as an ornamental; L.I. cheese, with flesh colored skin like a butternut squash; Jarradale, a grey skinned type; and Seminole, an heirloom variety grown by the tribe of the same name (pinkish orange bumpy skin). All have deep orange flesh and are great for pies, cakes, or soups. The share for this week will be Pie pumpkins, turnips (red- skinned or white purple topped), parsnips, baby rainbow carrots, red skin potatoes, fingerling potatoes, red onions, yellow onions, mustard greens, baby bok choy, choice of arugula or broccoli raab and Stayman apples.

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!
Farmer John