Farm News- November 17, 2011

Hi Folks,

We are coming into the home stretch, with only a few more deliveries to be made and the final markets of the year. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be almost done with this season. Every year has its own particular challenges but this year has certainly been the most difficult that I have experienced in my 15 years of farming. I have often thought that one of the important attributes of a successful farmer is eternal optimism. I cling to the dubious belief that next year will be better and the weather more cooperative. The past week has been relatively dry and we have been able to plant most of the garlic for next year. This is a task which I am always relieved to complete since we are commonly faced with very muddy conditions in the fall and the worry that the ground will freeze before we can finish. I am still working on planting my cover crops for the winter, having been set back waiting for some vetch seed to arrive and now with a flat tire on the big John Deere tractor (it’s always something!), I expect to have this task completed by the end of the week. We normally are able to have a strong finish to the season, with lots of root vegetables, brassicas and greens. The losses and damage from nature’s final blow continue to manifest themselves, with many broken branches on the larger plants and blanched leaves from the extreme cold. We will, of course, continue to do our best, but it’s slim pickins out there in the fields.

The share for this week will be:
Potatoes, leeks, buttercup (kabocha) squash, bok choy, celery root, beets, tatsoi or other mustard greens and cilantro.

Enjoy!
Farmer John