Farm News – October 15, 2015
Hello Everyone! So the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder. While it is forecast to be a mild fall with above normal average temps we will still have a killing frost soon — probably next weekend. This past weekend we had a very light frost which blackened some of the sweet potato leaves and burned the pepper plants slightly. This normal and expected and most of what we grow for the final weeks of the season can tolerate frost and even a hard freeze.
Tomatoes and eggplant have already declined in production and peppers will be waning as well. It looks like the beans won’t be making a comeback either. But not to worry we still have lots of great veggies for you. We will begin harvesting the sweet potatoes in earnest this week and it looks to be a great crop. We also have a decent winter squash harvest, with the exception of the butternuts, which are somewhat small and scarce. It’s a little strange because I planted the butternuts first, but apparently the fruit set rotted in the wet June weather we had. Other than what we will have in storage, like the potatoes and winter squash, greens and root vegetables predominate for the rest of the season. The brassica family will also be a big part of the shares.
We have some nice small heads of cabbage for you this week. If you aren’t sure what to do with your cabbage and you still have some beets leftover, may I suggest a hardy borscht with potatoes (I know that for some of you the potatoes have been piling up!), cabbage, and root vegetables. We are sending carrots this week and turnips as an extra. A few groups have not received their cauliflower yet, and they will this week. Others may receive broccoli as supply allows. We keep close track of what each group has gotten to be sure the distribution is as equitable as possible.
The share for this week will be: Acorn squash, potatoes, peppers, lettuce, choice of arugula or tatsoi, green cabbage, choice of kale or broccoli raab (mostly kale) carrots, sweet potatoes, bok choy, and escarole.
The fruit share for this week will be: Honey crisp apples and Devoe pears.
Enjoy! Farmer John
