Farm News – August 8, 2016

Hello Everyone!  We received about 2/10 of an inch of rain on Saturday from a brief downpour.  It appears we will have multiple chances of precipitation during the week ahead and dry spell is over for now; I only hope it doesn’t start to rain too much.  The tomato crop is coming in heavy now, but many of the vines are succumbing to disease, and wet conditions serve to exacerbate the problem.  The squash crop is also quite prone to diseases such as powdery mildew, that are promoted by warm, wet conditions.

As noted, the tomatoes are abundant right now, so there will be lots of them in the shares this week: cherries, slicers, and heirlooms.  Beans are also beginning to abound, and there will be a pound per share this week.  We have one more round of cauliflower for you and then it will be on sabbatical until the fall.  Greens are still a bit scarce – we are offering a choice of tatsoi or arugula.  The tatsoi is a bit prettier that the arugula, which, as you saw last week, is a bit riddled with holes.  I feel a little uncomfortable sending it this way, but it still tastes good and I know that there are many who enjoy it.  I just planted spinach, which will be available at the end of September, and we will have beautiful arugula in the fall.  We are also low on lettuce at the moment and should be back in steady production in a week or two.

The share for this week will be:  Tomatoes, peppers, white potatoes, choice of arugula or tatsoi, cauliflower, white onions, summer squash, string beans, daikon, either a melon or a watermelon, and choice of an herb (parsley, chives, savory, or Thai basil).  

Enjoy! Farmer John