Farm News – July 29, 2019

Hi Folks!  So after a brief respite, the heat is on again.  It looks like it will break by Wednesday or Thursday.  I imagine there will be a few more heat waves to endure yet this season!  We did receive too much rain (3½ inches!) after the last scorcher.  The combination of extreme temps and wetness took its toll on our lettuce crop, and we won’t have it in the shares for a few weeks.

We will also be taking a break from summer squash for a bit — the first planting is succumbing to mildew disease, and the second planting, which was just starting to produce, was damaged by high winds during one of the storms.  There is a third planting just coming up, and I will be planting more soon.  The broccoli and cauliflower are just about done, so we will be switching to cabbage to fill the brassica slot.

The tomatoes are coming in heavy now and we have plenty of large slicers to distribute.  We also have loads of ground cherries (Physalis Pruinosa), a sweet solaneceous fruit and cousin to the tomatillo (Physalis Philadelphica or ixocarpa).  It shares the paper husk with its larger, greener relative.  Also known as cape gooseberries, they are about the size of a small cherry. They fall off the plant when they ripen and so must be gathered of the ground, hence the name.  Slip them from the husk and enjoy them out of hand or in a salad.

We have potatoes ready to be dug if only we can find the time to harvest them.  We also have sweet corn that will be ready in a week or two.  August is melon month, so expect cantaloupe, galia, or watermelon for next week.  Hmmm… so much to look forward to!

The share for this week will be:  Beets, green or savoy cabbage, cukes, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, string beans (green, wax or haricot vert), kale, garlic, basil, and ground cherries.  There are tomatillos as an extra.  Premium members will also receive scallions and saladette tomatoes.

The fruit share for this week will be:  plums and nectarines.

Enjoy!   Farmer John