Farm News – July 27, 2020

Hello everyone, we received about 6/10 of an inch of precipitation this past week from 2 light overnight rains.  It seems Mother Nature is doling out the moisture with an eye dropper!  These light rains help a little, especially when they occur at night and have a chance to seep in.  We really need a good soaking rain, and our best chance for the week is tomorrow – 50%.

While the dryness makes it difficult for us to plant and keeps us busy moving sprinklers around, it is actually beneficial to the tomatoes and the squash family crops.  Both are prone to fungal diseases which flourish when conditions are wet.  We have a fabulous tomato crop that is coming in heavy now and we hope to sustain production through September.  The melon crop is looking good and we should begin to harvest some in the next couple of weeks.  We have potatoes ready to dig now and these will be in the shares most weeks during the rest of the season.

Also new for this week are ground cherries, aka husk tomatoes and cape gooseberries.  Physalis pruinosa is the scientific name and they are members of the solanaceous family, cousins of the tomatillo. They are quite sweet and have an interesting flavor that many love (and some not so much).  Slip them from their paper husk and eat them out of hand.  They make great snacks for kids.  Depending on the supply some groups may not receive these until next week.

The share this week will be:  Yukon gold potatoes, eggplant, peppers, beans, tomatoes, white onions, summer squash, kale or cauliflower, rainbow carrots, celery, and perhaps ground cherries.  Premium shares will also receive cucumbers.

The fruit share this week will be:  pluots and nectarines.

Enjoy!  Farmer John