Farm News- October 9, 2008

Hello Everyone,

An unexpected frost this past Friday dashed my hopes for a late season harvest of string beans and zucchini. It was a very light frost but it was enough to burn the leaves of the peppers and eggplant as well. Today, Monday we harvested all of the remaining fruit from these two crops, in anticipation of another (predicted this time!) frost tonight. Depending on how they hold up, we may have enough for distribution for two more weeks. The parts for the potato digger did not arrive until this afternoon but I was able to complete the repair just as darkness fell. I was forced to make a last minute substitution of sweet corn for potatoes last week, for the Wednesday and Thursday groups, as we ran out of potatoes. Tomorrow we can resume the potato harvesting and I expect to have an abundant supply for the rest of the season. While it is sad to see the summer crops go, the cool weather crops are thriving and broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower will soon be in the shares.

The share for this week will be: Lettuce, white onions, parsnips, choice of arugula or turnip greens, Sweet corn (Tuesday groups) or potatoes (Wednesday and Thursday groups), peppers, eggplant, celery, delicata squash and choice of an herb.

Enjoy!
Farmer John

PS.
For those getting the fruit share, you will be getting Cortland apples and Hardy Siberian Kiwi.

Farmer John has this to say about these unusual fruit: “The kiwi is eaten like a grape without peeling. It can be eaten immediately but is at it’s sweetest when it is very soft and the skin begins to get dark and wrinkly. It will hold up for a couple of weeks under refrigeration and will ripen rapidly at room temperature.

It is amazingly nutritous; with more vitamin C than oranges, more potasium than bananas and more vitamin E than avocadoes.