Farm News August 21, 2008

Hi Folks,

The mild summer weather continues, leaving me with little to complain about on that front! We could use some rain though, as the scattered thunderstorms we experienced this past week came and went quickly and served only to interrupt our field work. Much of the crew’s time this week was again spent on bean picking. The rattlesnake pole beans have begun producing and the early bush beans are still providing a third and final harvest. Expect to receive a double dose in the share for this week. Beans freeze well, but need to be blanched in boiling water or steamed for a minute or two, to destroy enzymes which breakdown the vitamins. After blanching plunge them into cold water and then place them in zip lock bags to freeze. We have hit a gap in our lettuce production at present with the next planting still a couple of weeks from harvest. I have tried to obtain some from other local farms, but everyone seems to be in the same boat, there just isn’t any local lettuce available. Other greens too are in short supply. My Swiss chard beds have been over cut and need to rest and regenerate a bit and the kale has been decimated by both a pesky insect called the flea beetle and a pesky mammal known as a ground hog. I have been addressing both issues and with cooler weather ahead the plants should begin to again produce good quality leaf. I am also busy planting spinach, arugula, and other mustard greens which we will start to harvest in about 5 weeks. This past week we planted thousands of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower seedlings which will be ready in mid October and into November. The share for this week will be: Potatoes, onions, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, string beans, garlic, either summer squash or eggplant, and choice of basil or parsley.

Enjoy!
Farmer John