Farm News- September 13, 2012

Hello Everyone,

We finally received some rain last week, about 3⁄4 of an inch on Tuesday and another 1⁄2 inch from the strong storms that pasted through on Saturday. The wind knocked over a few Brussels sprouts plants, but there was no hail and little other damage. The week ahead looks great with sunny skies and mild temperatures.

We are able to cut the kale and chard again this week and as previously noted there will begin to be more greens in the shares, as we transition out of the summer crops. Eggplant production has slowed way down and the size of the fruit is now much longer. This will probably be the last week for it as a regular part of the shares.

For beans we are counting on the pole beans to continue producing abundantly for a few more weeks – the wonderful purple streaked Rattlesnake beans. We have another planting of bush beans that should begin in October (if we can keep the deer at bay). We are also waiting on some lima beans to mature. Unfortunately the edamame soybeans were a failure this season, so we will not have any.

The final planting of summer squash is beginning to fruit heavily, so there may be some in the shares this week, but more likely larger quantities for next week. We are shipping celery this week.Our celery is a bit stronger in flavor than store bought; best used for cooking with a few inner stalks suitable for use in salads. We are still relying on basil and parsley for the herbs this week; cilantro and dill are up and growing and will make their reprise soon.

The share for this week will be:
Red lettuce, garlic, celery, choice of kale or Swiss chard, white potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, beans, carrots, and choice of an herb.

Enjoy!
Farmer John