Farm News- October 25, 2012

Hi Folks,

It took a few days for the effects of last week’s freeze to manifest themselves and in the end we had substantial damage. Despite our efforts at covering certain crops the cold snap was just too extreme (24 degrees!) and we were unsuccessful in saving them. My hopes of one last harvest of beans have been dashed and the peppers while still alive are unlikely to produce much more fruit.

More surprising was damage to crops which are generally quite cold tolerant such as Swiss chard, mustard greens, broccoli, and even kale. While all of these crops are still alive, larger leaf was burned by the cold and they will need some time to recover. On some of the broccoli that was beginning to head up the heads were damaged. I had expected to have loads of broccoli at this time, but it will be a bit longer until this crop is abundant as the loss of leaf slows the growth of the plant.

As we move into the final weeks of the season we still have lots of nice stuff for your shares, just not quite as much as I would have liked. The weather is predicted to be mild for the rest of the month, so crops will begin to recover and put on new growth. We will be sending some cardoon as an extra this week. This isa member of the thistle family closely related to artichokes that is grown for it’s stalks. It is an Italian favorite, so if you are Italian or just want to experiment with something new- watch for it over the next few weeks.

The share for this week will be:
Red or green leaf lettuce, radishes, celery root, choice of arugula or broccoli raab, beets, choice of spinach or tatsoi, white potatoes, garlic, choice of an herb (parsley, dill, or cilantro) buttercup squash and either broccoli or red cabbage.

Enjoy!
Farmer John