Happy September! With nights in the 40's and days barely getting above 70 now, fall is truly in the air.
Early plantings of beans, carrots, sweet corn, and more have been mowed and plowed, those fields ready to be seeded with more rye and vetch cover crop seed to overwinter. In fact, we now have more fields that are either plowed up and getting ready for cover cropping OR fields that are already cover cropped than we have fields that are still growing veggies. Some cover crops - like the rye and vetch combo we're seeding this fall - will overwinter and begin to grow again as soon as the snow starts to recede. Other cover crops, such as one field we have planted to oats and peas, or the buckwheat and peas next to the last planting of broccoli (shown below) will winterkill as soon as the cold weather settles in. Either way, the soil is held together with roots and mulched with some kind of plant debris, keeping erosion to a minimum and providing valuable root habitat for soil micro-organisms. Some crops - like winter squash and our last planting of carrots - are in the ground too long to establish a cover crop by the end of the season, so there will be a little bare ground going into winter. But this year, we've done a better job at keeping that soil covered whenever possible, and I count that as a win. Stewardship of the land is an important aspect of sustainable farming.
Speaking of field crops winding down, I have grim news for you: this week might be the final week for green beans from our farm, so savor every bite! If you want to stock up on any more beans this is your chance. We'll be offering 10# bags if you want to put some in the freezer or make pickled dilly beans, as well as plenty of 1# bags if you'd rather just enjoy them one last time along side a roast for dinner this week. The new varieties we tried for the last 2 weeks have seemed to be winners both agronomically (good resistance to rust and white mold, 2 bean diseases that are hard to manage organically) as well as gastronomically - we have been impressed with their tenderness and great flavor. Finding new varieties that excel in organic growing conditions is a fun part of farming, and I am excited to replace our old favorite with these better beans next year. Also, I am happy to report that I was able to reclaim and hold my title of fastest bean picker last week - this old guy's still got what it takes! We'll see how the dust settles next week with the final harvest. The pressure is ON!
For sweet corn, it looks like we'll have some to offer this week as well as next week, but that will be the end. Seasonal eating is all about enjoying what is fresh and in season, then looking forward to it again next year. With the recent rains however, I fear that the caterpillars may have gotten ahead of us in some of the corn. Unlike harmful chemical controls, the bacteria that we spray to control the corn caterpillars is easily washed away by rainfall, and quickly becomes ineffective. As a result, if you choose to have corn in your box this week, you may find a caterpillar at the tip of an ear. Simply trim that top portion off, rinse, and you are good to go. As an apology in case you do find a caterpillar in an ear of corn, we'll be giving anyone who chooses the corn a 7th ear for free this week. While biological insect controls are rarely as uniform or effective as the chemical controls, I'd prefer to trim an occasional corn tip than to eat corn sprayed with dangerous chemicals any day.
The warm season hoophouse crops are also beginning to slow down noticeably in production. Snacking peppers, slicer tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes are nearing their end here as well. A few more weeks and we'll be tearing those out to make room for more winter spinach and another round of hoophouse garlic. Thankfully, several other farms in our coop may be able to offer tomatoes for your CSA boxes once ours are finished, but don't take those heat loving fruits for granted - their time is coming soon. Stock up now while you can!
This morning, we had 2 groups of Northland College students come to the farm for tours, and to get a feel for what sustainable agriculture looks like here in our region. Every fall, we coordinate with the Growing Connections program at the College to talk shop about organic farming, and it's always a treat to see the next generation of potential farmers walking through the fields here. I also like to give them an opportunity to get their hands dirty - it's hardly right to visit a farm and walk away with clean hands, right? Today the students got a chance to help pull some onions and pick a few beans. It's amazing what a pile of hands can achieve in 20 minutes!
Lastly, our family had a great wild rice harvesting adventure this past weekend! Inspired by the rice that farmers Ryan and Eric have been drying down in the greenhouse, my wife, 10 year old daughter, and I loaded up the canoe and headed out to knock some rice for ourselves. In total, we managed to harvest a little over 50# of green rice, and had a great time to boot! Once processed, it should yield somewhere around 25# of finished rice, plenty to get us through the winter. Our family really enjoys giving it as gifts, or eating it as a hot breakfast grain, topped with frozen blueberries, maple syrup, and hazelnuts or pecans. The finished rice is a special treat, but even more than the rice, I am thrilled at how much our daughter loved being in the boat and knocking rice! Those are great memories that will stick with her for a long time. This weekend, I want to try and get our boys out in the boat and find some more rice. The ricing season is winding down, but there's still time to go harvest some if you are interested. "Wild rice - you haven't tried it 'til you've knocked it!"
Take care, be safe, and have a great labor day weekend!
In community,
Farmer Chris
Great Oak Farm
