Hello heat wave!! The dry beans have decided this is it and they are drying up fast- this week is bean harvest week.. Pictured: Charlie looks at some Rio Zape beans (a new trial this year from a UC Davis breeder who is working on improving heirlooms). First step in bean harvest is we have to pull up all the plants and get them on tarps so if the pods pop they don't fall on the ground. We have to do this in the cool of the morning while the dew is still damp or they'll pop and fall on the ground as we are pulling them up. It's an all hands on deck full team project first thing in the morning till things get to hot. Then once they're fully dry we'll thresh the plants to remove the beans from the plants. Then we'll winnow to get as much material out that isn't beans and into big bins they'll go for further cleaning once the rains come.
What else is happening on the farm: time to pinch back the Fall brussel sprouts to get them to start sizing up (hopefully they'll be ready for your last few boxes). We've pulled up and have windrowed this year's crop of red and yellow onions and shallots so they can finish curing. You'll start to see onions in your boxes from here on out. ...and it's time to cut the first Winter Squash- the Kabocha and Buttercup so they can cure for a couple weeks and be ready for your upcoming fall boxes.
Oh- and we've added a few Kakao tomatoes to this week's boxes- they're delicious- a "black" tomato that is quite flavorful, juicy, hearty/earthy flavor.
