Well folks, this week the seasonal change is official. Autumn is arriving! The fall veggies are here! I won't lie, this past week was pretty exhausting with the smokey conditions. Our whole crew did our best to take breaks, keep shorter hours when possible, and keep up morale, but it definitely takes a toll on the body when there is harvesting to be done.
The horses get an automatic "rest day" when there is wildfire smoke in the air, as the cardio work that they do in the field can have long-term effects on their lungs. This has put us a bit behind schedule for fall planting, so we are hoping to catch up on fall tillage this week and get some cover crops seeded before frost. Fingers crossed! It certainly is an example of a delay that is unique to farming with horses (tractors don't have lung health to worry about when it's smokey), but we wouldn't have it any other way. So, we just keep on keeping on, and the veggies keep growing.
We've now completed our bulk squash, potato, and onion harvests, and are starting on the storage cabbages. We have a bumper crop of cabbages this year, so if you're looking to get on the kraut-making-train it's a great time for it. The fall carrot and beet plantings are still slightly delayed after the chilly weather in July (where they normally would have grown leaps and bounds), but they are looking good and should be ready to start harvesting full force in the next week or so. We are topping the brussel sprout plants this week, which is where we snip off the tops (which are delicious steamed or stir fried, and an option in your shares this week) to help the sprouts size up in time for Thanksgiving and beyond. If you've ever grown brussel sprout plants in your garden and struggled with tall plants and tiny sprouts, this is the secret step to success!
We've also got some incredible looking turnips in the field, both purple tops and swedes (a.k.a.rutabagas), alongside our final planting of the tender white salad turnips we've been enjoying throughout the summer. The onions curing in the greenhouse haven't dried out as much as planned, as the smoke meant that we didn't get the 25+ degree days that were forecasted, so we are hoping there will be some heat yet. In the meantime, the onions are most delicious but will keep better in the fridge to avoid them starting to sprout on your countertops. Or just eat them quickly...perhaps in a tasty squash soup or potato curry dish on a rainy day.
Well, that's this week's farm update as it happens. As always, remember that we love being your farmers. We are all about keeping you fed and healthy, and we thank you for trusting us to grow for you and for your commitment to being part of the Four Beat farm-ily.
Sincerely yours,
Naomi and the Four Beat Farm team
