Well, we got six inches of rain early this week, so we were able to forget irrigating for the moment, which was a gift. That's a bit more than we needed, so some things got a little beaten down, a little drowned and flooded, but we are lucky to farm on a pretty well drained alluvial soil, so the soils are just about un-waterlogged enough now so that we can get back in with equipment and start fighting the weeds that are also now invigorated by the rain. Most of the harvest from last week was in the torrents of Monday and Tuesday, and we all learned that farm work is much harder when you are trudging through 6 inches of water all day. But the crew did great and we have much sunnier weather to look forward to.
One crop that loved that dose of rain was our summer melons and watermelons, where we hadn't yet set up our irrigation. They had been chugging along just fine in the heat without any water, but now they are positively jungle-y. The melons themselves are at their biggest the size of your fist, so they are 3+ weeks away, maybe more, but I'm hopeful for another good crop this season (last year was a record breaker). Melons are vining crops that start on the beds where they are planted and then go everywhere, so keeping them weed-free is really challenging. This year we almost missed our window to get them weeded, but they were saved by Jon our tractor operator and infrastructure maven, who lovingly moved all the vines (that were just a bit too long) and then weeded the crap out of the aisles, a farm hero.
In shares this week:
- Broccoli and cauliflower continue to abound!
- More fun stir-fry delights in salad turnips (radish's cooler cousin) and kohlrabi
- the season's first beet bunches for our root lovers!
- a limited amount of the season's peppers - shishitos! small Japanese, slightly sweet peppers that are great grilled or roasted
- Strawberries!
Awesome Add-ons!
- Lakin's Ricotta (in cheese shares) - Locally made Ricotta by the famous Lakin's Gorges, I for one am super excited to dollop this on a summer pizza or concoct something amazing with summer squash with this cheese $9.00/ container
- Moses Dyer Coffee - Available in medium and dark roast $15.00/lb
- Heiwa Tofu - Local, organic tofu $5.00/block
- Casco Bay Creamery Unsalted Butter -$5.00/box
- Turtle Rock Farm Dill Pickle Chips -$6.50/jar
Thank you all again for your support of our farm through this crazy time. Stay healthy and sane everyone!
Best,
Bethany and Eric
