It's our 12th week of distributions for the summer season, and summer is holding strong. Tomatoes are flushing like crazy, we still have lots of melons, and PEACHES are still available from Locust Grove. We have bulk tomatoes available this week for home processing. These tomatoes are seconds from the farm - a combination of slicers and heirlooms, a little less than perfect - maybe a blemish or two, a little overripe, but still delicious and super flavorful. Perfect for sauce or canning. We're selling these by the 1/2 bushel, which weighs in just under 20lbs for $27.00. Now is the time to prep for January! These will come bagged inside the box for clean transport and should be processed within a day or two.
PEACHES are available again this week - again limited so order early!
On the farm, things are going well. Our fall crops (carrots pictured above) loved the mid-week rain, and are growing strong. We're been struggling with some heavy deer pressure this year. Every year it's a little worse and this year it's been the pits. We have our sensitive crops fenced, so they've been browsing in items we've never seen them in before. This week we were horrified to see the damage they'd done in the peppers (even the hots!). The crew spent the last day and a half fencing everything we could and reinforcing fences in things like carrots and greens where we know they'll be looking for some food. The damage that they do extends even beyond just what they eat. The larger herds that the forest around are farm are now home to move like wrecking balls through the fields. They've been ripping up row cover just to see if they like what's underneath, then, when they move on their hooves leave holes in the protective covering, exposing greens beneath to fleas beetles and other pests that damage the leaves. We even had them walk into some of our hightunnels and damage some trellising and eat cucumber plants. We love the wildlife where we live, but we're already working on design for a major (electrified) fencing project to exclude them from much larger portions of the farm. Fencing can be challenging - it can be hard to move equipment around, which can create more weed and harvest issues, and to be effective it must be kept clear, which is another task entirely, but after this year, I'm convinced!
If you like hot peppers - you can have a new one in your share this week - Fresnos! Similar in size to a jalapeno and slightly hotter, these peppers, named for the area of California where they were developed, are a nice alternative. Unlike Jalapenos, they are harvested red-ripe, which means flavor-wise they are a little sweeter and smokier than the green jalapeno. The heat and dryness of the summer has given us spicier peppers than usual, so they are sure to have quite the kick. I like to core them, remove the seeds, stuff them with feta then slice them thin for a snack, but they'll also be great in the salsa you can make with your bulk tomatoes!
