We are officially at our half way point to the farm share season! Since we started planting in the greenhouse in March, we're in the last third of the farming season as a whole.
And Ode to our Members
It has been a great season so far, and you, our members, are a big part of that. Thank you for supporting us! It's really something special to have 60 families come and pick up veggies from us every week. Knowing who we are growing for, and knowing that our food is on your tables each week, really motivates us. In our busy modern world, with so many conveniences and choices, we know that your choice to commit to getting veggies from us weekly or biweekly is not one lightly taken. And we really appreciate that. Your commitment gives us a financial foundation to build our farm on each season, but it's more than that too. You give us connection, and motivation. Getting to see and chat with you each week is a huge bonus of farming that we couldn't have anticipated when we started. Thanks for taking this journey with us. You're local food heroes and we love growing for you.
What's Going on in the Field
Spring onions are still growing well, as are beets. Our recently transplanted brassicas (kale, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, napa cabbage) are starting to catch on, but the cauliflower transplants have mostly died! We're not sure what has happened but it looks like something caused the roots to rot. We have more cauliflower and broccoli in the greenhouse so hopefully we can replace the ones that died. Radishes are sprouting nicely, enjoying the cooler weather. Our corn is getting tall, and our potatoes are growing nicely but the still need a lot more time in the soil. We're seeing some pretty huge squash out in the winter squash patch, and some orange pumpkins already! Sadly, cucumbers are finished. We'll definitely be planting a second succession of those next season, so we can continue to harvest them in August and September. They were ready so early this year, so it feels a bit early for them to be finished but they really owe us nothing at this point - we had a good run. Zucchinis are still chugging along, although they too are beginning to slow down. Maybe another couple weeks left of harvest for them. Tomatoes and cherry tomatoes are still happy in the greenhouse. We've got lots this week! We spotted a bit of hornworm damage so we're on the lookout for those fat caterpillars. Beans are really coming along and we've got lots of those this week too. Our onions are all harvested and drying now. We want to double our planting for next season!
Melons
We've harvested all our melons this week! We have a few different varieties - regular watermelons, yellow-skinned watermelons, yellow-fleshed watermelons, and a beautiful canary yellow melon that is so fruity and aromatic. Depending on the size of the watermelon, you might get one or up to three in your share.
Tomatillos
First harvest for our tomatillos this week! We grew them as a bit of an experiment, so we don't have a lot. They're fruity and tart and make great sauces.
Ground Cherries
I definitely want to plant more of these next year! They are so sweet, they're a perfect crisp, juicy snack. I hope you get the chance to try them at some point throughout the season.
Carrot Challenges
Carrots have been one of our most challenging crops this year. And last year too, really. A large percentage are suffering from a rot that impacts the end of the carrot. Some of them are basically dissolved from this rot when we pick them. This problem is pretty new to us so we need to do some research and reach out for some advice from other growers. We'll be harvesting from our three beds, and just choosing the best ones to give to you.
Sad carrots :(
Looking forward to all that the second half of our farm share has to bring!
All the best,
Your grateful farmers,
Kim and Alex
