Summer is having fun with us already. This past week brought all of us a 50-year dust storm from Africa. The sky was heavy for days, the sun blotted out like a moon in a Star Wars movie (Tantooine, Endor?), and at times we could hardly see across the farm valley. Indeed, the force was strong with this one. They say the dust is full of phosphorus from once-fertile lands, which is an important macro-nutrient for plant root and fruit development.
Of course we've seen this dust many times before, albeit not so extreme. Usually it is combined with totally dry skies in droughts, meaning it definitely will not rain. We were ready today to have to wash off the solar panels so we can keep out cool room running this weekend. But then after it cleared away, it rained a gloriously cleansing water. this time, the crops seem happy. So we have to chalk it up as a win. A blessing. A gift from a land far, far away. Hopefully the crops and soils will respond. We will see.
We also got a visit from some old friends, the wild cows of Annaly. These are cows long escaped from human control who know when fruit season hits. They apparently heard (maybe from the deer?) that our starfruits are ripening. Fortunately, they stopped at our young zuchini crop, left another fertile blessing of sorts, and then went the other way. We are on guard in case they return. For now, the makeshift fences around our young pumpkin and watermelon crops did the job. In the crop pest world, there is truly never a dull moment.
This week we have an abundance of amazing arugula, ripening mangoes, crispy radishes, decadent green beans, and cooling cucumbers. Passion fruits are tailing off from last week's overflow but are still going strong. There are sweet starfruits (unless the cows come back before harvest), flavorful celery bunches, crunchy turnips, bulging bananas, and a lot more to dress your home cooked kitchen meals this week.
We would like to thank our wonderful hosts at Leatherback Brewing Co. for providing such an amazing service to our members. If you have not yet tried their All Together IPA, do so this week before it runs out. Remember if you add on a growler share you get a discounted half-gallon of beer. For our crew the weekly offering of pizza has become a welcome tradition to celebrate our hard work together. Thank you for supporting those who support our efforts to provide fresh certified organic produce to our island community.
Please enjoy this week's share to it's fullest. Remember to spread the word about our farm shares as there is still more to go around. Share with us your social media posts about your homemade creations. Your participation is truly changing the landscape of local food in the Virgin Islands. You should be proud.
Blessings to you and yours,
Nate & the Farm Crew
