UPDATE! I just want to keep you in the loop about what's happening on the farm with our crops in all this rain... Since Friday night we have received 8.05 inches of rain. The fields are completely saturated and one of our fields is inaccessible because a drainage runs between us and the field. We are hoping the weather dries soon, but it doesn't look like we will be so fortunate.
There wasn't enough time to finish our potato harvest before the rains came so we are crossing our fingers that they hold well enough in the ground. We now use a raised bed system on the farm to aid in keeping our crops higher and to create more drainage off of our fields, but I am still worried about the roots not being able to breathe and rot setting in on our cabbages.
Just a warning, next week's share may be a bit slim in terms of quantity and variety if we aren't able to get into our fields to harvest. It is times like these that the value of CSA hits home for us farmers and it also provides Members an opportunity to see how their connection to a farm supports our family directly when crops fail or the weather is extreme. We truly cannot do what we do without you!
Thanks for your support of local agriculture!
Farmer Chloe and the RF Crew
What I am trying to show in this picture is that just as soon as I got the tractor all set up to cultivate our fall beets, carrots, radishes and turnips a doozy of a lightening storm rolled in! Unfortunately, no cultivating today...
With the 10 day forecast looking like wet, wet, wet we are scrambling to bring in our potatoes, winter squash, tomatoes and anything else we can to reduce the amount of time we have to spend harvesting in the mud next week.
This is the time of year where we begin to pull our big bulk storage items out of the field...sweet potatoes, standard potatoes, winter squash, storage radishes, etc. In the coming years, it is one of our goals to focus heavily on crops like these so we can harvest them in the fall, and wash and pack them throughout the winter for an extended CSA season. We are trying it out a bit this year now that we have a building that has heat and ample storage space. Next year we are really going to plant our hearts out for winter eating!
This week in the CSA box we are starting to see a few items dwindle in quantity, so you may not end up getting a melon or a pint of cherry tomatoes in your share this week, just an FYI. The seasons are starting to change and soon we will begin to see more greens and tender roots back in the shares.
Only 6 more weeks left of the Summer CSA season! Look for Fall CSA sign up info coming real soon!
Happy Eating,
Farmer Chloe
