June 21st is the official first day of summer, the longest day of the year, and the day Olaf learns what happens to snowmen in summer!
We've already been melting in the heat ourselves. It really isn't the temperature but the humidity. That humidity takes it out of you and leads to frequent changes of clothes for sweat-soaked Farmer Dave. Humidity is also bad for plants because humid conditions allow for the breading of foliar diseases. Heavy dew, and damp foliage is not a vegetable-grower's friend, which is why the majority of the produce grown in the United States comes from California's central valley which would be an uninhabited desert were it not for the irrigation water brought in from the mountains. That desert climate makes growing veggies quite a bit easier. Less rainfall means way less bugs in general (people don't even need screens on their windows there), less diseases as mentioned, cleaner produce because heavy rains don't wash dirt onto the growing Napa cabbages, and less intense temperatures and cooler nights which leads to better fruit set on tomatoes and peppers. So why do we do it?
Why do we grow vegetables in an imperfect climate? Well, a lot of reasons. Our produce isn't shipped across the country which means, it's way fresher and travels WAY less miles. You also have issues with supply chains and potential single points of failure as seen during disruptions during the pandemic. Distributed smaller farms growing a wide diversity of crops rather than centralized farms devoted to a single crop is more sustainable and anti-fragile. We love the independent feeling of growing our own food and knowing the healthy way in which it was grown; you may not have the same level of feeling, but by being part of our CSA, you are much less removed from your food supply and the growing practices used than any other way short of growing it in your own backyard (which is exactly how this business got started in the first place, so have at it for food independence!).
Anyway, summer is about to be upon us, and the sweaty time of year, which is our sweatiest and most exhausting time of year also happens to be the time of year when the greatest abundance of produce is ready to harvest. Cucumbers are just starting this week with many many more to follow. Cherry tomatoes are now enough to supply everyone with at least one box to start with (check back Monday evening to see if we add more to the inventory later on). We're not too far away from other favorites like green beans, potatoes, peppers, slicer tomatoes and even okra. But right now, we're at the tale end of the spring cool season crops like broccolini and cabbage with TONS of kohlrabi (a great favorite cut in strips and eaten raw like carrot sticks). Some of these will be gone soon (like sadly the peas which succumbed to the heat this week). But we'll have garlic and onions again just as soon as they finish their curing process. The CSA is seasonal eating for sure. If you are looking for some new items, just wait a week or two and you'll start to see more selections of summer produce coming in.
Tip My Farmer
First off, thanks to many of your for electing to tip your farmers. I thought I'd let you know how we use that money. Most of our employees are young people, many of them are our own children. We pay them (even our own kids) for their labor and we try to pay them generously, but if you only knew how hard they work, you might think they deserve even more. With inflation to all of our costs, we've attempted to keep up with that inflation through pay raises to our employees, but it's nice to give them an extra something. We use those tips you send us to pay a quarterly bonus to our hard-working employees. Sheri and I have decided not to take any of that money but to pass 100% of it along to all of our dedicated workers as a sign of our and your appreciation. So thanks for doing that and know that they appreciate a little extra something as a sign of your support. If you'd like to participate in showing these young people your appreciation, you can add a tip to your order here: https://www.harvie.farm/farm/where-the-redfearn-grows-natural-farm/signup
Please don't feel obligated, if you'd like to bless them this way, we are happy to provide an outlet for you to do that.
Bread and Cheese
Farm to Market French Farm
Hemme Brother's Rubbed and Smoked Cheddar
Happy First Day of Summer!
Dave and Sheri
