As you can imagine, July is an incredibly busy time of year. The farmers are working from early morning to sunset harvesting summer crops, preparing fields, planting fall vegetables, and keeping everything fresh in the heat and humidity.
High summer is a time of bounty: the first Jersey tomatoes are coming in, and our members are enjoying the first eggplants, rattlesnake beans (which we save from our own seed), as well as green peppers and chilies. Sweet red peppers will be following soon. Every weekly pickup contains new treats and vibrant colors.
The garlic has been harvested and hung in the barn to dry. Curing the garlic is essential to minimize the risk of mold and other diseases taking hold while optimizing the amount of time the garlic can stay in storage. That’s why the garlic in our winter shares tastes so great!
Digging out the first potatoes, we’re happy to see that the yield is looking like it will be a good one. The corn is super sweet, but we are dealing with heavy pressure from birds and bugs this year. You’ll see plenty of corn in the green house, but it doesn’t look too pretty. If you’re willing to chop off the tips, though, you’ll be well rewarded!
The long season crops need tending, and we're starting to sow fall brassicas like cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. The weather was very hot and pretty dry for awhile, so some of the crops suffered, especially the storage onions for the winter shares. Sadly, the dry heat followed by drenching rains led to major losses. It’s a disappointment, but in farming we have to take the losses along with the wins.
Fortunately, the CSA model of our farm cushions the setbacks in any given growing season. Our members have taken on a small portion of the risk along with the farmers, so it’s more easily absorbed. The upside is that we also share in the rewards together as well, and there are plenty of those this year!