Farm News \ Farm News \ weekly update

Farm update #18, week 16, September 29th delivery

Hi Folks,

We’ve been taking advantage of the dry conditions during this past week to dig as many of the potatoes as possible. The potato digging machine that I own does not work well when the ground is wet and up until now we have been digging most of the potatoes by hand. This is not only a slow and laborious process but leaves some potatoes behind and many that are damaged by being speared by the pitchfork.

On Sunday I attended the Garlic Festival in Saugerties NY and purchased nearly 500 lbs. of seed garlic and 80 lbs of shallots to plant this fall for next years crop. Along with perhaps 100 lbs of our own crop that I have saved for planting this should be nearly twice the amount planted last year, and should provide ample quantities for next season’s shares.

We have ample quantities of lettuce planted to finish out the season and it is growing nicely. At present however it is all too small to cut. We should begin to have lettuce for the shares in another week or two. The string bean crop is coming along a bit slower than I had anticipated and won’t be ready until next week. The edamame soybeans are also filling out slowly and will need another week to size up. The Swiss chard is beginning to grow well again but is also still to small to cut. I have decided to buy some chard this week from another local organic farm.

I will be sending various extras in the deliveries this week to try to compensate for a slightly light share this week. I hope that everyone can find something that they enjoy amongst the choices.

The share for this week will be: Red skinned potatoes, Swiss chard, beets, red onions, peppers, ground cherries, delicata squash, and choice of an herb. The fruit share will be Spartan apples and Seckle pears

Enjoy!

Farmer John

Farm News \ Farm News \ weekly update

Farm Update #17, week 15, September 22nd delivery

Hi Folks,

We continue to enjoy dry, but somewhat cool conditions here at the farm. This past Saturday night we came perilously close to having our first frost of the fall. But for now we have been spared and the temperatures are predicted to be more moderate for the next 10 days. The cool temps do cause plant growth to slow considerably especially for the warm season crops. The next planting of beans which I expected to be ready will have to wait until next week. The eggplant too has slowed down its production, although it is still flowering and has a considerable amount of small fruit. The cool weather crops, of course are love these conditions and are growing beautifully.

We finished transplanting the last few broccoli and collard plants this past Saturday night. This week I will be seeding the last beds of mustard greens, radishes and turnips for the season. The only major planting left for this year will be the garlic and shallots for next years crop, which will go in at the end of October. Next weekend I will be going up to Saugerties NY for the annual Garlic Festival. I will be shopping for about 500 lbs of seed stock to ensure that their will be an ample supply for next years deliveries.

The share for this week will be: Red leaf lettuce, yellow onions, garlic, kale, white potatoes, carrots, peppers, ground cherries, sweet corn (conventional) and choice of an herb.

The fruit share for this week will be nectarines and Devoe pears. These pears are unique to the NY state orchard where the fruit comes from and are reccomended as being delicous paired with cheddar cheese. They are a bit more expensive than other varieties, so their will be a smaller quantity.

Enjoy!

Farmer John

Farm News \ Farm News \ weekly update

Farm Update #16, week 14, september 15th delivery

Hello Everyone,

We received a good steady rain last Friday and Saturday that was, for
a change, needed and appreciated. The fall brassicas crops are growing
nicely and the many rows of seed I sowed during the dry spell have
germinated well. In several weeks we will begin to have radishes and
the white salad turnips as well as arugula and other greens.

The ground cherries continue to fall abundantly and they will be in
the share again this week. The eggplant production has begun to slow
down and while the plants continue to flower they have dropped much of
their leaf. This is a consequence of the cooler weather we have had as
well as fungal diseases that have began to take their toll.  We will
take a week off from delivering eggplant and meanwhile I will spray
them with Neem oil, a natural fungicide, to try to sustain their
production for a few more weeks.

As previously mentioned the Rattlesnake bean production has dwindled
but the final planting of bush beans have begun to flower and should
be ready to harvest by next week. We also have edamame soybeans on the
way; probably in 2 weeks. We finally have an abundance of colored
peppers, so most of the peppers in this weeks share should be red,
orange, or my favorite, chocolate.

We are in the process of putting up a temporary fence around the
winter squash planting, as the deer have discovered them and are
beginning to destroy what is already a somewhat meager crop. Wet
conditions caused much of the young fruit to rot immediately after the
blossom dropped. There probably won’t be any pumpkins this year and
the other winter squash varieties will likely be a bit small.

The share for this week will be: Romaine lettuce, red-skinned
potatoes, red onions, beans, celery, summer squash, beets, ground
cherries, peppers, and choice of an herb.

The fruit share will be Gala apples and Bartlett pears. A few of the pears will have some slight hail damage from early in the season.
Enjoy!
Farmer John
canning

preserving the bounty!

summer’s nearly over, but the food is still coming!

Sometimes it seems hard for my small family to keep up with the bounty from the CSA (though goodness knows, it’s a fun struggle to have!).  But when we’re feeling overwhelmed with beans or tomatoes, or whathaveyou, we end up prepping the veggies with a quick dip (1-2 min tops) in boiling salted water, cooling them in an ice bath, and then popping them into labeled and dated freezer bags and into the freezer.  Needless to say, I love having my stash come January!

We’re lucky enough to have enough freezer space for this blanching/freezing method.  But if you don’t, look into canning and preserving.  Supermarkets, hardware stores, craft stores, and of course, the internet, all carry the supplies you need to start canning.  And check out Food in Jars is a great site to get some killer inspiration!

Farm News \ Farm News \ weekly update

Farm update #15, week 13, Sept 8 delivery

Hi Folks,

The dry weather this past week has finally allowed me to plant many of
the fall root and greens crops that I have been trying to sow for
weeks. Now of course a little rain would be appreciated to get them
sprouted and growing.  We have also been busy transplanting lettuces
and brassicas for late season harvest.

As previously mentioned a planting of summer squash is beginning to
produce, unfortunately they are already showing signs of disease. At
present I am unable to predict whether there will be sufficient
quantities to deliver in the shares this week. I expect to be able to
ship zucchini to some groups this week and to others next week.

The tomato harvest seems to be just about over for this season,
whatever fruit we are able to harvest breaks down very quickly. The
rattlesnake beans have also slowed way down in their production, due
primarily to a bad infestation of Mexican bean beetles. This is a
consequence of not being able to spray to control this pest on the
early planting of bush beans. Left uncontrolled the populations grow
rapidly and spread to successive plantings. Some of you may have
encountered a few of the yellow larva in your beans and I apologize
for that. We try to remove them as we harvest, but inevitably some
escape detection.  I have one last planting of beans that should begin
in another 2 or 3 weeks and I will be spraying them this week to try
to control this plague.

I will be sending various items as extras this week, such as turnips,
kohlrabi, tomatillos, and hot peppers. These are products that we
don’t have in large quantities and which are not universally popular.
This serves the dual purpose of supplementing a slightly light
delivery this week and allowing me to make space in my cooler. I hope
everyone can find something they can use among this assortment. I will
also be sending sweet corn this week. It will be freshly picked,
locally grown corn but not organic.

The share for this week will be: Red lettuce. Carrots, peppers,
eggplant, fingerling potatoes, yellow onions, ground cherries,
conventional sweet corn, and choice of an herb.
The fruit share for this week will be peaches and Ginger gold
apples.

Enjoy!
Farmer John