Hello Everyone,

It was an unusually cool September, although the weather is so strange anymore it’s hard to say what is normal. I know I have been promising string beans for the past couple of weeks, but they have been growing slower than I’ve ever experienced in the past. The week ahead is predicted to be relatively warm with abundant sunshine so we should be able to begin harvesting beans next week. We do have edamame soybeans for this week.

I have a large planting of broccoli that I noticed was beginning to head last week and I had hoped it would be ready for this week. But after a walk though last evening it appears we will have to wait another week on this crop as well. All of the brassicas are growing beautifully and I expect to have lots of broccoli, as well as cauliflower and cabbage in the final weeks of the regular season. The sweet potato crop looks good and we should begin to dig these tasty treats for delivery in the next 2 weeks.

The share for this week will be: Leeks, white potatoes, peppers, spaghetti squash, arugula, kale, multi-colored carrots, choice of lettuce, edamame soybeans, choice of shallots or cippolini onions, and choice of an herb.

The tranmission went on my truck last week. Because I was uncertain how long I would be without it, I decided to take a break on the fruit shares. I am also waiting for different apples and Bosc pears to become available. There were no Kiwi berries avilable this season. The fruit share for this week will be a half share of Concord grapes.

Enjoy!

Farmer John

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

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

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

Hi Folks,

The weather has continued to present challenges during this past week. The frequent rain does not give the ground ample time to dry out enough for me to prepare ground or plant seeds. In addition high winds which accompanied a storm on August 21 tore the plastic off the high tunnel greenhouse at the Blairstown farm. I was never able to plant anything in this greenhouse due to the wet conditions, but we were using it to dry much of the onion crop. I didn’t become aware of the situation until last Wednesday ,and so on Thursday we were diverted from other pressing tasks in order to gather them and bring them to Andover to be stored in the barn, ahead of the weekend rainstorm. The same high winds knocked over much of the trellising that supports the Rattlesnake pole beans.

In between harvesting and dealing with these various calamities we have been busy transplanting lettuces and the fall brassicas crops. The week ahead is predicted to be rain free, so I hope to be able to seed a multitude of fall crops such as turnips, radishes, arugula, spinach, and various other greens.  Because I have been delayed in planting these crops for so many weeks, greens will be rather scarce for a while. About the only greens I have in great abundance are dandelions and I doubt there are many of you who are huge fans of this bitter green.  The chard has succumbed to fungal diseases because of the damp conditions, but we are attempting to rejuvenate it by cutting it off at base so it can re-grow.  We will save all the clean leaf we find to distribute in the shares bagged, because it is mostly too small to bunch.

With cooler condition beginning the kale should begin to grow well again and we can harvest it for distribution in another couple of weeks.  A second planting of zucchini and other summer squash is coming on and I hope to have sufficient quantities to deliver by next week.

The share for this week will be Romaine lettuce, white potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, Rattlesnake beans, beets, leeks, choice of Swiss chard or dandelion greens, garlic, ground cherries, and choice of an herb.

The fruit share this week is nectarines and Italian plums.

Enjoy!

Farmer John

Hello Folks,

It finally feels like summer in NJ, with the heat and humidity we’ve come to know and endure. We are enjoying what seems like an unprecedented 5 day period without rain, but it is predicted to end by Wednesday as we head into another week of showers and thunderstorms.

Normally at this time of year I am impeded from seeding crops for the fall by dry conditions. This season however it has been a challenge to find windows of opportunity for planting when the soil is not too wet.  I have been behind schedule on my planting since early June, and as I rush to plant each crop before it’s too late, another crop has to wait until after it’s optimal planting time. Let’s hope it’s a warm fall with no frost until late October! In any given year some crops do poorly due to weather conditions or other variables.

I’m sure most of you have heard about the problems with tomatoes this season due to late blight. While my farm has not yet been affected by this disease, we nevertheless have a plethora of other diseases affecting the tomato crop. Even the tomatoes in the high tunnel greenhouses have been affected. We are harvesting quite a few tomatoes at present, owing to the sheer number of plants we put in. But most of this fruit is coming from plants that are almost dead and will not produce a sustained harvest. We are doing what we can to save those varieties which may have a chance of continued production, but the bottom line is it won’t be a very good year for tomatoes.

Currently we are picking quite a few heirloom tomatoes, especially a variety called Cherokee purple. These have a very dark colored fruit with green shoulders which I and many others consider to be the most delicious of the heirlooms. Keep in mind that they will not lose their green shoulders and you must judge their ripeness by softness.  Heirlooms are notoriously perishable so enjoy them soon after you receive them.

The share for this week will be: White potatoes, green leaf lettuce, celery, white onions, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, choice of dandelion greens or Swiss chard, string beans, choice of red or Savoy cabbage, and choice of an herb.

The fruit share for this week will be peaches.  It will count as a half share, the other half of which I will have to make up later in the season. The reason for this is that I had ordered red plums as the 2nd half and they arrived with 25% rotten fruit. Since the grower was unwilling to make an adjustment on the price I had to reject them completely.  Next week will be the week off for fruit shares, we will resume again in September.

Enjoy!

Farmer John