CSA Farm Notes, Week 2

June 19 & 20, 2008

Well, we are on to week 2. It was wonderful to meet all our new members and catch up with friends we hadn’t seen in a while! Hopefully everyone enjoyed last week’s share…we are certainly all looking forward to seeing the size and variety grow!

As mentioned last week, the weather has been a roller coaster ride. We were looking forward to the cooler days of this week; the heat and humidity were too much for the plants (and the farmers). Some of our peas and lots of our spinach were sunburned from those days over 95, and the broccoli all started to go to flower. Well, the rollercoaster ride is continuing. Late Monday (6/16) afternoon, a severe thunderstorm rolled over OHF. It brought with it heavy wind, rain and large hail. The plants were damaged by the hail. The heaviest hit include: eggplant, cherry tomatoes and big leafy vegetables. The greens will be ragged looking in your next few shares but will still taste great. The tomatoes should heal, but might be a couple of weeks later then planned. As for the eggplant, we may not get any this season.

Alex has a book he likes us to read him that’s called It Could Have Been Worse. It’s about a little mouse who keeps having accidents like falling into a hole, down a hill and into a stream all the while unknowingly escaping the cats, foxes and hawks who would like to eat him. When he gets home, he complains to his mother about all his cuts and bruises from his falls, and she tells him not to worry – it could have been worse! That’s what we are keeping in mind…we might be having weather and pest conditions that are making farming difficult for us, but it could be worse. We certainly are not including the variety and quantity we would like in the shares yet, but at least we are able to get you something each week. The flooding in the Midwest is a perfect example of how it IS worse for a lot of people, who have lost their homes and livelihoods to the rain and swelling rivers.

This week, we’ll be hilling up our potatoes; Chris just got a new (to us) Rototiller that can drag a hiller attachment to make that job easier and quicker than it would be with our hoes. We’ll also be busy battling back the weeds and grasses that grow so proficiently amongst our plants. Monday, before the storm, Chris was able to plant Arugala, Kale, Radicchio, Pac Choi and some more Mustard greens. If all else fails, there are always those leafy greens! Also on a happy note, the cabbage is starting to get nice heads, and we expect to harvest those for the first week in July. As long as the peas get over their sunburn, we should have those next week, and summer squash and beans should follow soon; likely by the second pickup in July. The beets and carrots are starting to really look nice, so we should start harvesting those within the next several weeks, too.

This week's share included a Salad Mix, Braising Mix, Collard Greens (at the co-op) and Lemon Balm (at the farm)

Tip for Storing Leafy Greens:Wrap in damp paper towels and place in cloth or perforated plastic bag. They should keep in the refrigerator this way for up to one week, as long as the towels are kept moist.