Giant kale and collards are sparkling in the rain today and we are happy to have them back in the shares for the fall!
This Week’s Share:
Kale or Collards
Lettuce Heads
Delicata or Acorn Squash
Spicy Mix or Arugula or Tokyo Bekana
Cucumbers or Hakurei
Sweet Peppers
Tomatoes
Onions
We have started harvesting winter squash and they will be an awesome addition to fall meals! Acorn and delicata squash can both be cut in half, seeds removed, and roasted in the oven with oil. Acorn skin is usually a little too tough to eat, but the squash is nice sprinkled with cinnamon and brown sugar and scooped out of the shell. Delicata skin turns soft when cooked and can definitely be eaten, no need to peel it! Both are yummy and simple, and the recipe above is an easy pasta dinner using squash with fall greens like kale, spicy mix, or arugula.
Notes from the Field:
We continue to trial growing broccoli to test how it does in our conditions, so we hope everyone will get the chance to have broccoli or broccolini this fall! It is just starting up and so far it looks good. Broccoli is a somewhat heavy feeder (meaning it requires fertilizer to grow a large head!), and it is susceptible to damage from harlequin beetles and cabbage caterpillars, as well as crown rot. Lots of wet weather will cause the crowns to mold and rot before they are large enough to harvest, which is a frustrating conundrum. Two years ago, we had a fabulous fall broccoli harvest that seemed to never end, but last year for some reason we had very diseased plants that had to be speedily removed from the field before they affected the kale. Every crop has its unique needs and difficulties, and we are always improving our systems for each crop. Another example of this is we have a new system of weed control and digging sweet potatoes. Last fall was a huge sweet potato success, so in a few weeks when we start the fall harvest, we’ll learn if it performs well again. We’ve also changed our carrot row spacing to try out mechanical harvesting instead of hand-digging this fall, and we’ve started using the silage tarps to kill weeds early and get improved yields from the spring carrot patch. Every farmer makes adjustments like these somewhere along the way and trials what works on their particular scale, with the market and equipment they have. We try to trial as often as possible, in order to educate beginner farmers, and make recommendations for other farms!
What’s on U-Pick?
In field “F”, through the gate, below the primary parking lot:
New sunflowers and zinnias are blooming! Walk through the gate and all the way past the tall dead sunflowers to spot them.
In field “G” behind the pizza oven/parking lot:
Still lots of Italian basil, Holy basil (for tea), and dill growing strong! Signs are marking the new beds. Parsley and some cilantro are also now available.
Hot chili peppers of all colors and varieties are available.
Lots of zinnias and gomphrena still for your bouquets!
In the raised brick beds, also known as the Cleeland Garden:
These are still going strong so help yourself to a few stems of herbs and flowers:
Marigolds
Mint
Oregano
Parsley
Greek Basil
Sorrel
Thyme, Sage, and Lemon Balm (to allow for healthy growback for these plants, pick the largest leaves from the outside, do not cut from the stem of the plant!)
Reminder that U-picking hours are Monday-Saturday, 8am-6pm. Please do not come to the farm on Sundays, as we do not have staff on site who can be available in case of an emergency. If the main gates are closed when you arrive you can follow the paved road to the right, and then follow the curve of the road back to the left. This will take you in a loop around the main deer-fenced area and up to the wash station/parking lot.