“Daisy Gold” Potatoes, “Sweet Dumplilng” Squash, Carrots, Beets, Fava Bean Greens, Collard Greens, Purple Mustard, Arugula or Sorrel or Baby Bok Choy, Garlic
THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:
• “Daisy Gold” Potatoes
• “Sweet Dumpling” Squash
• Garlic
• Beets
• Carrots
• Collard Greens
• Arugula or Sorrel or Baby Bok Choy
• Fava Bean Greens (use like Pea Shoots: sauté or make pesto)
• Purple Mustard
• Garlic
Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.
COMING SOON: Spinach, Brussels Sprouts, Baby Bok Choy
The days are noticeably shorter now, and fall has arrived. We finally bid the tomatoes and peppers farewell, and the cucumbers, with the first frost two weeks ago. This week we are preparing for an early Arctic Blast, as the jet stream comes down south for a visit.
Temperatures in the low- to mid-20’s were forecast for this week, so we hustled to put frost blankets and row covers on the more delicate crops, like radicchio, escarole, broccoli, and cauliflower. These fabrics don’t seem like much, but they can raise the temperature 2-4 degrees, which can be enough to keep frosty air from damaging or even ruining the crop. It means moving huge pieces of flimsy material and lots of sandbags, but if it works, it’s totally worth it.
We spent Monday afternoon covering the more delicate crops (the chicories and broccoli) in the hope that just a degree or two of protection would save them should the temperature drop into the mid-twenties, as forecast. Fingers crossed for the tiny crowns of broccoli and cauliflower that are just the size of a quarter right now, but were supposed to be ready to harvest by mid-October.
The Garlic for 2020 has arrived! 300 pounds to get in the ground pronto.
It’s not just our crops that are a month behind. Other farms are reporting the same problem, and we’re all blaming the darker, colder days of September. The last few years we’ve been blessed with August-like weather into October, but that hasn’t been the case this year. So many things that should have been ready for you to eat, simply are not.
Frost looks pretty on red or green leaves, but that frost can burst cell walls and ruin leaves, several layers down. It also turns delicate broccoli buds into black mush. Nobody wants to eat that.
So, while we have an abundance of carrots and beets, some of the bonus brassicas and greens are in short supply. In fact, there’s a wad of bad news coming, which you will receive in an email shortly. Basically, the CSA will be running about 5 weeks short of the promised 40 weeks. I’ll be offering a credit toward next year’s CSA, but that’s the best I can do, as I’ll be also cutting my farmers market season short in order to continue the CSA through Christmas.
But, anyway, the good news is that I finally got the garlic ordered and it has arrived, and we’ll start planting that for 2020 later this week. So that’s exciting.
Whistling Train Farm 