We have finally caught up on the weeding, so had some time to spread organic compost the other day. That should help the new garden at Intervale Rd. We are planning to mulch it this coming week, hopefully to help with the new weeds that will come. Unfortunately, weeds grow back :-(
Some bad farm news is that last years blight has made a return on some tomato plants. It is a soil borne disease which attacks the plant, and leaves brown spots and eventually wilts it. Last year the blight was blamed on nursery seedlings, but we grew our own, and still had it. We blamed it on all the rain (think about how many mushrooms grow on your lawn after heavy rain) but this year we haven't had that and yet the blight is still there. We are being proactive about it this year though, so we don't lose the whole crop like last year. One of the things that we are doing is cutting off the parts that have it, and we have also found an organic spray that is also supposed to help. We don't use a lot of spray, but when a whole crop is in danger, we will find the organic solution if there is one. No spray is the best way, but using it is better than losing a whole crop.
This year we also were having a problem with potato and cucumber beetles. We found an organic bacteria that you buy in spray form, and when applied, the bugs consume it. Then they die, therefore ending the cycle of them laying more eggs etc. This has been HUGE for us, as at this point we are too big to pick all the bugs off by hand. We are aiming for a great potato harvest now, thanks to the spray.
Todays half shares got the following:
Basil
Garlic
Mesculen
Lettuce
Rainbow Chard
Cucumber
Broccoli Head
Cherry Tomatoes!!
Peas (There is a mixed bag of sugar snaps and the Chinese peas. See last weeks post for info. on each of them.)
Full shares got the following:
Basil
Garlic
Mesculen
Beet Greens
Spinach (Side note: This was picked from the Intervale Rd. garden. This is the first item in the CSA from the garden so just celebrating a little!)
Kale
Cukes
Broccoli Head
Beans!!
Peas (There is a mixed bag of sugar snaps and the Chinese peas. See last weeks post for info. on each of them.)
The greens sometimes taste a little bitter from the sun, but they are still edible. They are especially good with a dressing that matches their bitterness. This one from Barefoot Contessa is one of my favorites. I mix the vinegars up, using what I have on hand. The mustard and garlic are what give it it's spicy kick.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/green-salad-with-creamy-mustard-vinaigrette-recipe/index.html
The salad spinner was working a little better this week, but greens still may be a little wet.
Next week we hope to see zucchini, and summer squash shouldn't be far behind. Beans, which were new this week, are taking off and hope to have enough for everyone soon. Many things are getting close! It's exciting to see so much of the hard work coming to fruition, literally :-)
I hope you are all finding time to enjoy this hot Maine summer. It reminds me of summer's when I was a kid, where the mud puddle across the street was about as good a swimming hole as any. That and the rain barrel filled with water from the well. My dad HATED how much water we used with the spraying of each other with the hose, and was always afraid we were going to run the well dry. (As an adult, I can respect that, as I can take into consideration the amount of showers, dishes, laundry, even toilet flushing, that went on in our home. We never once ran that well dry, but he finally put in an above ground pool for us in the mid-80's, and no more hose! The pool is still standing and still used. Mom cools off in it all the time while weeding or mowing the lawn. After picking in the heat this morning, I jumped in to cool down before packing, and was just as thankful for it today as I was when I was 11.
Have a beautiful week!
Farmers 8
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