CSA Week 20

This Week’s Harvest

Sweet Potatoes

Broccoli

Bell Peppers

Jalapeno Peppers

Cilantro

Dill

Head Lettuce

Candy Onion

Apple Share

Golden Delicious (this popular sweet and crisp supermarket variety is even better from the local orchard!) and Melrose (Ohio’s state apple, melrose is a cross between a Jonathan and Red Delicious and is juicy with a great tart/sweet balance)

Farm News

Our farm is organized into 16 fields, each about 2 acres. We grow vegetables on about 10 of those acres each year, which allows us to rest fields and rotate our crops. This year we embarked on new territory and farmed the back 10 acres in vegetables for the first time. Our experience has been that fields we haven’t managed tend to produce weak crops and lots of weeds, and the longer we manage fields, the better results we get. So it wasn’t really surprising that we had trouble in the back field this year. The most frustrating part, though, was that the crops were looking so good! I’ve already mentioned our crop loss and this experience in past blogs, but here I chronicle it in pictures.

Bed were nicely prepped and planting happened in a timely manor

The plastic mulch kept out most weeds, but we did do the time consuming job of hand weeding each hole

Despite signs of a brassica specific disease, black rot, the field was looking good

Beginnings of the melt down (plants should not be yellow and droopy!). Our poorly drained soils contributed to the spread of disease

Good bye plants. Once it became apparent that we wouldn’t have harvestable crops, Ben mowed down the field to start the clean up process

Saving the best for last. Despite the lost field, we have 2 other fields still in production and several crops that look terrific, including our final broccoli planting

This was a significant loss for us, but you may be thinking that your farm share boxes are still chock full-and you’d be right! We have over 20 different vegetables still growing in other fields or stored in the barn for continuous distribution. This week’s box is especially exciting and diverse. It is pretty and smells amazing! Without fail, days when we harvest for CSA and pack the boxes we get hungry for lunch starting at 10:00! Hope you enjoy all the vegetables that fall brings!

Recipes

Sweet Potato mash with cilantro, chilies and lime

Beet Salad with Yogurt Dill Dressing

Turnip and Arugula Salad with grape vinaigrette

Roasted Beets and Turnips with ginger and honey (add daikon radish to the mix!)

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