by milecreekfarm

CSA WEEK 4

This Week’s Harvest

Farm News

Last summer we were asked by a graduate student at UD to be a sample farm for her research project on pollinators at urban farms and community gardens. Sam Urquidez came out to the farm and set pan traps to collect species for 3 days. 

When the preliminary results came in, I was not surprised in the slightest that 55% of species found were flies. There are soooo many flies on the farm- often pesky ones like onion fly, cabbage fly, and carrot fly-whose maggots affect, you guessed it, those crops.  Bees, butterflies/moths, and wasps made up the other 45% .

pan traps in front of flowering potatoes
Pan traps in front of flowering arugula

Sam’s project is focused on bees so she spent time identifying the specific bees found in the pan traps. She discovered 6 species! I am a little embarrassed by one the species found- Melissodes despoinsus, or Thistle Long Horned Bee. Its presence on the farm means we have its host plant, thistle— which means we have a weed problem!! We definitely have thistle patches and we are doing our best not to allow them to go to seed.  Apis mellifera, Calliopsis andreniformis, Lasioglossum pilosum, Melissodes bimaculatus, and Mellissodes comptoides were the other species found. So cool! 

This is a multi year project so Sam has been back with pan traps twice this season as well.  I’m looking forward to seeing what she collected this year and hearing her thoughts on encouraging more pollinators to the farm. 

Don’t think this is the Thistle Long Horned Bee, but whatever species it is, it is enjoying a thistle flower!
Sweet corn is mostly pollinated by wind. The pollen from the tassels lands on the silks which leads to the kernel forming. Nevertheless, I love this picture of a pollinator from a few years back.

Recipes

Broccoli with Chimichurri Sauce

Zucchini Fennel Soup (I think the scallions would work just fine in place of an onion)

Zucchini Bread With Cherries, Chocolate & Cardamom

Roasted Beets with Parsley Pesto Vinaigrette

REMEMBER NO DELIVERIES NEXT WEEK!! and we start back up with WEEK 5, so biweekly schedules make an adjustment. Consult your schedule email if you need to!

Coming Up Week of July 10 (our best guess…….) Caraflex Cabbage, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Scallions, Parsley, Golden Beets, Fennel, Jalapeño Pepper, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes (????!)