There is no doubt that the 2nd half of the season has been challenging. We have gone a little off track as far as what is going in the CSA shares due to some crop failures and having to harvest the winter squash early due to the fact that the large amount of rain was causing them to rot in the fields. There is still a lot to look forward to though. We have a good looking crop of beets and carrots that are starting to size up now. The broccoli is just starting to head up now. Cabbage and hopefully cauliflower are still to come. Also still out in the fields are spinach, dry beans, popcorn, kohlrabi, and lots of greens. So there is a lot yet to come during the last 6 weeks of the CSA!
This week we are going to have a potato centric share! Both Beauregard sweet potatoes and Austrian Crescent fingerling potatoes are in the share this week. The harvest of the Austrian Crescents was outstanding and the sweet potato crop looks like it will be fantastic as well. I just started digging them today and yields per plant like in the picture below were consistent in the 20 feet or so that I dug. Only a 1000ft to go!
Also new in the share this week will be Lima beans. This is a brand new crop for us to grow. We were going to let them on the plant to dry and we still might let some, but we decided to also harvest some for fresh eating. Here is a link to a very nice write up on Lima beans and a bunch of tasty looking recipe ideas. https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11861532
The CSA share:
Salad Mix
Daikon Radish – https://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/top-10-ways-to-enjoy-daikon-radish
Winter Squash (kabocha)
Collard Greens
Austrian Crescent fingerling potatoes – great for roasting or in salads
Lima Beans
Sweet Potatoes
The flowers are starting to wane just a bit but there are still some beauties out there. Dahlias and strawflowers were looking especially nice today in the bright sun! I also caught a picture of two monarchs hanging out together on a snapdragon stem. If it rains on your CSA pick up day, feel free to stop in during the other pick up day Tuesday or Friday to pick herbs and flowers. I think we are once again predicted to have a rainy week.
The prolific rains have led to some farm record heights of okra. These heirloom okra plants are well over 8 foot tall now:
Jonas and I had some fun picking the okra today! We should have some available as a choice.