We had a great week of work last week. There were 25 flats of brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts) to get in the ground and the temperatures were in the 90’s with the air so thick with humidity you could cut it with a knife. But work we did! We played it as cool as we could, taking a couple hours rest in the late afternoon and early evening, and coming back out around 7:30 with the sun low in the sky. With the moon near full we had enough light that we could transplant as late as we could stand the mosquitos, which turns out to be 10. Not only was transplanting by moonlight easier on us, it was easier on the plants as well.
Happy plants = Happy farmers !
So the brassicas are off to a good start including the Brussels sprouts. My wife was surprised to see me trying them again. We have had no crop the past 3 years. We tried them in 2012 and 13 with little to no success and didn’t bother with them last year. With the expanded land base this year, the stubborn Dutchman in me has to try again. Different variety this year… cross your fingers!
I was a little bummed out to find that we won’t have melons this week. We are just caught in between in the timing of everything. The Galia’s really had a bad case of mildew or something and only produced enough for one week. Our cantaloupe will be ready next week and our watermelons should be ready the following week. I cut open a big ol’ watermelon tonight even though I knew it wasn’t quite time to pick them yet… I just couldn’t help myself and had to be sure. Yep, still too pink and immature. I did manage to eat half of it somehow!
Heather made a couple batches of sun dried tomatoes this weekend with our cherry tomatoes. She used the oven to speed up the process a little, but it still does take awhile. In the middle of winter, we will be very grateful for them though. We should have an abundance of them this week if anyone wants extras.
CSA List Week 12
Tomatoes
Patty Pan
Sweet Peppers
Tomatillo
Eggplant
Red Onion
Sweet Corn
Okra
Don’t forget Flowers and Herbs!!
Coming soon: Dragon’s Tongue Beans, Cantaloupe, Mid – season Potatoes