In the Share - Week 13

TOMATOES (F/P) About the same as last week, with still many green ones on the vine

CHERRY TOMATOES (F/P) Enough for everyone this week

CARROTS (F/P) Some yellow and orange

GARLIC (F/P) A choice with herbs for the partial shares

EGGPLANT OR PURPLE PEPPERS (F) The peppers are still behind, but the eggplant continues to pump out fruits

CUCUMBERS AND SQUASH (F) Our third planting of squash arrives

SALSA PACK (F/P) Enough for you all - glad you like em.

BEANS (P) The partial's turn for the beans - the last of the green and yellow. Next up will be some romas.

HERB CHOICE (F/P) Basil, summer savory, chives, thai basil or dried herb

ALSO THIS WEEK: Bread of Life Bakery delivery

NEXT WEEK: more tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, summer squash and peppers. A break from beans for a bit. And we hope to finally get enough melons for the full shares at the Bad Seed.

PEAK SEASON: The end of July into the beginning of August is one of the busiest times of year on the farm. It rivals the April/May planting crunch. These hot days and warm nights ripen the summer crops as quick as we can pick them.

Hundreds of pounds of tomatoes are coming out of the field twice a week. Our tomato tying will soon be done as we are about to reach the tops of the posts. Both Wednesday and Saturday, we thankfully had reinforcements in the bean patch as it took most of the morning to harvest them. The bi-weekly harvests of tomatillos, eggplant, peppers, squashes, cucumbers and okra are on the increase. Sometime soon we need to find the time to harvest the bulk of the remaining carrots and potatoes.

Meanwhile all of our rows of tender little fall crops must be pampered through the hot weather with timely weeding and watering so they will grow big and strong by autumn. This two-headed monster -half summer, half fall - that we unleash on ourselves each year is sometimes a bit overwhelming.

Few growers in the area tackle the fall quite as vigorously as we do. They tell us that by Labor Day they want to turn their fields under and take a rest. It's very understandable. Many of our fellow farmers are busy harvesting and marketing right now and not much else. This is the make or break time for most farmers who need to make the bulk of their sales before school is back in session and the tomatoes are gone. By October the only local vegetable that gets any press is a big orange fruit that is bred not for it's flavor, but it's capacity to have funny faces carved on it.

Fall is different for us. Farming for the CSA allows the full expression of the autumnal season. We are able to squeeze in the fall planting during our summer harvest season thanks to the CSA itself. Between the extra hands on Wednesday and Saturday mornings and the fact that we don't spend time at markets or making deliveries to wholesale accounts, we instead plant rows of cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, turnips, lettuces, carrots and beets.

So, enjoy the summer fruits of all of our labors. Savor the season in all its bright juiciness. But don't forget that the growing season doesn't end with that last tomato sandwich. The vegetables will keep coming through the fall, thanks to all of you.