In the Share - Week 15

TOMATOES (F/P) They are starting to slow down a bit but there's still lots of green ones on the vine.

CHERRY TOMATOES (F) We'll harvest just enough for the full shares tomorrow hopefully.

SUMMER SQUASH (F) A new planting is starting to kick out the fruits that go with everything.

GREEN BEANS OR SALSA PACKS (F) A choice of a variety of beans (Romas, Rattlesnake or Jade) or a kit for the salsa bowl.

SALSA PACKS (P) All the partials get one

EGGPLANT (F/P) A choice for the partials with the okra that is finally starting to produce.

SWEET PEPPERS (F) One ripe pepper this week

MUSIK GARLIC (F/P) A choice for the partials with the herbs.

CARROTS (F/P) We're pulling some big beauties out of the ground right now.

HERB CHOICE (F) Parsley, basil, chives or a dried herb

ALSO THIS WEEK: Bread of Life Bakery delivery.

NEXT WEEK: More tomatoes, beans, squash, eggplant and peppers. Potatoes and onions. Arugula perhaps. More watermelons.

THE FIELDS: Neither of us can remember an August like this one. The plant world is luciously alive and growing. Fresh new, green growth abounds in what is usually a dry, desicated time of year. Such a climatic abnormality has its upsides and downsides. On the upside, the plants are vibrant and full of life. While we only have 2 months until frost, the tomatoes and other summer plants continue to flower and sprout new leaves. At this rate we should have a good pre-frost harvest of the summer crops in early fall including lots of green tomatoes, peppers and baby eggplants. The wet summer also is providing ideal conditions for the growth of the fall crops. Below is pictured some of the fall broccoli which seems to be doubling in size every week. All of the direct seeded crops have sprouted well, all but guaranteeing a bountiful autumn.

But, of course, with every upside, there is a downside. Wet and warm are the ideal conditions for the fungi family. Leaf spot on the tomatoes is starting to reach the fruit, anthracnose on the peppers is keeping alot of ripe peppers out of your hands and in the #2 bin, our onion harvest is not curing well and many are ending up in the compost pile. Such is the tradeoffs of growing vegetables in an erratic climate. You've got to take the good with the bad as they say.

Before the recent rains (about 4 inches fell earlier this week) we managed to harvest the main potato crop. Above is the Saturday crew on task hunting in the dirt. We also pulled the last of the onions, a late red storage onion which so far appears promising. It is always nice when you can get the digging done before the rain. Nothing leads to rot faster than ripe veggies mired in mud. So, a big thanks to the Saturday crew. Today we pre-dug tomorrow's carrots. With the weather forecast calling for rain all day on Wednesday, we didn't want to chance not being able to hand out the beautifully big roots.