In the Share - Week 14

the rainbow of sweet peppers ripening at the farm

TOMATOES (F/P) The main crop is on a bit of a break now. The plants are setting new green fruit so hopefully we will have a nice late season flush. In the meantime, the late planting of “heat-setting” types is coming in.

CHERRY TOMATOES (F) More snack-sized fruit for your enjoyment.

POTATOES (F) I can’t remember the last time we had weather like they have in Ireland or the mountains of Peru, the home of the potato. So it should come as no surprise that the potato crop did poorly this year. Partial shares will hopefully get some next round.

MELONS (F/P) The last of the melons, cantaloupe and more yellow watermelon.

SWEET PEPPERS (F/P) Peppers love the heat for sure, but they also love a lot of water. We’re doing our best to keep them watered but as quickly as we can pour it on, the ground sucks it up.

EGGPLANT (P) The “plant” is going to take its usual mid-summer hiatus a bit earlier this year than usual.  With a little luck in the form of rain it should make a nice resurgence in the early fall.

GARLIC (F/P) Tom can tell you more about the garlic, but the prognosis is not good. Everyone gets one head this week while we assess the damage.

HERB CHOICE (F/P) parsley, basil, summer savory, thyme or a dried herb

HOT PEPPERS, SALSA PACK OR OKRA (P) If anything is thriving right now on the farm it is the hot peppers.  If you can't stand the heat, try one of the other options or get out of the kitchen ... or field in our case!

ALSO THIS WEEK: Parker Farms CSA shares

NEXT WEEK: More tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and okra. Carrots, beets and onions return

FARM REPORT:

The farm is beginning to enter a period of smaller harvests due to the extreme drought and heat. We continue to draw water from the pond constantly. We have mulched each and every crop with a thick layer of hay. Even these efforts are not enough to keep the plants thriving. While we keep the summer plants alive, our attention increasingly is focused on the newly planted fall crops. The cabbages, broccolis and cauliflowers have been in the ground for several weeks. Kale, kohlrabi and lettuces are in too. This week we began seeding the roots: carrots, beets, turnips and radishes. We are gambling on the forecast of cooler temperatures and perhaps even a bit of rain. We need a break from the heat and drought for these crops to do well and are hoping that the forecasts are correct and some relief is on the way.