In this week’s news, the plants are senescing (spellcheck doesn’t know that one)! Weeds are dying and leaves are starting to turn! AUTUMN IS COMING! The Harvest Party will be October 14th – mark your calendars! And it’s just 5 boxes left after this one, before Winter comes for us all.
We started the process of planting two new pear trees … but they’re not in the ground yet. First we’ll have to cut down some standing dead oak trees, which meant we first had to move some old tractor implements and a couple of wood piles out of the impact zone.
![Grandpa Jim moves some of the old implements out of the pear tree patch](http://www.quesehrafarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/499C3D43-D925-4F6D-A28C-92CD6F0DEC0F-1024x768.jpeg)
This, plus starting to build up our winter’s worth of woodpiles “upstairs’ took an entire afternoon … later this week we can cut down the trees, dig and amend the planting holes, etc … and then double our pear tree population!
We did plenty of canning – made fire-roasted salsa, tomato sauce, and some deliciously tart crab apple jelly.
![squeezing the precious juices out of a bucket of crabapples](http://www.quesehrafarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/E5CE95BF-2249-47AE-913E-6FC773E5CE35-768x1024.jpeg)
![blasted onions for our fire-roasted salsa](http://www.quesehrafarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/76593ED4-7FA2-4BB6-B87C-327324A9C321-1024x768.jpeg)
After a week filled with dry soil and endless near-misses, we finally got rain … as Steffan said, “if it’s going to rain, of course it will be on harvest day!”
![one of the many ridiculous non-rain events we had this week - we got no measurable rain, as that narrow little channel of dry stayed right over us as the storm system rolled through](http://www.quesehrafarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2A68501F-7DE8-435E-9EF8-7480412265BC.jpeg)
We set up a couple of market canopies and hurried to
CSA Box 13
- Tomatoes – enjoy them while we can – we have now started to pull out plants stricken with the dreaded blight, but it will likely spread quickly regardless. Fortunately, hopefully, the plants in the high tunnel – shielded from dew and rain – are still doing well and should continue to produce at least some goodies to share with you for weeks to come.
- Broccoli – It’s been a great broccoli year; hope you like it, because we’re happy to be able to give it to you week after week ….
![Jeff splits out the broccoli while Steffan lurks](http://www.quesehrafarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/7CAAF464-356F-4A73-BEFE-7253036EC7B9-1024x768.jpeg)
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Sweet Peppers – bells, Carmen (long red)
![Madeline scowls at the rain, Jeff vogues, and tomatoes, melons, and peppers do their thangs](http://www.quesehrafarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/33B1A41F-4B03-4316-9679-7253F32D19B9-1024x768.jpeg)
- Watermelons – yellow or red
![](http://www.quesehrafarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/4F11874F-E51E-4F64-9C67-105D921B5771-768x1024.jpeg)
- Onions
- Potatoes – mix of red, gold, & blues
- Fennel – try sautéed with the peppers and some sausage, or roasted with your potatoes?
- Hops – (provided to those who requested them – let us know if you want any next week, there are still plenty!)
![foraging for wild mushrooms to sell at the market with my sidekicks](http://www.quesehrafarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/C20EC10D-586C-4EFF-9349-118B3D67E94C-768x1024.jpeg)
![](http://www.quesehrafarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/91A47180-94F6-43B9-B557-06628389661F-1024x768.jpeg)
![wild, delicious chicken of the woods growing on an oak log](http://www.quesehrafarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/CD9BA429-FF62-4182-AE35-1FB0AC306D4A-1024x1024.jpeg)
![the crazy boundaries between the symbiotic mold and fungi colonies that cooperate to form lobster mushrooms](http://www.quesehrafarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/94335644-BECD-4BD4-98C4-29A3CF9435D5-1024x768.jpeg)
![the chickens enjoy the melons not fit for human consumption](http://www.quesehrafarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/839584A8-10CF-4CE0-8872-6C0C99A14E77-1024x1024.jpeg)
I picked up 10 boxes today – yay!