Today was a happy day – first, after a month of chasing the gophers that are murdering our carrot patch, I finally managed to catch one of the little monsters! This clan has super deep tunnels, and they backfill their exposed entrances with an impressive tenacity.

But now I’ve got their number – and this morning I got my arms caked in dirt past the elbows to set three more traps, for the presumed survivors still roaming beneath the carrots.

In other farm news – a missing hen named Gargoyle was spotted today, days after we wrote her off as a predator loss … she was hiding in the woods on a big pile of eggs. … it’s kind of late for new chicks, but it’s hard to just take them away … we’ll see what happens.

She’s our only blue-egg layer, and she’s really odd-looking (Neighbor Marcia calls her The Rabbi, we dubbed her Gargoyle) – so it would be nifty to add some of her genetics to our flock’s future.

And, of course – it’s gone from simmering heat and humidity to lows in the 40s and 30s and even a threat of frost tomorrow night! Ack. I know it’ll warm up again, but this cold snap is going to leave a mark on the remnants of the hot-weather crops. We will be deploying row covers and making strange sacrifices to the old green gods of gardening, and limbering up the ol’ “que sera, sera” muscles.

Inside Box 14

You could make a mean bowl of Pho this week. And it’s perfect weather for it! Lots of summer crops are making their final appearances this week, cherish them in this fleeting moment.

• Garlic -a fellow SCF market vendor had way too many small garlic heads so they gifted these to us – and since the vole’s destructive tunneling made us opt out of planting our own this year, we figured we should share the bounty with y’all.
• Bok Choi – would be pretty dang good chopped up and sauteed with your garlic. Or in a soup? It’s soup season.

• Beets – Borscht? SOUP SEASON.
• Zucchini – the final zukes of the season!

• Cucumbers – and the last of the cukes of 2020!
• Onions
• Sweet Peppers – another Final Installment for the year
• Shishito Peppers – these aren’t usually spicy, but for whatever reason, most of these are. Sear ’til blistered and eat as usual, if you like spicy. If not, use them as a component in another dish to spread that spice around.
• Tomatoes – the last of the season! Aaaaaagh too soon

• Cherry Tomatoes – oh my it might even be the final cherry tomatoes. What a week of transition!
• Thai Basil – salvaged before the murderous cold descends.
• Micro-Greens (Radish, Kale, Red Cabbage, or Amaranth)

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