The first fall season transplants went out into the field this week. With rabbits galore and entitled chickens, the farmer cannot relax with such fragile babies under threat of predation. A motion sensor wirelessly sounding an obnoxiously strident doorbell makes for a watchful eye and sounder sleep.

Which is to say, we’re into the heart of summertime now.

And as such we had a few days of a heat wave, with a smattering of rain as the laden, bountiful rain clouds this skated just past us. Fortunately we had a pretty decent soil moisture going in, and so we still hadn’t run the irrigation until we watered the new transplants in.

One hot day we got a huge chunk of the new deer fence built, with a crew of the Grandparents, Marty, and WWOOFers Taylor ‘n Chloe, covering the Southwestern corner where the soybean scarfing deer had been hopping in.

Next up: the northwestern front, oft-invaded by the freerangers and the wild wabbits.

Today I saw the very first ripening tomatoes …  

inside Box 6

Today we had help from Amy, Marcia. & Marty with the veggies, while Grandpa Jim did mechanical repairs and Grandma Deb wrangled kids and prepared lunch for us all! Many hands make light work, many friends make light hearts. Also, many dead bugs; we did some potato beetle slaying when we finished the harvest pretty quickly!

 

• Peas – another pound of the champion crop of 2024! It’s finally flopping over under it’s own weight, and the heat wave this week put a hurting on the plants as well. Tired of the usual? Search out a new recipe, give them to your friends and neighbors, or preserve them for later enjoyment via blanching & freezing.
• Cucumbers (slicers & picklers)
• Zucchini & Summer Squash
• Bean Medley (green, yellow, & dragon tongue)
• Green Cabbage – refer to recipe idea links from last week, or maybe roast in slabs. Pairs great with bacon, sausage, or parmesean cheese. Make kraut. It’ll last for a good long while in your fridge if you don’t want it right away, too.
• Broccoli Side Shoots or Cauliflower – one or the other!
• Blueberries – our friends & former long time CSA members at The Munch Bunch are out of town all season this year, but there was a silver lining – they are not home to enjoy and use their abundant blueberry crop! Kristin and our friend Amy went over yesterday and harvested bucketloads for y’all.
• Arugula Microgreens