Pure satisfaction.
It's that time of the year... when we begin to curse picking beans and zucchini and promise we'll plant less next year. Mmm hmmm. The harvests are ramping up and we're trying to stay on top of picking all the things, especially the zucchini, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, beans and now cucumbers... they're on the harvest schedule every other day and are beginning to kick our butts.
Our bodies are sore, our hands are rough and stained, we're a little sleep deprived, there are not enough hours in the day, and things shouldn't slow down until we get a frost... BUT now that I've had a taste of farming, and tomatoes straight off the vine, I wouldn't want to spend my days doing anything else.
Beans! They're wonderful to eat but oh so time consuming to pick.
We're working towards better organization and systems at the farm and one of those steps is building this new wash/pack/storage building! My Dad came down over the weekend and helped us attach the heaviest pieces on this building. We rented a fork lift and got all the rafters and cross beams attached, wahoo! It's starting to really take shape and is looking amazing! It was so great to have my Dad at the farm. He helped us read plans, lent us some tools and showed us several tricks to move the metal around and line things up with ease, which was priceless and I'm sure had us moving twice as fast.
Mike and I are both very fortunate and have incredible parents. They're the best role models, offer us advice, wisdom, encouragement and are always asking thoughtful questions. I wish we had time to visit them more often! And I must say, we wouldn't be able to do everything we're doing without their endless support.
The temps are still a bit cooler than normal I think and I have been feeling a cool crispness when the wind blows, which feels pretty good. Yesterday was the perfect overcast harvest day but right around 7 o'clock it really cooled off and this morning we are sitting at 44 degrees. Chilly!
Purple Daikon... its whimsical, my favorite color and delicious to boot
We need to focus on harvests this week as well as prepping beds and planting all the Fall greens! Spinach, Kale, Collards, Napa Cabbage, Bok Choy, Chard, Lettuces, etc. I have always set mid-August as the Fall transplanting deadline, so the clock is ticking. As the days grow shorter and cooler it is very important to get these crops in on time. Planting for 2017 is almost complete... wahoo! Once these crops are in the ground we will do one more planting in a couple weeks in the greenhouses and in front of the moveable tunnels, which will get covered with the tunnels once the tomatoes have finished up for the year, hopefully early October?
CSA Harvest - Week #11:
Head Lettuce, Kale, Chard, Zucchini, Beans, Padron Peppers, Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Broccoli Florets, Carrots, Cucumber and Scallions