Harvest #22 (Week B) should include leeks, winter squash, potatoes, carrots, salad radishes, bok choy, napa/chinese cabbage, head lettuce, romaine lettuce, green/ripening tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, and shishito peppers. Some items may be a choice. U-pick should include herbs and flowers. Garlic is on pause until we're sure we will have enough cloves for seed (300lbs).

Thank goodness for a break in the weather! I do enjoy cool, cloudy, and wet days once in a while, but almost a solid week of the same dreary weather is tough on farmers and crops alike. Us farm creatures really need the soil to dry out this week so we can smoothly retrieve the sweet potatoes. This harvest goes a lot quicker in dry friable soil and our bed lifter/undercutter tool bar is also much more effective. Once the ground is loosened, we should be able to pull the tubers up by their vines, which were planted at the crown of highly raised beds. There's somewhat of a race against time on this project because sweet potatoes don't tolerate cold weather well and very soon we'll experience some cold nights, even a frost. Sitting in soggy ground is not ideal either, and there's an approaching cold front on Friday that will trigger another rain event. So, the clock ticks. Once they're out of the ground they'll go in an insulated rodent proof room where they'll cure for a couple of weeks, slowly converting starch to sugar and healing any wounds they may have from the harvesting process.

All the other crops would also benefit from drying out. Perpetual wet feet does not benefit any of them and there definitely are signs of stress out in the fields. Right now there's an abundance of crops so a loss here and there isn't too detrimental but we always hate to see it. Some loss in farming is certainly unavoidable due to the weather factor but we've been through worse during our 15 year spell here and will get through this minor setback with most crops surviving unscathed. This is exactly where/when crop diversity is of the utmost importance.

Consider joining us to harvest sweet potatoes this week - we could use your help!

A reminder that if you signed up for a share with a work discount you have about one more month to satisfy that requirement. If you're unable to put in the time that's a-okay, just send us payment to cover the full cost of your share.

This week's workshift schedule (desperately hoping to harvest sweet potatoes this week before more rain arrives!):

Bring gloves, water, a hat, sturdy shoes, and a pad for kneeling (if necessary for you)!

We meet under the large red maple at the end of the barn by the pick up room.

Workshift Guidelines - Workshift Sign Up Instructions

The weather may be trending back toward summer this week, but the pick up room will surely be saying it's fall. Two new things will likely make an appearance this week: Napa cabbage and bok choy. Both veggies are healthy and delicious.

Napa cabbage - can be used in any dish calling for cabbage, but Napa is especially great in stir fries. Also salads, tacos and sauteed in butter, olive oil, garlic - allow to brown a bit when you saute it for an almost nutty flavor. Store in a plastic bag, in which a paper towel has been added to absorb any moisture. Napa will keep for a few weeks - the heads are often large so I take off the leaves I want to use at any one time instead of cutting the head in half, to avoid brown edges on the cut portions.

Bok Choy - another wonderful, flexible veggie, delicious raw in salads or with dip or hummus, stir fried, roasted, and even grilled! Store in a plastic bag with a paper towel and use within a week for best flavor and results. If you keep it longer, the outer leaves will begin to yellow - you can just remove them and use the inner part as planned. Check out the recipes on this site!

Between the farm and what I grow on my own, I have been inundated with peppers the past few weeks. Fortunately, they store well. As I mentioned before, The Roasted Squash and Roasted Pepper Soup is delicious, and I have frozen 2 containers of it. Peppers also freeze well - just cut in half or quarters, removed seeds and white pith; place in single layer on a baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, place in plastic bags and leave in freezer until ready to use - amazingly, peppers frozen this way are great even in stir fries! And of course chili, soups and stews. I made Sweet Pepper Relish this week too - I am not adding it to the website, because it was very time consuming, but it did turn out great - I added a hot pepper for more depth. If anybody wants the recipe, email me at lindadansbury@comcast.net.

I have been loving the return of the greens - arugula salads and adding the chard and kale to dishes. One delicious dish I made was a spaghetti squash stuffed with sausage, onion, garlic, chopped up tomatoes and chopped kale (dish called for spinach).

Tomatoes are waning, and almost finished at the farm, but the abundance of what I grew along with the farm's bounty inspired me to make tomato juice and even tomato paste - if you haven't tried these and have time, try them - they both are pretty simple to make, they freeze great and are much more tasty than store bought.

I just received an email that has a delicious looking lentil soup that is packed with veggies and greens - hmmm, think I will try that this coming week!

Enjoy the harvest.