What’s been going on?

Well it was a blustery market Saturday but not too bad really. Other than a bunch of leaves and sticks blown down we had no damage here at the farm and even had four tenths of and inch of rain and then another four tenths on Monday, so we are feeling pretty good about how the storm went. Most of the farmers that I have talked to had similar experiences with most having even less rain than we got.

As promised early in the year, this week marks the start of Turkey reservations. We always wait until Labor Day when we have a better idea of how many birds will actually be available. By the time they get this old they are usually pretty hardy but even now we can lose some to one thing or another. There will only be about 65 birds available this fall and they are all the larger Broad Breasted Bronzes. All the information about what kind we have, how much they will be and the order form is now on the Website for easier access.

Look for the order form either at the top of the page or near the bottom under “How do I reserve one of the special birds?” You can easily download the Word document there. We will also have the order forms at Market on Saturdays through the end of the month. I can also tell you that with the “Frequent Flyer” reservations, nearly a quarter of them are already spoken for. I will continue to update how many are available on the website. Don’t wait too long.

Standard late summer projects going on. Most of the big tomato planting has been taken out with just a few rows of Big Beefs and Cherokees left to “milk” the last fruit from. The crab grass in the peppers is trying to take over so today we will try to beat it back with the mower one last time which should hold us until the end of the season. Soil samples need to be pulled and sent in so we can be ready the end of September for the big annual soil preparation.

Picture of the Week

They are getting big!

What’s going to be at the market?

The first thing is we will not be at the Wednesday Market for the rest of the season, just not enough stuff for two markets.

The Crested Celosia festival continues with the bigger heads back this week from the new plantings. More great ornamental peppers. A good amount of the fall Lisianthus. A few late Zinnias. Plenty of fragrant Oriental Lilies in white and pink.

We are at the peak of Pepper season the next few weeks. In Sweet peppers we have large supply of Red bells, with small amounts of Yellow and Orange Bells. Smaller amounts of Purple Bells, lime green Cubanelles and Corno di Toros. In hot types there are plenty of Anaheim, Poblano, Serrano, Cayenne and Passilla. We are losing Jalapeno plants quickly so there is a small supply. Padrone and Shishito are slowing down, the Spanish and Japanese snacking peppers, just quickly coat them in a pan with some hot olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and eat the whole thing. The Peregrine Picante Pimientos are back with nice red, slightly hot, thick fleshed fruit. Yellow and Red Habaneros and Aji Dulce, the habanero flavor without the heat. We will be roasting for sure!

Tomato supply is very light. In Reds there is a small amount of Big Beefs. A few Cherokee Purples from the last planting. In cherry types there is a small supply of Sungolds.

More of the awesome Italian heirloom Eggplant. Basil to go with tomatoes. Still plenty of Red Onions! The last of the Cukes. Winter Squash with Butternut, Acorn, Spaghetti and our favorite Sweet Dumpling which is the sweetest of them all, no added sugar required! Look for the first of the baby Ginger and the return of Summer Crisp Lettuce, Japanese Turnips and Easter Egg Radishes.

As a reminder if there is anything that you would like for us to hold for you at market just let us know by e-mail, by the evening before, and we will be glad to put it aside for you.

Hope to see you all at the market!

Alex and Betsy