What’s been going on!

Lots of news, big and little, but first this rain is good but beginning to get on my nerves as I really need to get the soil preparations and cover crops done by Friday!  Hopefully with the forecast high winds on Wednesday the soil will dry enough for tractor work on Thursday and Friday.  It takes a long time for soil to dry when the days are short and cool.  It had just barely dried enough by last Saturday when along came the rains again on Sunday.

Why Friday?  I should know as a farmer to never work on a tight schedule but as many of you already know I am leaving town for a month, on Sunday, so certain things just have to be finished.  Betsy has encouraged me to join a friend for a 25 day walk across southeastern Utah.  This is a trip I have thought about for some years but came up fairly suddenly in the last few months.  I have never been gone from the farm that long and so the logistics of getting ready to leave and the actual trip have been demanding.  Look for stories of the trip when I get back in November.

As most astute readers of the newsletter know, since 2000 we have stopped going to market about now and many of you have commented on it in the past few weeks.  New this year we are planning to be at market through most of the winter.  Several reasons behind this major change of our pattern.  First- last winter we sold almost every week from November on because of the bountiful Baby Ginger and Jerusalem Artichoke crops followed by Betsy’s amazing and early Anemones and we got a feel for how it might fit into our future plans.  Second- as we have talked about before, climate change and the increasingly hot summers have many of us thinking about moving more of our production into the cooler months.

Third- we are trying to keep Jennie on year round and to do that she has to have something to do to make it viable.  To that end we have planted a full array of fall and winter vegetables and some flowers to bring to market.  Some are out in the fields and some in the little sliding tunnels to help stagger the harvest.  So while I am gone Betsy and Jennie will be holding down the market stand with beautiful greens and root crops along with the Baby Ginger and the last of the peppers.  It’s an exciting new direction for us and we know that you all will be there to support us as always.  So no sad farewell newsletter this fall but this will be the last one until I return in mid-November.

Pictures of the Week

A beautiful field of fall vegetables

What’s going to be at the market?

Still some turkeys left for Thanksgiving and Christmas, only birds less than 13 pounds are available.  All the information can be found here.

If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet to the Chefs’ Harvest Potluck on Nov. 1^st better do it!  A potluck dinner under the shelters at the Farmers’ Market but the dishes will be from over 20 local chefs who shop at the market.  A great way to support infrastructure improvements at the market and socialize with your neighbors and farmers.

The flower department will be closing its doors after this week until the anemones get going.  The last of the awesome, felt like Crested Celosia.

The fall crops are beginning though.  More lettuces this week.  The first Spinach, it looks great.  New plantings of Turnips and Easter Egg Radish.  Plenty of the incredible Baby Ginger.  Did you get some of the Cutting Celery last week? a great flavor enhancer for the cold weather dishes.  Soon Beets, Fennel and more!

This will be the last week for pepper roasting, so don’t miss it.  Still a good amount of peppers right now but they are definitely slowing down for the year.  In sweet peppers there is a fair supply of red and yellow bells and just a few orange.  An increase in the amount of red, yellow and orange Italian Corno di Toros this week.  Fewer light green Cubanelles great for salads and sautéing, and Purple Bells.  More of the Spanish Piquillos too.

In the usually-not-hot-but-on-occasion varieties a great supply of the Aji Dulces, the habanero without the heat.  Plenty of the Japanese Shishito peppers but the Spanish Padron have really slowed down.

In hot peppers from, least to hottest, we have Passillas, a few of the very rare Basque Esplettes, plenty but fewer of Anaheims, lots of Poblanos, our own signature Picante Pimiento. All kinds of Serranos and Jalapenos, Cayenne and red and orange Habaneros

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