What’s been going on!

What glorious weather after such a tremendous storm!  We ended up with 5 inches of rain but it did mostly come down in a steady fashion and so my fears of having just opened nearly 2 acres of ground to have it wash away were generally unfounded.  We had just a tiny bit of washing in one field but it seems that most of the water soaked in.  The Haw River did back up into the bottom field and we had to pull the irrigation pump.  The “green” lining to the storm clouds is that the cover crops are coming up beautifully!

Our thoughts go out to the folks caught in historic flooding east of Raleigh.  Daily we see pictures of friend’s farms under water and can only think of the huge work ahead of them to clean up.  The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) research farm down in Goldsboro is on the Neuse River and they are having to take people in by boat to the livestock facilities to milk cows and help with the calving season.  The NC Forest service is flying hay in to feed those same animals.  Heroic work for sure, we just wish other farmers down there had the same resources too.

Having been through several disasters ourselves we know that people will get through this too but each one takes a chunk out of your psyche. The only thing you can do is keep moving forward.  To that end we are continuing with our fall and winter preparations and planting.  Cleaning up the season’s remains, readying the little tunnels for cold weather, even seeding some crops for next spring and reveling in the beautiful days.

Picture of the Week

Early morning, Big Tops uncovered and the pepper field still producing

What’s going to be at the market?

Thank you to all the hardy souls who came out in the rain last Saturday.  It looks like the best Saturday of the fall tomorrow!  Only two Saturdays left to roast peppers, get ‘em while you can.

Peppers, slowing down some but still plenty.  A fair amount of red and yellow Bells; red, yellow and orange Corno di Toros; Cubanelle, Ashe County Pimentos and Aji Dulce the habanero without heat in sweet peppers.

Hot peppers from mildest to hottest- Passilla, Anaheim (New Mexican), Poblano, Spanish Piquillo and French Espelette, our own Picante Pimento, Serrano, Jalapeno, Cayenne and Datil.

Plenty of the Shishito and Padron appetizer peppers prepared the same easy with a quick blister in a pan then sprinkled with salt and eaten whole.  Get some of both and do your own comparison.

Back for the fall Baby Ginger and fresh Turmeric!  A great supply of Eggplant Italian heirloom and the striped Nubia.  Spaghetti and Butternut Winter Squash.  Tender and sweet Japanese Salad Turnips.  Red and Watermelon Radishes.  Beautiful Lacinato Kale.  Finally a selection of lettuces with Green Boston, Red Leaf, Red Summer Crisp and Red and Green Little Gems

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.  Just so you know, sometimes not everything listed will be at the Wednesday market.

Hope to see you all at the market!

Alex, Betsy and Jennie

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