We’ll have choices from the following veggies this week for CSA: lettuce, spinach, chard, kale, broccoli, broccolini, carrots, peas, beets, radish, kohlrabi, dill, cilantro, parsley, basil, scallions, cucumber, zucchini.
On the farm this week:
We have been at war with potato beetles and there have been many casualties on both sides!
To control potato beetles in previous years, I have been using a product called entrust which is allowed for use in organic growing. However; after spraying it last weekend it did absolutely nothing. The potato beetles have adapted. I knew this day was coming as many growers have reported that it no longer works for them; however I thought I’d have some warning and time to develop a plan B.
Looking at the crop last week I knew it was either lose the crop completely or do something fast. So I got a couple tennis rackets and Hannah and I spend an afternoon swatting beetles of the plants into buckets. We got 25 lb of larvae that day. But the next day they were back; so we did it again And then we did it again the next day. And then we didi it again the next day. And then again the next day. And then again the next day. And That brings us up to today when we did it again! Here’s Hannha holding up our beetle harvest from a couple rows:
The good news is I think we won’t lose our potato crop and today went much quicker as there were less beetles to deal with. However; I expect to start potato harvest later than usual this year. here is one of many bins we have full of potato beetles now that we are too grossed out to decide what to do with.
And here’s Emerson and Shola who’s turn it was this morning this morning to ‘play tennis’ as we call it. The first day i asked who wants to play tennis I got a lot of volunteers; now I think I’ve ruined the game of tennis for everyone for life.
And you might be wondering who’s Emerson? Emerson is the prodigal employee that has returned home! She was with us last year at the beginning of the year but left us and has since realized the errors of her ways and has returned. But she will be on tennis duty for a while now.
We are also on to Broccoli harvest this week and I stumbled upon something that had hatched under the broccoli plants that was fortunately not disgusting for a change – a nest of baby birds . I assumed they were kildeer again that had literally just hatched. But everyone thinks there some other bird.
Here’s Morgan holding up some of the broccoli. It will probably be choice between broccoli and brocolinni this week. I am a big fan of the broccolinni and think everyone should try it. The who plant is mean to be eaten and the stems are sweet and tender.
And I fooled a lot of people last week with the picture. It was a zucchinni if anyone cares. Our field cucumbers are kicking in this week now also. We will hopefully have a little bit as choice for CSA this week as well. Here’s Hannah pikcing cucmbers?
That’s it for this week.
See you soon!
Jonathan, Sarah, Sandra, Alyssa, Morgan, Hannah, Shola, Emerson, Barb