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This week Csaer’s will be choosing from: onions, carrots, beets, potatoes, cucumber, zucchini, tomato, eggplant, pepper, dill, cilantro, parsley, basil, corn, beans, scallions, and a leafy green still to be determined.

There are a few different kinds of tomatoes to warn you about.  The  green ones are a variety called ‘green zebra’ that are ripe thought they are still green.  The giant ugly one on the left is another heirloom variety called ‘brandywine’.  I’ve resisted growing it in the past because I didn’t think people would take it.  Despite it’s ugliness, it’s one of the tastier tomatoes I’ve tried, so I recommend trying it and letting me know what you think.

This week on the farm:

It’s really starting to feel like the season is changing, and the weeds all know it because they’re quickly going to seed.  So we’re trying to keep up and make sure not too many go to seed.  In a couple weeks the only weed we’ll have to deal with is chick -weed which loves the cold weather and can go to seed any time, even after it’s pulled out of the ground.

I’m also noticing the second green manure I planted came up  with a bunch of weeds – I think I left the first one too long and weeds went to seed.  I was disappointed about that and not really sure what to do.   I thought I’d try broadcasting buckwheat over it and harrowing it to mix in the buckwheat and kill the weeds..  This seems to have killed most of the weeds without damaging the rye too much.  I’m hoping the buckwheat will suppress any more weeds until the frost kills it and I’ll be left with the nice weed free rye that I was wanting.  I will find out soon.  The picture below isn’t the green manure field, but I tried it first here where I also planted rye after the first carrots, beets, spinach and garlic were harvested

As for the random animals showing up, the one random chicken has now turned into several thousand chickens that storm the field as soon as anybody starts to walk towards it.   I’m literally tripping over  chickens sometimes when we’re trying to pick potatoes.  I wish the dog was back – he’d know how to get them to leave.

This week at the market:  All the usual will be there, plus Julie Fine will have apples for sale this week and next week Kelvin Hildebrandt will have apples and possibly cider.  Also on Aug 16th Rebecca Hiebert will be conducting her adult story telling workshop at 5:30 pm.