Happy Summer Solstice to all!
The longest day of the year is behind us and the warmer weather is upon us. We’ve seen a bump in growth and the weeds are no exception! Fortunately, this past week has seen a monumental weeding effort by all, resulting in happy crops all around. Looking back down a freshly weeded row, the difference is profound and I swear you can hear the Swiss chard letting out a sigh of relief.
Of course, a shout out must be made to our powerhouse strawberry plants who are cranking out a beautiful crop of ripe berries practically dripping from the vines. If somehow you have more berries than you can eat, try popping the greens off with your fingers and storing them in a bag in the freezer. You’ll thank yourself in January!
The summer squash invasion has begun in the form of a colorful medley of different shapes and sizes, so be ready to break out those zucchini bread recipes and get creative. Squash and their close family members, the cucumber, receive a lot of insect and disease pressure, so we have six re-plantings scheduled over the season to keep us in peak production as long as possible.
If at any time this week you simply could not spot Susan, I’ll bet she was deep in the wild forest of peas, going to great effort to tame the unruly plants in preparation for us all to enjoy the popular pick-your-own peas. As of Saturday, the paths are clear and the peas are coming in beautifully.
This week in wildlife:
Some of you had a chance to see our snapping turtle visitor utilizing our covered tomato beds as a warm location to lay her eggs (we hope successfully!).
A huge thank you again to everyone that has been out doing your work hours with a smile on your face. Thank you for showing up ready to work!
Peas and lovage,
Kenneth
