This week has been a jumble of weather reports, with the big question of whether or not it will frost (Sunday was 80 degrees, what?). Luckily the cold fronts and cold temps have been kept at bay for the week. This coming week may have something else in store for us.
The cold temperatures do change things a bit for us. Some of our crop production will now come to “a grinding halt” as Susan is fond of saying. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, and cucumbers will not ripen with these cold nights. This week, though, saw a pleasant last tomato bonanza, giving us all a good chance to do some end-of-season freezing, saucing, roasting, and canning. The cathedral greenhouse will still produce a good amount of toms, but we won’t see the quantities we’ve enjoyed for the last few weeks. There are always pickled and fried green tomatoes!
The much-anticipated fruit shares also started this week, and they were beautiful. Biting into a tart McIntosh apple always reminds me of autumn and of the trips to the farm in Concord, New Hampshire where my family bought apples, cider, and pumpkins. And, the apples (and pears and plums) from Autumn Hills Orchard are fantastic. In the bag this week were McIntosh apples, Bartlett pears, and Italian plums. If you didn’t know already, Ann from Autumn Hills has a CSA update page on her site, which you can find here, so you can always know what fruit varieties you’re eating or canning.
As the season winds down, there will be plenty of work to do. Putting the farm to bed requires many hands and lots of mulch, but also just general tidying up and putting away. Please make and effort to come down to the farm and put some hours in.
Lastly, as a gentle reminder, we’ve been noticing that sharers have been picking things that are not for the taking. Please respect the signage and flag-marked beds that indicate that they are open and do not pick anything that is not so indicated.
Still loving all the smiling faces and grateful comments!
See you in the fields!
Seth (the guy who apparently doesn’t own any non-plaid long-sleeve shirts. Pictured holding the giant potato that Kenneth grew.)
