Hello everyone! Kerry and I, along with the rest of our amazing work-for-sharers, have survived a brutal week of intense heat and dry fields. We started our days early and either left early or were able to complete tasks in the shade. We’ve been irrigating the fields every day to keep our veggies happy and to help keep the soil cool.
All the heat-loving crops are going bonkers! The eggplant is producing some gorgeous fruit after bouncing back from damage caused by both the flea beetle and the Colorado potato beetle. The peppers are lush with leaves and have chunky green peppers that will be in the share this week. The greenhouse tomatoes are beginning to ripen and the field tomatoes are not far behind.
You may have noticed that our summer squash and cucumber plantings are doing VERY well, especially compared to last season, when we had a record number of rainy days in July and our plants got common diseases pretty early in the season. When we have a really good squash and cucumber year, I love making overnight refrigerator pickles and I’ll grate the squash and freeze in bags to use in baked goods during the winter. I also just heard of making refrigerator relish – yes please!
Our “To Do” list is ever growing as we continue to harvest, weed, seed and plant. July is always tricky since there are so many wonderful veggies to pick as well as many plantings to get in the ground for the fall. This year feels extra tough because it’s so dry. We need to make sure that we are able to irrigate immediately after planting or the transplants may not survive. Each season has its challenges, but your support and enthusiasm help motivate us to work through the rough days and hot weeks. Thank you!
Until next time,
Ember