Halfway

If not for the watermelon and the cantaloupe which made an appearance in last week’s CSA shares, you would not be able to convince us that it was already the middle of August.   As of this week, the CSA season has reached the halfway point.  This halfway point is always a time when we as farmers can step back, assess the fields, take a deep breath and a short break.  At this point in the season one is able to get a good sense of what is in the fields and generally what yields can be expected of several fall crops.  The signs of August seem to be all around us with the geese starting to flock together, a slight change in the leaves on the trees and the sun setting just a bit earlier allowing us to have more down time in the late evenings.  Another really good feeling that mid-August brings is the mowing and plowing under of crops that are done for the season.  This process seems to clean the fields up nicely and allow for an early planting of a cover crop like oats.

This week will bring a few different activities to the farm including harvesting and curing more storage onions, flagging and preparing fields for next year and planting the last transplants of the season.  Very soon, we will be able to clean and sort the garlic that is curing in our packshed.  The true summer crops are now upon us with tomatoes, eggplant, melons and potatoes making appearances in the share boxes.