Farm News: Week of Saturday, October 15, 2011

Hi folks,

It’s sure been a beautiful week, and we’ve enjoyed every minute of it. The forecast for rain beginning Tuesday night has us frantically trying to get our garlic planted for next year’s crop. The ground has just barely dried out from all the storms of September, and we’re worried that if we get a significant amount now the ground won’t dry out enough again to plant the rest of our crop.

Garlic is unique in its planting cycle. Planting time is October. It gets started before the dead of winter, sets roots and gets a bit of a green top, then hibernates. Once the weather starts warming up in the spring it grows like crazy until June, then starts drying down. Harvest is in July.

[Photo: Sam planting garlic in the front garden Tuesday afternoon.]

Produce list.

• Fruit: Bosc pears. Apples (Cameo, Jonathan, Nittany, Stayman, mixed apple pack).
• Greens: arugula, cabbage, rainbow chard, cooking greens mix, cress, lettuce, kale, microgreens mix, pea shoots, salad mix.
• Veggies: Lima beans, beet roots, carrots, celeriac, cucumbers (English hothouse), garlic, leeks, onions, peppers (green bell, Paper Lantern, mixed chiles), new potatoes (rose/gold, red, mixed), radishes (watermelon), shallots, sorrel soup pack, sweet potatoes, tomatoes (standards, green fryers, romas, mixed cherry), turnips (purple & white), winter squash (acorn, buttercup, butternut, delicata, kabocha).
• Mushrooms: Oyster.
• Herbs: basil, chives, cilantro, dill, lovage, marjoram, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, sage, savory, sorrel, spearmint, thyme.
• Herb sampler pack: spearmint, savory, thyme.
• Other food items: eggs, cheese, preserves. New is crabapple jelly.

Harvest Box contents
This week’s box contents are planned to be Bibb lettuce, orange carrots, medium onion, rose/gold potatoes, butternut and delicata squashes, parsley, bosc pears (2), mixed apples (5).

CSA volunteers
Many thanks to Lia, Alison and Erica for their help handing out orders at the truck last week. We really appreciate it! 

Volunteer needed!
Once again we are caught short on volunteers. We need someone (one person is enough, but if you have a friend or want to do it with two, that is fine) for this Saturday for the late shift, 11 - 1.  If you have not volunteered already this year, please check your calendar and email us if you can fill the slot for us.

Thanks much for your help and support!
Randy, Chris & all at Star Hollow Farm

General farm info: starhollowfarm.com.
CSA-specific info: starhollowfarm.com/csa.
Online CSA store: store.starhollowfarm.com.

11 October Permalink

Farm News: Week of Saturday, October 8, 2011

Hi folks,

I’ll keep this short this week. It looks like this will be the last week for those ‘holdout’ summer items like zucchini, eggplant, beans, probably even tomatoes. We have not had a frost yet (October 1 is our average first frost date) but the cold, gray days have put the kabosh on just about everything that’s heat-loving. Most of our crops now are either cool season crops or from the high tunnels or greenhouse, or stored (potatoes, squash).

The 2011 growing season is one I’ll remember, that’s for sure. Not one of our better years, unless you look at garlic, for which it was our best year ever. And now is planting time for next year’s garlic. We’re a bit worried as the ground is so wet we can’t plant. If it doesn’t dry out within about two weeks we’ll be in trouble. Thank goodness for our high tunnels, where most of our crops are doing alright. They’re just in much smaller quantities than we’d like.

[Photo: Chris’ project for the last week or two — drying herbs from the garden so that we’ll have them to offer you in the depths of winter.]

Produce list.

• Fruit: Bosc pears, Apples: (Cameo, Cortland, Gala, Jonathan).
• Greens: arugula, cabbage, rainbow chard, cooking greens mix, lettuce, green curly kale, microgreens mix, pea shoots, salad mix, sunflower shoots.
• Veggies: Lima beans, beet roots, carrots, celeriac,  cucumbers (English hothouse), eggplant, garlic, leeks,onions, peppers (Jalapeno, Paper Lantern, mixed chiles), new potatoes (Yukon gold, red, mixed, Austrian), radishes (watermelon), rhubarb, scallions, shallots, sorrel soup pack, sweet potatoes, tomatoes (standards, green fryers, mixed cherry), turnips (sweet white), winter squash (acorn, buttercup, butternut, delicata, kabocha), zucchini.
• Mushrooms: crimini and shiitake.
• Herbs: basil, chives, cilantro, dill, lovage, marjoram, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, sage, savory, sorrel, spearmint, thyme.
• Herb sampler pack this week: marjoram, sage, thyme.
• Other food items: eggs, cheese, preserves. New are peach jelly and apple butter.

Harvest Box contents
This week’s box contents are planned to be mixed chard, green beans, garlic, onions, celeriac with tops, mixed carrots, mixed potatoes, sprigs of parsley and spearmint, 2 large Jonagold apples.

CSA volunteers
Many thanks to Tara, Stephanie, Katie and Bob for their help handing out orders at the truck last week. We really appreciate it!

Have you volunteered yet?
We filled the calendar for this week — thanks to all of you who responded. There are still openings towards the end of the month and into November. Please check your calendar and see if you can sign up on the calendar there at the truck for one of those Saturdays if you have not done so already this year.

Thanks much for your support!

Randy, Chris & all at Star Hollow Farm

General farm info: starhollowfarm.com.
CSA-specific info: starhollowfarm.com/csa.
Online CSA store: store.starhollowfarm.com.

4 October Permalink