Yesterday we had our first CSA workday here in the fields. Many thanks to Kate, Bernor, Pamela, Zelma, and Tricia for your amazing work. Even though Casey and I know how helpful it is to have extra hands, it was still astounding to see things being crossed off our ‘to do’ list five times faster than when it’s just the two of us. In four hours, we gleaned from the spinach, radish and kale plantings for the soup kitchen; cleaned out an old bed; weeded the kale and chard planting; and rescued (‘liberated’ as we said) almost half of a particularly messy carrot bed. Those carrots are exceptionally happy today, thanks to our CSA members!
Harvesting kale for the soup kitchen!
We’re looking forward to more regular workdays throughout the summer. To accommodate everyone’s busy schedules, we’ll have a number of days available this Tuesday for sign-up.
Always thinking about the future
This morning, Casey and I took a brief ‘break’ from farm work to visit the Salem Farmers’ Market. Not surprisingly, we’re hoping to expand to another farmers’ market in 2007, so we’ve been market ‘shopping’ when we have time this summer. The market seems very well run and professional—lots of beautiful arts and crafts and plants. The organizers are doing a good job there, but there just weren’t that many produce vendors, which makes us think it might not be exactly what we’re looking for in a second market. Obviously we can join a market and add to the produce available, but we’d really like our second market to be one where many of the visitors come to do their weekly grocery shopping. It seems like you need a certain critical mass of vegetable and fruit vendors to get that kind of patronage. We’re going to check out the Wednesday market later in the summer and also some of the outlying Portland area ones as well.
It’s hot out here!
Now we’re back in the fields, doing some random planting jobs. As I’m sure you all are very aware, this weekend has brought the first intense summer heat. We’re irrigating constantly to try and carry our lettuces through the highs (predicted to be 95-100° Sunday). Bizarrely, however, last night Casey and I sat down with our seed catalogs and planned out our fall garden sowing schedule. We can hardly believe that we need to begin sowing now, in this crazy heat, for the fall. But it’s true! We’re planting some very long-season cabbages that need to begin ASAP to even be ready in October. So, between irrigating and trying to stay cool, I’ll be sowing brassicas today with drizzly gray days in mind. I must say, even though it’s odd at moments, planning is one of my favorite parts of this market gardening business. We’re always thinking one season ahead, and it’s fun anticipating all the upcoming splendors of each part of the year.
Anyhow, Hope you all enjoy the weekend! If you can, it seems wise to find some solid shade and stay there. On the upside, the flowers are beautifully responding to the heat. We may be making bouquets out here sooner than we thought!
P.S. I’m collecting a list of people’s favorite parts of summer for this week’s upcoming newsletter. What’s do you love about summer? Tell us by commenting on this post or sending us an email!
