(CSA Newsletter: Week 31)
Meet this week’s vegetables:
In case we hadn’t noticed turning the calendar to September or realized that school is starting this week, the weather decided to dramatically remind us that fall is on its way. How can you have missed the sneak preview we were treated to this weekend?
Rain, rain, rain and more rain — all starting just as Oregon’s hard workers were getting off work for the long Labor Day weekend. As of Sunday, Portland had already received higher than average rainfall for the entire month of September, with most of the month still ahead of us.
Here on the farm, we welcomed the rain. Although we have sufficient irrigation water this year (yay!), a drenching rainstorm at the end of summer is still a wonderful change of pace. Plus, it allowed us to relax and kick back and enjoy the three-day weekend with the rest of you (although we took Friday off rather than Monday). This was probably the first three-day weekend we’ve enjoyed in years. We went on a mountain hike on Friday, stopped by the Saturday morning Portland Farmers Market to check out the veggies and visit with farmer friends (and got soaking wet), and hung out with lots of friends and family over the rest of the days — a busy but relaxing way to mark the near end of summer.
But we also knew that others were not welcoming the rain. I hope that the rain didn’t soak out any camping trips or damage any fruit/grape crops. Every significant weather event always has many consequences, good and bad.
Regardless, I’m going to choose and look at the positives of this recent wet spell: cleaner air in the valley (breathe deep!), extra free irrigation for our crops, an opportunity to enjoy some recently ignored indoor pursuits (reading, knitting), etc.
Apparently more warm weather is on its way, so this taste of fall is short-lived. But leaves are starting to slowly change color, evening is arriving earlier and earlier, and the kids and teachers are returning to school … Soon, we’ll be seeing more fall flavors creep into the weekly shares, and in a few weeks we’ll move the CSA pick-up back inside to the YCAP Food Bank warehouse. Make time over the next few weeks to enjoy the last glimpses of summer’s sunny weather — get outside and clean up the garden, go for a walk, play frisbee on the lawn. And, of course, enjoy this week’s summer vegetables!
Your farmers, Katie & Casey Kulla
