September 27, 2012
Quote of the Week:
“It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.”
-Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Reflection from Norm
“In a few blinks you can almost see the winter fairies moving in . . . . .
But first you hear the crackle of their wings.”
– Vera Nazarian
This is always a strange and beautiful time of the year.. It can be in the 70’s during the day with the sun downright hot and as the sun disappears the temperature can quickly dip to the 30’s, or lower. Last evening the paper, the television and the radio all said that the low would be 39 with little worry of frost. We woke up at 6:30 to a temperature of 30 degrees with frost everywhere. The bok choy and braising mix that we planned to harvest first thing had to thaw in the sun for an hour before we could cut it. Most of the peppers and eggplant had already been picked last Friday in anticipation of our 27 degree Saturday night temperature.
It is a tricky business this frost! Sometimes we get a frost at 38 degrees. Sometimes the frost is so light it only affects super sensitive crops like basil, cucumbers and beans. A heavy frost (whatever that is) will damage or kill tomatoes, eggplant, sweet corn and peppers. Below 32 is a freeze and this will affect the Asian greens and beet tops, and create a shorter storage for squash and onions. Below 25 will damage about anything. Frost, on a positive note, will help bring out the sugars in the brassica family (broccoli, Brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, etc.), in carrots, and in the hardy greens such as kale and spinach.
The frost protective cover we use is called Agribon. It is a tightly woven material that lets sunlight and rain through and protects from frost up to 3 degrees. We put a double cover on our final planting of green beans last Friday, but still most of the blossoms froze beneath it.
It is a silent, mysterious, and beautiful thing. ‘Tis the season of the frost.
Farmer Notes on this week’s delivery:
- We have had 2 freezes in the past week
- Make a stir fry with the onions/braising mix/bok choy/peppers
- Peppers were harvested before the freeze so they are small
- Tomatoes are slicers and roma. Romas are small, but meatier, and are good for sauces and salsa. Heirloom slicers include Cherokee Green and Mascovich with some hybrid (Paragon, Celebrity) as well
- Beet tops were damaged by the cold weather
- Our Fall Festival on Sat. Oct. 6th and begins at 2. Come when you can for however long as you wish. We love to meet our members! Rsvp in advance if you are able to do so.
- Wash all of your produce please
