August 30, 2008

Even vegan organic farmers have junk food days.  Mine was today.  Dinner was potato chips, a cocktail, and chocolate.  In my defense - the potato chips were made from the Yukon Golds I had put aside for this purpose and the orange juice in my cocktail and the chocolate for dessert were organic!  And - I had a very very healthy - and yummy lunch of MiniWhite cucumbers and the last of the Dragon Beans.  (One of the perks of farming is keeping back some of the stuff you really really like for yourself!) 

The harvest is now in full swing.  All of the onions and garlic have been harvested and processed and are available.  Consider buying in quantity now while the selection is still good.  The sweet cooking onions will last a month or two with storage in a cool dry place and the garlic will last into December and likely into February.  Delaying purchases will not get you "fresher" onions and garlic - only a slimmer selection!

Zucchini and summer squash, after a slow start, are now coming on gangbusters and so are on sale for a reduced price.  However, the plants are starting to die back so this bounty won't last long!  Cucumbers are also in peak season but the yellows and whites are very popular - if you haven't tried these yet make sure to do so - you won't find Boothby Blonde's or MiniWhites anywhere else and the season is short!

Tomatoes are starting to ripen and new varieties are coming on line on an almost daily basis.  Currently available are Oregon Spring, Tigerella, Cosmonaut Volkov, Illini Star, Double Rich, Black Prince, Paul Robeson, and Rose de Berne.  Check out the Planned Varieties page for pictures and descriptions! 

Potatoes are also being dug.  While Yukons and Norlands are almost gone you can still get Cranberry, Huckleberry, Carola, and Desiree right now.  These lovely specialty potatoes cannot be found outside of farmer's markets and most of these varieties are hard to find even there.  Coming soon are All Blue and Elba, the world's best mashing potato.

Of course, cabbage, beets, and carrots are also available and are excellent keepers.  If you want to eat local through the winter you'll want to give serious thought to buying and storing these great veggies (along with onions, garlic, and potatoes) for great local eating all winter long.

Sweet and hot peppers are now flowering so I do hope to bring at least some of these to market by the end of September.  The cool wet weather followed by a hot spell just as the peppers were flowering the first time have been less than ideal conditions for these finicky plants.  Eggplants are also giving me a hard time - an early small blossom set has been followed by a stubborn refusal to set more flowers!  But, I have been foliar feeding with a molasses and comfrey mix and am hoping the eggplants will see fit to reward me with some fruits!