Tuesday, September 22, 2009 at 8:24PM The share this week is:
Fruit share is:
Next week (9/30) will be a double fruit week for all weekly and biweekly fruit. Please prepare accordingly!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 1:19PM First, Martha has lots of news for us this week:
The dry weather and sunshine has been blessing the farm with plentiful crops. Everything matures faster and all at once. The heat is good for the crops as the blight has subsided in the tomato tunnels since heat kills blight. We have squash galore!
The cabbage you have been receiving is a result of the previously wet weather that created rot especially in the dome of the cabbage and within the inner leaves. This is where water sat and did not have a chance to drain.
You will notice that the quantity of produce you receive has been increasing and will continue as we reach the peak of production on the farm. Please keep this in mind when production dwindles later in the season.
We are having some problems with blight on our potato crop and you will be receiving potatoes shortly as they need to come out of the ground . The blight has caused a secondary infection which causes brown rot, a softening of the potato. We will have a better assessment of the total damage once we begin harvesting.
Melons are coming up on the farm in many varieties. You will be receiving a Korean melon in your share this week. It is a oblong shaped, fragrant, yellow melon and one of the few where every part is edible including seeds and skin. Korean melon is less sugary sweet than other type melons but has a crunchy firm texture. Chill before serving for a delicious cool treat.
Union Square Cafe makes a great summer salad with shaved Korean melon, mozzarella and baby greens topped with a light vinaigrette.
Enjoy!
Martha
Next, we have add-ons news:
The farm did not receive the ground beef in time to include it in our shipment. This means that nobody will be receiving a ground beef this week regardless of whether it was a bi-weekly or Market Day order. The farm intends to send everyone's ground beef order next week so we will make sure it is included on next week's add-ons sign in sheet. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If anyone has any questions, feel free to shoot Lloyd, our add-ons coordinator, an email.
add-ons, farm news, share forecast Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at 1:48PM First, some updates from the farm, courtesy of Zaid and Martha:
We had 5 dry days in a row a record for this year. However it continues to be cool and last night it rained till morning. So the blight threat continues and we continue to spray Oxidate ( similar to hydrogen peroxide).
So far this year has been our most challenging. However, our crew especially the Egyptians have come through and made a difficult situation more manageable. On another note we finally brought in a container of organic herbs from the farms owned by Egyptian crew and we will be marketing the herbs.
In terms of crops everything this year is different, many crops are late and some are diseased. We had to remove ½ an acre of tomatoes and lost a few other crops such as cauliflower. Overall things are not bad but everything can change if we lose our tomato crop.
In related local news, The NY Times continues to provide excellent coverage of late blight, this time exploring how farms and crops are regionally interconnected, from the city dweller with a window box to the major agricultural operations in the area. There are also especially interesting notes on how regionalized tomato breeding has been eschewed in favor of one-size-fits-all crops picked for traits like shelf life instead of flavor or disease resistance. Highly recommended reading that lends perspective to just how hard our farm is working to bring us the best produce possible.
And now, what you've all been waiting for - this week's share forecast:
Fruit share:
farm news, late blight, share forecast Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 1:34PM Lots of action today! First, please don't forget that order forms AND PAYMENT IN FULL are due by 8:00pm (the end of tonight's distribution) for our 2nd Market Day.
In other news, Norwich Meadows Farm is working overtime to get the amazing produce to us. Here's correspondence from Martha, bringing us the latest from the farm concerning operations, weather, increasing share sizes, and the late blight that you may have been reading about online or in the NY Times lately.
In the next few weeks as we increase production on the farm, you will notice an increase in your CSA shares. Please keep that in mind during leaner times when the share might be slightly less.
The last few weeks have been very hectic between a stolen truck, rainy cool weather, new personnel, and starting a new. We too have been afflicted by late blight. However, thank God, our tomatoes in the high tunnels have not suffered and we are taking precautions to make sure we do not get blight in the greenhouse. Many crops have been delayed due to the cool weather such as the abundance of squashes, cucumbers, and tomatoes until this last week. The weather continues to be a concern with the threat of rain almost everyday and temps barely reaching 80 f. Having said all of that things are settling down some now as we settle into somewhat of a routine. This year we are adding two rented farms one for crops and the other for livestock.We will be doing goat, lamb, beef, and Turkey in addition to the chicken.
Hope you are all having a wonderful summer!
Peace and light, Martha
Last but not least, here is this week's share forecast:
Fruit shares:
