fall is here. We like the cooler weather and hoping for rain. CSA member Eric Allen asked me about potatoes last week. You might not be so aware about the drought we had. I the past month we had one day of rain which went down about an inch and a few short showers which did not really give any break from the heat. We have been constantly watering, but had to focus on crops that were either just trying to germinate like the fall carrots of fall spinach or on water intensive crops like the greens, zucchini, cukes spinach. Tomatoes and broccoli, kale got a once a week watering and the broccoli does not like the heat and is growing slow. (We had to take it for Birdsfoot and hope if will pick up with this cooler weather to share more with you) . The root crops planted in April and May were established and I let them roll on their own. Which resulted in a crop failure of the first potatoes. They had fair greenery, but hardly any and if so small potatoes. The second planting went in late and the third planting regular late. (for the third planting planted last week in June or first week in July we don't have to worry about potato beetles anymore. They have done their thing by then. ) So the second planting is sizing up and we will start harvesting shortly to have good potatoes for you. Normally I would wait to let them get bigger, but you have been so patient with me. There are 1500' of potatoes coming and I am watering them 2-3 hrs each row as I can fit them in. Please love your potatoes when they come.
So far we did not get late blight and the tomatoes are still going, a bit slower then before. We have lots of apples and I will sens an apple cake recipe along in case you can not keep up with fresh eating.
We had a porcupine eating the cilantro and then the mixed greens and I had met him on the garden path a few times and told them to cut it out. But when he took down an entire spinach planting I got the life trap out and caught him the next day. He was so heavy that I shuttled him in the garden cart to the van to taxi him far away. He did not want out of the trap and I tried to shake him out and he just clung to the trap wire. Finally he backed out and trolled away. There is peace for now in the gardens. Really with all those apples do they need veggies? I guess there are only so many apples one can eat.
Oh wonders peppers. Robert asked me how come we have green, black yellow and red peppers. I told him that all peppers start green or black (chocolate) and turn to red or yellow as they mature and that the red ones taste sweeter than the green ones and we had a taste testing in the kitchen. It takes longer for a plant to make red peppers and one can harvest more if picking only green one, because then they make more to make more fruit for reproduction. We like the sweeter taste and give out red peppers to you.
Since school is back on I am Mamma making lunch and getting Kira up in the mornings and do the house keeping during the week. It was nice to have the summer off, but I don't mind as it gives me more time in our lovely Hugging House while listening to the radio.
Have a happy equinox this weekend. We are going camping for our anniversary.
Dulli