Rain and Contingency Plans

Rain and Contingency Plans

We had a big rain on Thursday, a real gully washer.  On Sunday the field had dried out enough for Randy to use the disk harrow.  But one dry day is not enough to prepare the soil and shape beds.  Then more rain again Monday.  Every year in the 10 years previous we have had summer crops planted by now.  So we have been adapting the plan as much as possible to try to keep things growing so that we will have crops ripen on schedule (or close to it).

I potted up the first succession of tomatoes in the greenhouse into 4 inch pots.  Their leaves were starting to yellow and some of the plants starting to flower, which is a sign of stress.   The second succession is already nearly as tall.  I don’t want all my tomatoes to mature at the same time, so I have to keep those early ones growing even though I cannot plant them into the field.  So bigger pots it is.  This takes time and material resources.  Hopefully it will be worth it.

The squash plants are also eager to get into the ground, and squash is very impatient.  If left in seedling tray too long it will get stunted and never reach its potential.  So I planted squash and zucchini into some high tunnel beds that I was saving for the second succession of peppers.  It didn’t make much of a dent in the squash and zucchini, I still have several trays waiting in the greenhouse.  But yesterday we seeded more so there will be fresh plants on the way if we have to chuck some of the early planting in the compost pile.  And where will I plant those peppers that were supposed to go where there is now squash?  I have at least a couple of weeks for figure that out.

I’ve already flipped the bok choy beds in the high tunnel and planted cucumbers.  The kohlrabi will be all harvested out at the end of the week, giving me two more beds.  But I have so much more ready to plant than what I can squeeze into the tunnels.  In addition to the tomatoes and squash, there is also eggplant and basil ready to go in the ground.

It will dry out.  And we will get summer crops planted.  And hopefully I won’t regret any of the last minute changes I made to The Plan to accommodate the very uncooperative weather.

Raw or Cooked?

Looking at an unfamiliar vegetable in your CSA share and wondering what to do with it?  I am often asked if certain greens or vegetables should be eaten raw or cooked.   The advise I give is simple; taste it raw.  If you don’t like it, try it cooked.  Take lettuce, for example.  Americans almost always eat lettuce raw, but it is often cooked in French and Chinese cuisines.  I love raw radishes chopped up as a crunchy garnish on a wide variety of foods, but I also love radishes cooked.  They are delicious roasted or sauteed, especially if you find them to be too hot when raw.  I always cook chard but I also know people who juice it raw.  Randy likes to munch on raw okra, a vegetable I only eat cooked.

My point is, there are no rules!  Eat it however you want.  We just hope you enjoy it.

Small Shares

• Strawberries
• Bok Choy
• Salad Mix
• Crunchy King Radishes
• Purple Kohlrabi
• Rainbow Chard

Full Shares

• Strawberries
• Bok Choy
• Salad Mix
• Crunchy King Radishes
• Mini Napa Cabbage
• Hakurei Turnips