Farm Update
Hi everyone! The nature of farming and gardening is that it is a huge ecosystem of moving parts. Each crop, insect, animal, and person is on its own path, but those paths intersect and push against each other, sometimes changing the trajectory of the individual plant, person, or bug. And all of us (plant, animal, person, and insect) are all at the mercy of the weather. This ends up meaning, inevitably, that some individuals in the ecosystem have to suffer so that another can do well. For example, the potato beetles have to suffer an untimely death so that the potatoes can thrive, and the people can have an abundant potato harvest. The onions, who would love nothing better than to be left in the ground over the winter to come back in the spring, flower, and produce their little onion babies, are frustrated in this plan by the humans, who very inconsiderately pull them out of the ground and eat them before they've had a chance to produce a new generation of onions. And the people pour a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (and water and compost) into the plants, and sometimes that crop just doesn't work out. At the farm, there are always some things that are thriving and some things that aren't.
I always try to take that philosophical view when faced with multiple simultaneous disappointments, and right now is no exception. While looking over the proposed roster of CSA veggies for this week, I couldn't help but grumble that we should have a lot more kale, much more spring mix, a bunch more blueberries, and... hey, what's the deal with the peppers? Why don't we have peppers yet?
And I know why, of course. We had a few late frosts that damaged our kale plants much more than we expected, then we had an extended drought that caused the blueberry plants to be too thirsty for too long, and they didn't produce as many blueberries as usual. And our last planting of spring mix didn't germinate properly for a reason we can't quite pin down, but it might be due to excessive heat, or to oversaturation of the soil after so much rain. Any one of these weather-related shortfalls would be more easily absorbed, because a farm as diversified as ours has natural shock absorption, and the things that are thriving can pick up the slack for the things that are not. But when they are all happening at once, it feels a little bit (or a lot) discouraging. We have an idea in our minds of what the CSA shares this time of year should include, and how much variety there should be, and this week, nature just hasn't cooperated with that vision. We'll likely still have some of those veggies at the drop-offs, but I am hesitant to put them on the roster, because I don't want anyone to base their meal plan around them and then be disappointed at the drop-off.
But as always, even though we don't have as much of some crops as we feel we should right now, there are things that are doing well and growing abundantly. Green beans are here, and we have a lot of them! I always look forward to our fresh green beans, and they have finally arrived! Our onions have hit the bulbing stage in their life cycle, which is when they start putting more energy into the underground part of the plant, instead of the above ground part, and the bulbs are starting to look more like what we generally think of as onions. And this week, we seeded the next round of spring mix, carrots, cilantro, and dill, which will be ready to harvest in the fall. Fred and I actually got to visit two large farmers markets over the last few weeks (the Davison Farmers Market last weekend and Detroit's Eastern Market this morning), and we were reminded again of how top-notch our veggies are and how much quality and variety we actually do have compared with what is generally available.
In the meantime, the life cycle of the farm continues to march on. The hot weather and plentiful rain we've had recently have really caused the weeds to grow by leaps and bounds, so we have a lot of weeding to do in the upcoming week! Fred was actually able to drive the tractor with the mowing attachment over the especially tall weeds growing up in our potato beds, because the green above-ground part of the potato plants are beginning their annual process of dying back. Around this time every summer, the potato plants start to put less of their limited energy into their leafy parts, and more energy into their roots (ie, the part we eat). When that happens, the leafy parts start to lose their vibrant green color and look a little less vigorous, and they get a little limp. When this happens, they are no longer as tall, and Fred can actually drive over them with the mower attachment on the tractor and get the tall weeds under control without damaging the potato plants. So he did that this week, which definitely helped. It's all a part of the natural cycle that is the farm, and I guess that includes the wins and losses too. I try to remember that, let it go, and keep my expectations realistic. But you still might hear me grumble a little bit at the drop-off. :-)
With that said, here we go into week 6! See you soon!
What to Expect in the Shares this Week
If you pick up at our Alma, Mt. Pleasant, or Midland drop-off, here are the options for your shares! If you have a half share, you’ll choose one item from each choice category, and if you have a full share, you’ll choose two. And if there is something you don’t like or can’t eat, you can bring it to the trading station at the end and trade it for something you like better.
- Green beans
- Potatoes
- Cherry tomatoes or carrots
- Cucumbers, fennel, or cabbage
- Basil, green onions, or cilantro
- Swiss chard or zucchini
- White Spanish onion, garlic, or microgreens
If you pick up at our Lansing, Okemos, St. Johns, Midland hospital, or Alma hospital drop-off, or if you have home or workplace delivery, here are your options! We have three different prepacked shares, and you can let me know which one you want by filling out this quick form by lunchtime the day before your drop-off. If you have a half share, you can choose one of these options, and if you have a full share, you’ll choose two.
Share A:
- Green beans
- Potatoes
- Cherry tomatoes
- fennel
- Basil
- Zucchini
- White Spanish onion
Share B:
- Green beans
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Basil
- Chard
- Fresh garlic
Share C:
- Green beans
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Cucumbers
- Cilantro
- Zucchini
- White Spanish onion
Recipes
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