August has arrived!

purple basil is awesome!

This morning the ground was damp and the air was cool as I walked the fields creating the harvest list for this week.  After Saturday and Sunday, which were some of the sweatiest days ever on the farm, I welcomed the cool breeze, damp grass and warm sunlight on my face.  I passed by the place on the farm where this season’s garlic had been growing.  It’s been at least four weeks since we harvested that crop on a sweltering day in late June.  Since then, we have mowed and disc harrowed and seeded that field with a heavy cover crop of oats.  This morning, the oats were finally popping out of the ground, starting their task of growing tall and stretching their roots deep in the soil to promote healthy soil simply by growing, holding the soil and eventually being turned back into the earth.  Seeing the cover crop growing where there once had been garlic reminds me, once again, of the constant changes that occur on our farm, and the race to keep up with the seasons, the crops, the weeds and the harvesting.

In the meantime—the tomato harvest continues!  We were pleased to distribute ½ a pint of cherry tomatoes in the pick-your-own field last week—just a taste of what is to come!  And, our early tomato fields continue to turn out ripe tomatoes, despite some disease and a tough rain and wind storm last night.  We are patiently waiting for our main crop to ripen—the large green fruits staring at us as we walk by them in the fields.  This year we have 15 varieties to harvest. Some old favorites, like Japanese Black Trifele, Brandywine and Pink Beauty—and some new varieties, like Indigo Rose (a plum-looking tomato) and Lemon Boy (round and yellow).  We are constantly scouting for disease and doing our best to protect our plants from the Late Blight that continues to do damage to many farmers’ crops this season.

August can certainly be a month of rapid and multiple changes on our farm.  Those fields of cover crops, like the oats, start to grow where there once was spring and summer crops.  The tomatoes, peppers and eggplants demand all of our free moments, our hands turn a dark brown from picking—a dirt that doesn’t fade until October.  Our part-time summer help goes back to their non-farm jobs, and we return to the task of taking on all of the harvesting with out them! Luckily, the melons will ripen, providing the sweetest of treats to help us get through a long, hot, harvest day in August.

See you in the fields!

meryl (on behalf of the Powisset Farm Crew)

Our barn! As seen from the veggies fields!

What's in the Share:

Up in the barn:  herbs (choice of basil, sage or parcel), celery, carrots, tomatoes, peppers or eggplants, red mustard greens, potatoes, squash or cukes, garlic

Out in the fields: cherry tomatoes, beans, chard

Saturday Farm Stand at Powisset Farm!

Powisset farm has now opened it's farm stand on Saturdays from 10am-5pm!  Please spread the word!  Our farm stand is open to the public. We will be selling Powisset Farm produce and flowers as well as local honey, jam, granola, eggs and more. The farm stand is a great way to pick up extra produce for your week, as well as provide non-CSA members a chance to take home some Powisset produce!