The News from Windflower Farm
Our Windflower hats are ready and we will be sending them to your CSA sites this week. If you ordered one, please be sure to pick it up.
What’s in the share?
- Tomatoes
Broccoli or Happy Rich BroccoliniYellow onions- Summer squash or zucchini
- Cucumbers
- Romaine lettuce
- Arugula
- Mustard mix
- Purple kale or a second lettuce
- Spring turnips or radishes
The fruit share will be sweet cherries from Yonder Farm.
What’s new on the farm?
The farm staff planted and weeded and trellised and generally got caught up on farm projects last week when we made no produce deliveries. The place looks pretty good. We also harvested all the garlic, the early onions, and a bumper crop of cucumbers (most of which were donated to the local food pantry). Nate seeded beans (a third succession), carrots, dill, cilantro, and a variety of greens, including spinach and arugula.
And I worked on some cultivating equipment. The old I&J got a 21st Century addition: a set of trim cones. Nothing fancy, something like a new feather on a favorite old fedora. They are intended to make weeding the edges of mulched beds less destructive. And then I spent some time on my old boat installing sails for a new season and then cruising with a friend up to Valcour Island, the scene of the American Navy’s very first battle which took place under the leadership of Benedict Arnold. We watched fireworks on the return trip against the backdrop of the Green Mountains.
And now it’s back to the heat of our farm fields. I was asked recently about how we deal with these high summer temperatures. Most of the crew beats the heat by starting early. You can wrap up a 9-hour workday by 3:30 if you start at 6:00 am. Long sleeve shirts, broad brimmed hats, and ready access to water are also key to dealing with these hot days. We tackle any greenhouse work first. I’ve become a fan of the siesta. I’ll start early, rest during the hot part of the day, and then work for a while in the evening. The youngsters, for whom this might be a very first job, work a standard day in the shade of the packing shed, where temperatures are more moderate. When all else fails, ten minutes in the walk-in cooler can really help.
Hoping you had an enjoyable Fourth of July.
Cheers, Ted
Central Brooklyn CSA 