Well at Mud Creek Farms Thursday afternoons has become known as "tomato eggplant squash" harvest days, because that it what we have been doing for the past two months.
We harvested squash, then tomatoes and then eggplants, then after a break weeded the turnips or rutabaga or whatever. I have my eye on the delicato squash and Erin will start to distribute it soon (we only have 6 weeks or so left) or I will start to smuggle them home.
For over 15 weeks now we’ve been pretty lucky on Thursday afternoons, there has been some rain but nothing we couldn’t work through.Well, this past week, we had some showers. And the ground was extremely muddy from the rainstorms in the morning. When the weather cleared up, we harvested mizuna and red mustard, and then harvested broccoli.
As I come off the fields, I am asked farming questions from those that are picking up their share (It must be my muddy appearance that attracts these people). "Where is the okra?" "I have never seen tomatoes like this? How do you do grow these so well?" "Can you pick me out a good watermelon" and so on...my God, I am such a poser.
So, there was a sample of ground cherries with sign indicating we have ground cherries available for pick-up in the filld,. A woman, new to the farm who was picking up for her friend, took branches and stems with the ground cheeries attached, ans asked me "did I pick them right?" Now I had just found out no less than five minutes earlier that ground cheeries are only ready when they fall off the stem onto the ground, (hence the name). I had told her that I have been working here 4 months and just today found that ground cheeries are picked of the ground. I also suggested we try a few so I reached into her bag and took out the small fruit, peeled off the brown paper-like wrapper, and popped a greenish pebble into my mouth. It was hard and sour. The one she tried was bigger but sour also. So I told her that we both know now why we should wait until they fall off the stem.
Share was : 2 lbs of carrots (orange purple or yellow); 1 broccoli; 4 red peppers; 1 summer squash; 2 lbs. Aronidack blue potatoes; Choice of 2 (1 eggplant, 1 green squash); 3 lbs. of tomatoes, (red, yellow, plum); 1 ¾ lbs of onions (yellow or red); ¾ lb. of greens (mizuna, red mustard, arugula, golden frill, tatsoi); up to 4 watermelons (size of volleyball) : Upick of herbs tomatillos,okra and groundcherries.
The farm was featured in the local newspaper and my back and right shoulder received some good press.
We harvested tomatoes again : we filled about 8 or 9 plastic bread crates of tomatoes, each approximately 25 lbs or more. We used bread crates, because tomatoes should not be piled and the crates are stackable (like you see in a supermarket the bread does not get damaged)
We harvested about 250 melons . Actually rather than test, break the stem, walk to the tractor, and then return, repeat, we had a firemen relay. It was set up like this: Beth or Erin tests melon, breaks stem, volley to worker Paul, who volleyed the melon to me. It was fun catching the melon and keeping the count. The three of us probably harvested 250 melons in 1.5 hours. A quick calculation : probably over a ton of melons.
To end the day, Paul and I picked up some tall weeds that were really ready to go to seed. Anytime I can prevent the proliferation of weeds by yanking them out or hackin gthem down, I’m on it… We had to tiptoe through the fall squash field to avoid damage to the squash vines.
PS. The delicato squash look very good this year.
The share was : Handful of hot peppers; 4 red peppers; 2 onions; 2 lettuces; ½ greens mizuna, red mustard, tat soi, escarole ; 2 lbs of tomatoes; 2 melons
Choice (3) of eggplant, 1 small carton of potatoes, swiss chard (1 lb), kale (1 lb), 3 “chocolate colored” sweet peppers,
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Today we harvested peppers, squash and tomatoes.
I have been wondering why these postings are being simpler and simpler. On reason is I have been doing the same thing, harvesting peppers and tomoatoes for a month now,
The share his week was
2 Choices of eggplant (1), corn (2), container of okra,
Broccoli shoots
2 lbs carrots
3 red peppers
2 chocolate peppers
2 heads of lettuce
½ lb greens mizuna, golden frill, red mustard, escarole
2 canteloupes or watermelons (red or yellow)
Today we harvested peppers, squash and tomatoes. We picked only the fully red peppers.
The temperature was about 90 degrees, and everyone worked slow.
After break we harvested dragon beans. I think that is what they were called. I was too hot and tired to care. I do not like bean picking. I think that is because I do not like beans. I do not like doing things that I do not like doing, especially when I am hot. The beans are way back in the corner of the farm near the bee hives. The bees didn’t bother us, but I still get nervous when I see a lot of then swarming around. I do not like bees either when I am hot.
