Summer Arrived
Summer arrived during the week and so did some much needed rain. The rain definitely perked up the crops. We received about 1/3" of rain each day between the 19th & 21st. Farmer Rich & Leslie worked hard all week working on irrigation and replanting beds. Farmer Rich plowed up a new section to finish transplanting peppers & eggplant. With the new drip irrigation system and long rows of plastic, Farmer Rich was finding it difficult to keep the weeds from invading between the rows. He spent the better part of Thursday cultivating long rows with the rototiller (so he could find the plants).
From the Fields: The fava bean crop is not "beaning" up as they should. Mostly likely cause is the late planting due to severe cold weather we had through April. They are usually planted around March 15th, but at that time the ground was still frozen and Farmer Rich couldn't plant until April. Another crop has been planted for the newest "gourmet" crop of the year - fava greens! You'll get your first taste of fava greens in tonight's delivery. Tuesday, Leslie transplanted into cells lettuce & broccoli to be planted into the fields in about 2 weeks. More tomatoes, 7 varieties of sweet peppers & some hot peppers were also transplanted. Red amaranth, basil, cucumbers, kale & arugula were also planted into the fields.
Weather Report: Despite the rain, the ground remains quite dry. Farmer Rich is diligently irrigating the crops. The hot weather to come definitely will impact the cooler weather crops which are now being replaced by the warm weather crops. Lettuces & greens start to bolt and want to go to seed.
What's Up & Growing: The gai lan crop has failed and was replaced on Sunday by radishes. The tomato crop is coming along overall very well. The chard, sorrell, collards & kale are all coming along nicely and you should start seeing them in your deliveries in the coming weeks. Our squash isn't doing well, but with our neighboring farmers Diane & Shawna we should start having squash soon. On target are the onions & garlic, and green onions probably will be delivered next week. The garlic bulbs are bulbing up now and the harvest will start in July.
Animal Report: Looks like the culprits who have been eating the lettuces are a few baby rabbits. Instead of eating a few whole heads, they have been enjoying munching on many heads as they move down the row. I guess they are sampling the varieties. Farmer Rich 
interplanted green & red lettuce, so it must have looked like quite a layout for the rabbits!
Rabbit in the Field - Sometime Farmer Sue caught this rabbit up by the pond last week. It's probably not the one eating your lettuces, as it was outside the fence.
Pick of the Week: Click on the link below (or on the right) for your drop-off location. This time of year the deliveries will be the same in pounds & variety but may include different items at each location.
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