Salsa Time!
We had a great day at the annual Heirloom Tomato Tasting on Sunday and got to meet many of our Hoboken members there. It was non-stop 4 hours of fun for tomato lovers who were able to taste both heirloom & hybrid tomatoes. Needless to say this will be what we call our “salsa” delivery week as you will have in your delivery everything needed to make salsa. Farmer Rich had to harvest your tomatoes and put them aside before the event, as we never know if there will be any tomatoes left! We were away from farming to get ready for the event & the event day, so your lettuces were harvested a day earlier than normal but were stored in the cooler.
We avoided a huge disaster this week! Rich noticed some oil dripping from the back of the delivery van at drop-off in Mahwah last Monday. Since this was a similar problem that we had one year ago he decided to get over to a favorite mechanic Joe, in Ridgewood. It was a seal on the read-end that needed to be replaced again (soon we’ll need to have the whole read-end replaced as the seals will continue to falter). But in putting the van up on the lift, Joe noticed that the inside walls of the tires had serious gash-like defects that could have blown at any time, especially with a heavy load going at high speed on the highway. The tires all had great tread and no defects on the outside walls, so no-one would have ever known that the tires were this faulty. Needless to say that Joe’s pick-up of this probably saved Farmer’s Rich life! Of course all the Hoboken/Jersey City Tuesday delivery was on the van and needed to be off-loaded. As I teach on Monday nights I was unable to pickup Rich to get him back to the farm to pick-up his old S-10 pickup, but my Dad came to the rescue.
What started out to be an inconvenience turned into a blessing.
Fruit – This week is we have picked up Flaming Fury Peach from Windy Brow Farm located in Newton, NJ. Since peaches were still available (& won’t be for long) we decided to include peaches again this week. You’ll soon be getting apples.
From the Fields: Tuesday, Leslie removed the “stumps” left by the groundhog feast in the Franklin greenhouse & prepared the bed to be transplanted with Oriental greens. She transplanted in the fields some mixed lettuces & bok choi for fall deliveries. The turnips did not germinate well and will be plowed up & replaced by radishes. The dicon radishes, beets, red mustard & cilantro all are doing well. Farmer Rich hopes to be able to get into the back field this week to pick rocks & till it up for an expanded field for next year.
Weather Report: We had drier weather this past week and Farmer Rich had to start up the irrigation system. It continues to be cool at night, with a low of 44ºF. It really has been great working weather, but not great to tomatoes to ripen up. Farmer Rich even had to put gloves on in the early morning hours.
Pick of the Week: click on the links below or to the right to bring you to the delivery specific to your pick-up location. Deliveries will be of similar variety & poundage, but may contain different items. Occasionally, some crops are ready to harvest but not enough to deliver to all our drop-off locations. What we do is start to filter them in each week to a different drop-off until there is enough to delivery to everyone.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Vol 13 No 11 - Week of August 18th
Heirloom Tomato Tasting Sunday
Stop by the Hoboken Historical Museum on Sunday for the 9th Annual Tomato Tasting between 1 – 5 pm. We hope to meet many of our local Hoboken & Jersey City members there. Always a great event!
We were short of help this week as Leslie was out sick most of the week. The pick-of-the-week is a little lighter than normal as we did not have enough help or time to harvest.
Saturday we had a beautiful day for the trip-to-the-farm and with the help was able to get up the failed cauliflower and weed the sorrel bed. The cauliflower bed is being replaced by lettuce and Chinese cabbage.
Fruit – This week is we have picked up Allstar Peach from Windy Brow Farm located in Newton, NJ.
From the Fields: The New Zealand spinach is still doing well and unfortunately we couldn’t pick it this week, but it should be more coming in the next week or two. More oriental greens & lettuce are planned on being trans-planted into the fields this week. Our squash has really slowed down, but a new planting is coming along. The tomatoes are looking good, but the cooler temps have stalled their ripening. The back field has been plowed but we haven’t been able to get back there to get it ready for next year, such as putting up fencing. In Franklin, Leslie plans on cleaning up the beds & get them ready for some fall greens. Our fields at Scott’s are doing well, with tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, & eggplant coming along ok. We just hope for a little warmer temperature, especially for the tomatoes & eggplant.
Weather Report: Scattered thunderstorms have been passing through & fortunately they are helping our newly seeded mustard, radishes & turnips. Farmer Rich thought he might have to replant the red mustard but it is coming along quite nicely. We have having very cool temperatures for August. It is nice to work in, but not good for many of the field crops. The August full moon came on Saturday and is known as the Green Corn Moon or the Grain Moon, but the August full moon did not affect the crops very much at the farm!
9th Annual Heirloom Tomato Tasting –Hoboken Historical Museum Sunday – August 26th 1 – 5 pm. We plan on having a great selection of heirloom tomatoes as well as farm fresh produce for sale. The Hoboken Historical Museum is located at: 1301 Hudson Street
Farming Quote of the Week: Man - despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication, and his many accomplishments - owes his existence to a six inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains. Unknown author
Work Day @ the Farm
Weeding the sorrel patch with Farmer Rich.
Pick of the Week: click on the links below or to the right to bring you to the delivery specific to your pick-up location. Deliveries will be of similar variety & poundage, but may contain different items. Occasionally, some crops are ready to harvest but not enough to deliver to all our drop-off locations. What we do is start to filter them in each week to a different drop-off until there is enough to delivery to everyone.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Vol 13 No 10 - Week of August 11th
Animal Attack
This week has been tough as we had both a field attack at the farm & a greenhouse attack in Franklin by groundhogs. In the greenhouse attack the groundhog ate rows of oriental greens including the almost ready to be harvest yukana savoy (which he apparently loved). It also decided to eat alot of cherry tomatoes as well as the Japanese Truffle tomato variety. We have a rabbit still munching in the fields. It has been enjoying your lettuce, not quite like the groundhog that will devour everything in its path. Fruit – This week is we have picked up Redhaven Peach from Windy Brow Farm located in Newton, NJ. “The Redhaven Peach is the peach by which all others are measured.” Next week, Farmer Jim says that apples will be starting. He offers quite a variety of heirloom apples during the season. From the Fields: All the potatoes have been harvested. Our field at Farmer Scott’s has some real nice tomatoes coming along. There are just starting to ripen so then will be in the deliveries over the next couple of weeks. We have lots of heirloom varieties on the horizon. The rototiller attachment for the tractor has been fixed. It was the clutch and has been put all back together. Weather Report: We have been getting some nice rain and that is helping with the transplants in the field. More rain is in the forecast for week. Farmer Rich has not had to irrigate at all this week, but the newly seeded field does need rain, so if it doesn’t come in the next day or two, Rich will have to turn on the irrigation system. Trip to the Farm – August 16th 11 am to ? Some members from our original CSA drop-off in NYC want to come up to the farm and help, so we are putting together another work-day. Projects for the work day will include helping with weeding, mulching and help with some field work. Please RVSP if you plan to attend so that we can plan on refreshments. 9th Annual Heirloom Tomato Tasting –Hoboken Historical Museum Sunday – August 26th 1 – 5 pm. We plan on having a great selection of heirloom tomatoes as well as farm fresh produce for sale. The Hoboken Historical Museum is located at: 1301 Hudson Street Farming Quote of the Week: There is virtue yet in the hoe and the spade, for learned as well as for unlearned hands. And labor is everywhere welcome; always we are invited to work. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Pick of the Week: click on the links below or to the right to bring you to the delivery specific to your pick-up location. Deliveries will be of similar variety & poundage, but may contain different items. Occasionally, some crops are ready to harvest but not enough to deliver to all our drop-off locations. What we do is start to filter them in each week to a different drop-off until there is enough to delivery to everyone.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Vol 13 No 9 - Week of August 4th
Fall Crops Finally In
On Thursday, Leslie tilled up the vacant areas in the fields to prepare for fall plantings. Upon completion the rototiller died. Apparently it seized up and we are not fully sure what is wrong as Farmer Rich is not really mechanical. Farmer Adam & friend Bill investigated the problem and gave us some insight. It is all dismantled at this point and we hope to have it fixed by next week. Luckily it died after the tilling was done. Friday, Farmer Rich was able to plant beets, cilantro, radishes, mustards and turnips in the open field. Saturday we received some much needed rain which will bring these crops along quite nicely.
NJ State Fair – Sussex Farm & Horse Show continues to August 10th. Sussex Fair Grounds are located @ 37 Plains Road Augusta, NJ 07822, just off of Route 15 & 206.
Fruit – This week is we have picked up Shiro from Windy Brow Farm located in Newton, NJ. Shiro is another Japanese variety plum with medium sized yellow (sometimes with a pinkish blush) fruit. It is pleasantly sweet and juicy.
From the Fields: Farmer Adam is going to be plowing up our two new fields this week. We’ll also have to fence them in, but that can wait until we have them ready for planting next year. The New Zealand spinach is going just great. We are delivering it this week and next week as well. This field was mulched heavily in the spring and has not needed water, which is a plus due to the dry periods we have had. We received a lot of e-mails from members just loving the NZ spinach, so look forward to more. The zucchini have started to slow down. Leslie transplanted lettuce, celeriac and squash in the field this week. We have some great looking cauliflower plants in the field, but they do not appear to be making any cauliflower! We don’t know the cause. More potatoes need to be harvested. Potato varieties include “all-blue”, Rote Ersling, “all-red”, Yukon gold and red norland. More red onions need to be harvested too, and we need to get these soon or they will be lost.
Weather Report: Cooler temperatures and rain were the norm for this week, though on Friday the excess heat & humidity almost caused Farmer Rich to pass out while he was planting in the new beds. Luckily a cold front moved through with rain storms on Saturday and we did not get the predicted hail.
Animal report: So far the “thousands” of rabbits are staying clear of the fields as well as no groundhogs sighted this week. Our thistle plants are attracting the gold finches and we have a neighborhood woodpecker making it’s rounds in the woods. Our resident great blue heron has not arrived at the pond this year. Perhaps he is on a vacation.
Trip to the Farm – August 16th 11 am to ? Some members from our original CSA drop-off in NYC want to come up to the farm and help, so we are putting together another work-day. Projects for the work day will be posted in upcoming newsletters.
Farming Quote of the Week: The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn't still be a farmer. Will Rogers
Pick of the Week: click on the links below or to the right to bring you to the delivery specific to your pick-up location. Deliveries will be of similar variety & poundage, but may contain different items. Occasionally, some crops are ready to harvest but not enough to deliver to all our drop-off locations. What we do is start to filter them in each week to a different drop-off until there is enough to delivery to everyone.
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