Catalpa Ridge News–Volume 21 No 17–October 4, 2016

 

Garlic Fest Saturday in Sussex!

 

News from the Fields & Farm:  We had a rainy, cool week. The tomato harvest continues which is great to have heirlooms this late in the season. The tomato plants are close to shutting down now that the cooler shorter days are here. We are hoping for another week.

 

We had the second new moon in one month with the “Black Moon” appearing on Sept 30^th. A black moon is opposite of a blue moon (a second full moon in the same calendar month).

 

We headed up to Saugerties, NY to the annual Garlic Festival on Saturday. We like to pick up some new varieties to try in the fields for next year. We were surprised that there wasn’t too much color change in the fall foliage up there yet (Saugerties is about 90 miles away). Many are speculating that the drought the area has been having (along with Northern NJ) will mute the autumn foliage colors. The leaves may actually turn brown and fall off the trees before they reach their peak color.

 

Garlic bed preparation will begin soon. We have to select an area that has loose, good draining soil and check the soil nutrition. Garlic grows best in nitrogen rich soil. Once the beds are ready we can start to plant. Here is a look at how we plant the garlic:

 

Franklin Greenhouse Report: Status quo at the Franklin Greenhouse. The only new item that we will be harvesting from this greenhouse are the Diakon Radishes. We are holding off harvesting the beets in the greenhouse with the hopes that they will size up better. Otherwise, the beet greens are gorgeous.

 

Weather report: About ½” of rain feel during the week. Though the fields are wet, the rain really hasn’t helped with the overall drought conditions.

 

Kabocha Squash – Interesting information from Wikipedia: “Portuguese sailors introduced the kabocha to Japan in 1541, bringing it with them from Cambodia. The Portuguese name for the squash Cambodia abóbora (カンボジャ・アボボラ), was shortened by the Japanese to kabocha.”

 

Upcoming Event Saturday 10 am – 4 pm: 

 

Sussex County Harvest, Honey & Garlic Festival – October 8 – 10 am – 4 pm Sussex Fair Grounds – Augusta, NJ.

 

Make a trip to Sussex County on Saturday and enjoy a “Stinkin Day” of Fun!

 

The Sussex County Harvest, Honey & Garlic Festival will celebrate the agri‑ecotourism, arts & heritage of New Jersey's great northwest with displays & info about northern NJ's open spaces. We will have garlic at this event!