- Gold Potatoes - 1 quart
- Winter Squash - Delicata 2
- Broccoli - 1 bunch
- Cucumbers EUROS - 1 + additional field cuke
- Carrots - 1lb
- Salad Turnips or radishes w/ greens - 1 bunch
- Lettuce - 1 head
- Kale - 1 bunch
- Tomatoes - 1
- Herbs - Cilantro or Basil - 1 bunch
Greetings to New and current members!
The Great Harvest continues. We did it!! Thanks to all those who helped with the "Squash Harvest". Pumpkins are also in. We welcome you to walk through the retail greenhouse by the farm stand to watch the dark green pumpkins finish their color changing tricks, as they ripen, they will turn more and more orange as each week passes, and we approach Halloween.
Our next challenge is to harvest the potatoes. This is an amazing process. If you are in the area you should watch "The big Green Machine" as it lifts the potatoes out of the ground with the huge two row harvester. The spuds and soil are lifted up with the digger blade. Soon the excess soil and weeds fall away as they tumble up onto the padded long chains higher and higher until they reach the top of the harvestor where 4 workers quickly sort out the last rocks and weeds before the potatoes ride over on a conveyor belt into the tractor pulled "V" box (shaped like the letter "V", hence the name). The potatoes gently tumble into the wagon until it is filled to the brim. Onward to the barn, they go. The "V" box unloads from the bottom into a potato sorter which sorts them into several standard sizes. "Chefs" are XL and are usually only sold to restaurants, then "A's" the most typical large potatoes for baking, "B's" are a little smaller and most commonly found in your bagged potatoes and then very small "C's" used again by the restaurants for gourmet roasting those delicious little bites {I also love these little ones, just a quick scrubbing and no peeling as they plop into my favorite soups and stews}.
Beware if you grow any plants in the brassica family, such as: broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts, bok choy, broccoli rabb, cabbage and mustard greens. A new enemy has arrived in Vermont. The "Swede midge" which is an invasive insect pest, recently expanding its range and we have found it here. The midge attacks the growing tips of brassica plants. In some regions of Canada damage levels have reached 100%. Although only a few moderately successful tactics are possible for organic production at this time. So until we can organically deter this pest, please cut off the brown scaly spots left behind on your broccoli, which is still fine to eat.
Enjoy your vegetables!
Anne
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