CSA Week 10; Scouting and Sleuthing

Greetings from Sweetland

Each week we set aside time to visit all of our fields on one big “field walk.” Although we are out harvesting, weeding, planting, or mowing in or around the fields throughout the week, it’s helpful to make a special walk-about (usually with clipboard in hand) with our thinking hats on. This is the time that we scout for new pests, make notes about weeding and other work priorities, plan the following week’s harvest, and discover un-anticipated hiccups. It’s amazing how much changes between field walks, especially this time of year. Last week’s weeding suggestions become emergencies, crops that were ambling along in growth suddenly hit their stride, and grass that was just getting a little scruffy is snapping against the bottom strand of electric fence. With all this growth, it must be July!

Often, the scouting work of the field walk is followed up with some serious sleuthing back at the office. After 20 years of farming I am still learning new things every day. This week’s walk had me on the phone with a fellow chicken farmer, sharing ideas about best practices for the birds’ daily move to new pasture. That was followed up with an email to UVM Extension about how to conduct a bioassay of soil in a field with poor germination rates. And the right side of my computer screen is currently graced with images of corn earworm and corm armyworm. There’s so much to know and so much to learn out there!

Field walks aren’t all problems and questions, though. The weekly rounds include plenty of delightful discoveries to go along with the head scratchers. This week the dark blue-green of the leeks told of their health and vigor. A trip past the sweet potatoes revealed that the crew had finished their weeding sweep just in time for the vines to start crawling into the aisles. And watching a mama duck glide across the irrigation pond was a tranquil added bonus. With 15 acres of veggie fields dotting the landscape, interspersed with managed pastures, hay fields, orchards, ponds, forests, and barns, our weekly cruise is an opportunity to appreciate what we’re accomplishing, and update the ever-present To-Do list!

Cheers

Norah and the Sweetland Crew

Week 10 Harvest

Half Pint

Tomatoes, 2

Cucumbers, 3

Napa Cabbage, 1 head

Broccoli, 1 head

Beets, small bunch

Summer Squash/Zucchini, 2 pounds

Fennel, 1 head

Mesclun, .25 pounds

Brimming Basket

Tomatoes, 3

Cucumbers, 4

Napa Cabbage, 1 head

Broccoli, 2 heads

Beets, medium bunch

Summer Squash/Zucchini, 3 pounds

Fennel, 2 heads

Mesclun, .35 pounds

Cherry Tomatoes, Half Pint

Veggie Monster

Tomatoes, 4

Cucumbers, 5

Napa Cabbage, 2 heads

Broccoli, 3 heads

Beets, large bunch

Summer Squash/Zucchini, 4 pounds

Fennel, 3 heads

Mesclun, .5 pounds

Cherry Tomatoes, Pint

What’s Cooking This Week

You can find ingredients for all of these recipes in our farm store! We source meats, dairy, grains, beans, sweets, and more from local and sustainable producers. Don’t forget to use your CSA member discount!