CSA week 19; Frost Prep

On Friday of last week the forecast called for a low of 32 degrees and patchy frost. In preparation (and knowing that our farm usually sees lows as much as 8 degrees colder than the forecast), our crew raced to harvest and cover crops in the field. 2 trailer loads of winter squash, a dozen harvest bins of eggplant, and several thousand feet of row cover later, we turned our attention to irrigation.

One way of protecting crops from low temperatures is to mist them with water through the coldest hours of the night. This forms a protective layer of warmth over the leaves and fruits of the plant. As long as the layer is continuously refreshed while temps are below about 34 degrees you can expect even delicate crops like peppers, basil, and flowers to survive. Unfortunately, we are 9 weeks into a drought, and our irrigation ponds are somewhere between low and empty. Hence the scramble to harvest and remay in fields where there was no source of water. On the lower farm we were able to suck the last remaining gallons from our irrigation ponds and supplement from the river. By taking shifts resetting the pumps every 2 hours throughout Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights we saved most of Pick-Your-Own, Bonus, and “Steelies” field, despite a low of 28 degrees. In the dry fields the few winter squash that were left out and the few branches of peppers that were poking from under the remay were “toast,” proving that all our prep work was well worth it.
Looking back, we have only had frost in September once in the last 10 years. Historically, we can expect our first frost at the beginning of October, and recent trends have pushed us to expect it even later. With this in mind, we knew that if we could get through this cold snap we would have several more weeks of good growing season ahead of us. Sure enough, the forecast for the next 10 days keeps us well above the freezing point, so enjoy those summer crops while they last! When you are at the farm this week I especially encourage you to take advantage of picking flowers in the original PYO garden and beans in the Bonus Field garden. Please note that greens may need an extra rinse this week, since the last gallons of water from the ponds were a bit silty. And now, here comes a bit of welcome rain!

Cheers

Norah and the Sweetland Crew

Week 19 Harvest

Tomatoes
Kale
Rainbow Chard
Bell Peppers
Lettuce
Spinach
Cabbage
Tatsoi
Pac Choi
Beets
Carrots
Shallots
Delicata
Spaghetti Squash
Eggplant
Leeks
Zucchini

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 by entering your account phone number in our POS (member discounts are automatically applied to LocalLine purchases for off-farm delivery).