Ripe Tomatoes in the Greenhouse
September continues to grace us with spectacular weather and though it seems that we could always use more rain, lately it seems to pour just in the nick of time. Just last week, Flint seeded a field to burdock for next spring and the rain that was predicted for later in the day never came. A few sunny days later, we begrudgingly planned the laborious process of setting up the irrigation pipe for the following morning. At dawn the next morning, the rains came! We had a great soaking, and although we are grateful for our irrigation pipes we were happy not to have to use them.
Burdock seed from last year has been harvested (a rather miserable task), cleaned, sorted and sown. Our spring sown crop of burdock will be ready for harvesting later this month for fall and winter sales.
We've had an amazing tomato season this year with a seemingly endless supply of particularly tasty and beautiful tomatoes. Tomatoes, unlike burdock seed, tend to be very enjoyable to harvest. We will continue to have B grade tomatoes for sale Tuesdays & Fridays, 8-noon, through September or while supplies last. Please check our website and/or answering machine for any and all updates. Our A grade tomatoes are still available at Adamant Coop, Bragg Farm, Hunger Mountain Coop & Plainfield Hardware.
I recently put in some lacinata kale, napa cabbage, zucchini, escarole and radicchio seedlings in our home garden for late fall harvest. Fall plantings seem a bit easier with less insect and weed pressure, but there are still those pesky varmints and they have been cleverly avoiding all my Havahart traps and snap traps. After a rather lengthy battle, I decided to surrender, and interestingly enough, they seemed to as well.
We've been busy harvesting and processing tomatoes, eggplants, tomatillos, zucchinis, radicchio, cantaloupes, cabbage, basil, onions and multiple varieties of colorful sweet and hot peppers. Flint has the biggest crop of hot peppers we've ever seen on the farm with many new and unusual varieties! I have been grilling and freezing ancho poblanos and green chiles, my absolute favorites. Due to the heat and lack of rain, this year's green chiles have a bit more heat than usual...but thankfully, not too much.
This year I have even remembered to dry herbs! Thyme, marjoram, mint, epazote and many medicinals herbs are on drying racks while the sun still shines. Italian parsley and basil I chop finely and mix with olive oil (think pesto), put in freezer bags and flattened. Garlic would be a good addition as well. Once frozen, I simply break off a piece and add to my favorite dishes, their flavors remain fresh and vibrant which is always welcome in the winter.
Thank goodness for gardens!
Sally and The Cate Farm Team
Richard and Flint have taken on a little side project... jacking up & repairing 1890 Cate Farm barn!