“Within our food system, people don’t think of seeds…
They are the ultimate part of the food system.
They are the beginning and the end of the food system.”
— Alison Magill, Slow Food Seacoast
I was reading the quote above this week and thought it appropriate to share as we wrap up the 2020 summer season. With your help, Daily Blessings Farm has delivered produce and eggs to homes, markets and bakeries throughout the Rogue and Illinois Valley for 20 weeks now. What started with a planted seed is now ending with seed saving. Some seeds will be saved for replanting next spring, other seeds will be used in fall décor arrangements and some will be packaged and eaten. What seeds do you eat in your home?
I love how international seed vaults bring the world together with a goal of feeding the people. Many of you don’t know I have a background in science as well as education. I worked for the OSU Southern Oregon Research and Experiment Station, and I continue to look for science based data to direct my agricultural decisions. My focus in plant pathology was on the commercial pear industry where I identified diseases impacting the large pear orchards in Jackson, Josephine and Klamath counties.
As a thank you for your support of Daily Blessings Farm this season, I have enclosed a package of marigold seeds grown here on the farm. I encourage you to plant them next spring and pass on the tradition of sharing seeds with others in the spirit of promoting pollinators, biodiversity, healthy food and kindness.
If you have kids or grand-kids, this is a great time of year to go for a walk and collect seeds. Your box this week will include one of my seed lessons that focus about the four types of seeds: grabbers, floaters, spinners and drifters. Go for a walk and see if you can find examples of all four. Glue them onto the page provided. Have fun!
Some of you will continue to receive produce for six more weeks as we begin the fall season. This Tuesday, September 22nd we celebrate the Fall Solstice. We are already noticing a significant drop in temperatures and shortened daylight. This is what causes the green in leaves to depart for fall.
This Week in Your Box …..
Peppers: Green bell peppers, mild Shishito and hot jalapenos are offered separately this week again. With the return of the sun, I can more reliably predict ripening.
Cucumbers (Mixed): A mixed 2 lb. quantity of Armenian, lemon and green Marketmore cucumbers.
Summer Squash (Mixed): Summer squash production is significantly less as we reach the end of the season. Order this week by the pound and receive a mix of zucchini, yellow crookneck and Y-star scallop squash.
Basil: The basil survived two weeks of smoky conditions. Order a bouquet of 6 stems.
Strawberries: Available by the pint this week.
Watermelon: This is by far the biggest watermelon harvest week so far. A few will continue to ripen if the weather remains warm, otherwise, this may be the last of them. Choose between the red flesh Sugar Babies, yellow flesh New Orchid or green flesh Arava
Cantaloupe: Most of this week’s musk melons are the Sweet Granite variety with a couple Hearts of Gold mixed in.
Potatoes: Order by the pound this week and choose from white Kennebec and Norland Red varieties.
Herbs: The end of summer brings our culinary herbs back. Choose from fresh rosemary, winter thyme, and parsley. If you don’t use them fresh, you can dry them all easily and save for a rainy day.
Onions: Yellow Alisa Craig and Walla Walla large bulb onions.
Shallots: The two shallot varieties are Matador and Conservor. Both have the lovely purple tunic (papery skin) and mild, sweet onion flavor.
Pears: Just a couple pounds of these snack size juicy treats left.
Flowers: I’m ripping out the flowers over the next couple weeks to prepare the soil for cover crop planting, but I still have some lovely dahlias, zinnias and sunflowers. Order these little bouquets (6-8 stems) for a nice addition to a kitchen table or bathroom.
Swiss chard: This may be the last week for Swiss Chard. If you love chard, order this week and enjoy.
Beets: This week I’ll harvest the last of the Red Ace Beets. Beet tops will be sold separately and the beets will be available in 1 pound bags again.
Extras:
1. Eggs
2. Garlic Basil Pesto: 8 oz container made with garlic scapes, basil and cashews. I have frozen it so give it a stir when you get it home.
3. Soothing Salve for your skin – my own recipe for dry, chapped hands
4. Dried Pepper Flakes made from my own mixture of dried Poblano, red and green bell, hot padrone and paprika peppers
5. Dried Basil
6. Trio Green Beans: They are back in limited supply with some yellow waxed beans mixed in.
What's Happening on the Farm?
It's time to turn over the field. As crops end, plant residue is removed and fed to the chickens. Irrigation lines are would back up on spools to store for winter and winter crops are being planted for early spring harvest. This is a very busy time as we want the summer crops to last as long as possible but need to get everything out of the field before the rains arrive. Cover crops of legumes and grasses are planted to increase nitrogen and organic matter in the soil and reduce erosion during winter. This also provides forage nutrition for the chickens during winter while they fertilize the crop production area. Some areas will be tilled and other areas will remain untouched to minimize compaction from the tractor.
