Farm Happenings at Potomac Vegetable Farms
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Autumn Week 8: The Penultimate Week

Posted on November 3rd, 2020 by Hana Newcomb

There are a few crops that we haven't started to harvest yet, but not many.  The Jerusalem artichokes are just waiting underground, in no hurry at all as they can be dug in the middle of winter...but we will start digging them soon. There is some cabbage that is not yet firm in the head yet, and there are Brussels sprouts that may not be ready before February, if history can teach us anything. We thought there was some sprouting broccoli, but we haven't seen any sprouts, really.

There are long beds of storage radishes that need to get out of the ground before it gets really freezing. The next carrots are not very big, but we may need to dig them anyway. One week they are the size of a forearm, and the next planting is only the size of a finger.

As we look back on this season, what have we learned about what people really want? Nothing very new, but we have confirmed that bok choy is a favorite and mustards are still an acquired taste. It is hard to grow too much lettuce and you can NEVER grow enough broccoli. Potatoes and sweet potatoes and onions will always be in demand. Kale never goes out of style. Small red radishes are much more likely to be selected than large green ones. Chard has a loyal following, week after week, month after month.  

But after all these weeks you may be getting weary of all these greens and peppers. If so, it is time to stock your freezer with soup ingredients! You can take those green and yellow and red peppers and dice them up, spread them on a cookie sheet and pop them in the freezer. After a few hours, dump those frozen peppers into a zip-loc bag and then you have a quick and easy vegetable to throw into the soup pot in the winter. Freezing greens takes one more step, but it's quick--just steam them for a minute until they are dark green, then chop them up, drain, freeze in a zip-loc bag. You can add greens to any soup or stew or even any pasta dish.  

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