Farm Happenings at Rivendale Farms
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Farm Happenings for October 22, 2019 (week 20)

Posted on October 18th, 2019 by Neil Stauffer

Hello. Well, it happened again. Another summer growing season officially came to an end with a killing frost on our fields. In fact, we had numerous cold nights that essentially brought an end to most--but not all--of our field crops.

Fortunately, we were able to harvest a bunch of items before that happened. And there are handful of crops including kale, cabbage, lettuce, broccolini, beets, carrots, turnips, and some herbs that can handle frosty nights at least for a little while. So while it's definitely a harbinger of the coming winter, we should be fine finding good food for your final 3 weeks of CSA boxes.

The picture this week captures a candid moment between Susanna, our crop production manager, and Amy, our assistant field manager. They just harvested yet another load of winter squash from the field. It is a good feeling--throwing squash to each other from across the field to catch and load up in our trusty Polaris. From the field, the various squash will go to our glass propagation house where they will cure for a week or two before being ready to sell.

The tasks around the farm have quickly shifted as we start to clean up the fields and spend more time in the greenhouse. There's still plenty to do before winter, but the pace has shifted from high gear back into a more moderate pace. A welcome and familiar change.

Keep returning your empty CSA boxes if you can. They serve many reusable purposes including squash storage!

Enjoy the fall foods,

Farmer Neil, on behalf of the crew