Summer is winding down and while the world wonders what to do with schools, sports, and elections, we just keep on planting and harvesting. The world we work in (the natural world) doesn't worry. Someone you probably have heard of once said that lilies and sparrows don'w worry about their clothing budget or their next dining experience, but that they are provided for each and every day by their Maker who cares for them. I don't know about you, but I often have to be reminded not to worry even though I spend most of my time outside with all these non-worrying plants and animals....So much uncertainty and unknowns...virtual classrooms...in-person...hybrid...back to virtual. All I know is the ginger isn't worried about anything. It's just growing happily underground!
Yes, fall is coming and that means we're getting closer to the first ginger harvest. Are you ready? New members might not be familiar with this tropical crop. We start sprouting our organic airmailed-from-Hawaii ginger seed in February. We Keep it in the greenhouse with the soil as close to 80 degrees as possible until we plant it in the ground in the tunnels in May. Then we wait....and wait...until October when we hopefully can start digging up the amazing pink and yellow baby ginger tubers. Its sort of an act of faith as you don't really know how well they're growing until you start digging them up. We'll start forking around to check them out in late September and they should be available the last few weeks of the CSA and for the first several weeks of the winter CSA. Super tasty and nutritious crop that you can freeze and use all year in stir fries, teas, etc.
Speaking of the winter CSA, we're still getting the details worked out on Winter CSA pickups. Good news for Brookside folks is it's looking like we'll be able to do a weekday afternoon or evening pickup at a church near UMKC thanks to the recommendation and behind-the-scenes-good-word-putting of one of our CSA members. Do you know of a church or business willing to let us use their lot for an hour or so in Overland Park or Lee's Summit on a weekday afternoon/evening? We're still looking for a place to park and meet y'all with winter veg. I'm doing my best not to worry about finding a location...
Back to crops that don't worry, and for which we worry very little about: apples. We don't advertise that they'll be included in the CSA because half of the years the buds freeze in freak frosts and the other half of the years, the bugs do them quite a bit of damage. The kids thought you might be interested in some organic, never-sprayed apples complete with the blemishes to prove it. So they went out and harvested several bushels and will probably do that several more times as the fall approaches and different varieties ripen. So apples are available but please be forewarned that they are not at all perfect like the supermarket apples. We eat them fresh or make apple sauce or apple butter but we'd like to share with you if you want some.
We've been harvesting Aronia berries as well. This is another plant we definitely don't have to worry about. These are a native shrub to Missouri that we've planted around the property. They're given name is the black choke berry if that gives you a hint to the flavor. They look like blueberries but they do not taste like them. They're actually better for you than blueberries but for fresh eating, I'd take blueberries first hands down. Problem is, blueberries aren't native to the area and require quite a bit of soil acidification to get them to grow. Sometimes we're tempted to plant them but we know we wouldn't have the time or energy to take care of them, so we plant the native bushes that can fend for themselves and if we get around to harvesting, we'll share that with you too. Sheri makes an amazing aronia peach jam (from local peaches that we DEFINITELY won't try growing again) that is super-duper tasty and she'll also make a syrup (basically the same thing but no added pectin) that is fantastic on waffles or even ice cream.
We planted the last batch of broccolini and napa cabbage this week. The fall crops are looking good...mostly. The flea beetles are quite a problem for some of the asian greens this time of year (they love arugula too). If you ever get some greens with tiny holes in the leaves, we're sorry about that! Those holes are thanks to the flea beetle. We've used floating row covers in the past in an attempt to keep them out, but those covers don't breathe very well or let rain in so in the heat we end up having problems with the crops underneath. This week we made the leap to purchase a product called proteknet which is a woven screen with tiny-tiny holes small enough to keep even the flea beetle out. This week we'll be covering some fall greens beds and see how it works. Hopefully fewer leaf holes in your arugula, bok choy, mustards, turnips and more....We shall see...
Our organic farmer friend Mike Pearl harvested some potatoes for us which we're making available this week. This is a crop we just don't have the space or equipment to grow at scale. We're grateful that Mike grows these organically, which is a heck of a lot of work! Besides all the fungicides and pesticides used on potatoes, at the end of the season most potatoes are sprayed with herbicide and desiccants to kill the plants and weeds and to make harvesting easier. That's why spuds can be so cheap at the store. But you get what you pay for. Mike's potatoes are fantastic! We still have some shriveled ones from last year in our cooler that we've been eating and they are still SOO GOOD! These potatoes are an add on item as they really aren't part of our CSA but if you are looking for potatoes, these are great!
We hope you've been enjoying this very unusual summer and that you can face the upcoming fall with peace and calm. I have it on good authority that as long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease. So enjoy the end of the heat of summer, the cool evenings and your CSA harvest. We'll worry about the seedtime to keep those veggies coming! Keep sharing your creations on Facebook or Instagram! You inspire us!
Your farmers,
Dave and Sheri
