Yesterday was root pulling day. All of the recent rain has saturated the soil passed the point of absorption, and the cool, cloudy skies won’t take much away through evaporation. As a result we’ve spent much time lately on muddy knees pulling muddy vegetables out of the field. The carrots are beautiful and long this year, they don’t appear to have suffered any rotten tips from the wet. The beets are overly-plentiful as usual on this farm, and we brought in a good crop of turnips, kohlrabi and radishes to spice up the winter. There is more yet to pull—celeriac, parsnips, and the endive that we will force for fresh greens during the coldest weeks of winter.

The future fruit orchard, with some of the best, well-drained soil on the farm, has stayed nice and dry. After plowing, the field has been disc and disced and disced some more, then a quick pass with the harrow to even it out. Yesterday we planted rye grass as a winter cover crop. A little late in the season to be seeding, but we’re banking on the mild weather we have experienced so far to give us a little boost. We will see how our hopes pan out.

If you did not pick up paperwork for the winter share it’s still available.

In the Farm Shares

In the veggie share: celery, winter squash, leeks, lettuce, kale, chard, white, blue and fingerling potatoes, garlic, red and white cooking onions, green, red and savoy cabbage, carrots, beets, wheat berries, whole wheat flour. Gourds and pumpkins still available.

In the meat share: Pork, beef and chickens in the freezer. New sausage this week: sweet italian, spicy italian, garlic sage and maple sage. The spicy italian is real hot this year! The maple sage real sweet. Bacon is being smoked tomorrow.

Sara Kurak
Full and By Farm

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• Full and By Farm: Winter Fields Ready (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
• Full and By Farm: Rain Continues (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
• Full and By Farm: The Grass is Greener (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
• Full and By Farm: Wet and Muddy (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)