Essex on Lake Champlain
\"Essex
  • About
    • Essex, New York (Town)
      • Essex Maps
      • Essex, New York Weather
      • Town of Essex Government
      • Close
    • Essex on Lake Champlain (Blog)
      • Contributors
      • Sponsors
      • Testimonials
      • Get Involved
      • Close
    • Close
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Calendar
    • Add an Event
    • Upcoming Events
    • Close
  • Essex on Lake Champlain
  • Connect
    • Social Media
      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Google +
      • Pinterest
      • YouTube
      • Flickr
    • Newsletters
    • GET INVOLVED
    • CONTACT
        • Your Name (required)

          Your Email (required)

          Subject (required)

          Your Message

      • Close
    • Shop
    • Search
        • Search
          • Close
        • Categories
            • Agriculture (518)
            • Architecture (76)
            • Arts (357)
            • Business (122)
            • Daily Doodle (62)
            • Dining (151)
            • Doodle Quotes (5)
            • Doodlebomb (3)
            • Education (298)
            • Entertainment (373)
            • Environment (28)
            • Essex Doodles (62)
            • Events (1712)
            • Exercise (54)
            • Government (247)
            • Health & Wellness (135)
            • Heritage (397)
            • History (183)
            • Hyperlocal (29)
            • Landscape (35)
            • Lifestyle (197)
            • Lodging (16)
            • Music (278)
            • Nature (260)
            • News (1228)
            • Nightlife (18)
            • Obituary (9)
            • Opinion (45)
            • Outdoors (177)
            • People (115)
            • Philanthropy (87)
            • Real Estate (3)
            • Recreation (214)
            • Resources (7)
            • Services (7)
            • Shopping (96)
            • Sports (22)
            • Transportation (71)
            • Worship (17)
          • Close
        • Archives
            • June 2018 (21)
            • May 2018 (30)
            • April 2018 (28)
            • March 2018 (30)
            • February 2018 (31)
            • January 2018 (26)
            • December 2017 (23)
            • November 2017 (25)
            • October 2017 (22)
            • September 2017 (32)
            • August 2017 (35)
            • July 2017 (30)
            • June 2017 (30)
            • May 2017 (35)
            • April 2017 (31)
            • March 2017 (33)
            • February 2017 (30)
            • January 2017 (35)
            • December 2016 (30)
            • November 2016 (37)
            • October 2016 (43)
            • September 2016 (53)
            • August 2016 (49)
            • July 2016 (59)
            • June 2016 (70)
            • May 2016 (57)
            • April 2016 (64)
            • March 2016 (69)
            • February 2016 (56)
            • January 2016 (46)
            • December 2015 (39)
            • November 2015 (43)
            • October 2015 (61)
            • September 2015 (57)
            • August 2015 (61)
            • July 2015 (54)
            • June 2015 (41)
            • May 2015 (67)
            • April 2015 (66)
            • March 2015 (72)
          • Load More
          • Close
        • Contact us
          • CONTACT US

              Your Name (required)

              Your Email (required)

              Subject (required)

              Your Message

            • Close
        • Close
      • Log In
        • Log Into Calendar
        • Log Into Blog
        • Close
      • Skip to primary navigation
      • Skip to main content
      • Skip to primary sidebar
      • Skip to footer

      Essex on Lake Champlain

      Essex, New York Community Blog Since 2011

      • Lifestyle
        • Agriculture
          • CSAs in Essex, NY
            • Essex Farm
            • Full and By Farm
          • Farmstead Catering
          • The Hub on the Hill
          • Reber Rock Farm
        • Outdoors
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
          • Pok-O-MacCready Outdoor Education Center
        • Entertainment
          • Champlain Valley Film Series
          • Whallonsburg Grange Hall
        • Arts
          • Adirondack Art Association
          • Essex Community Concerts
          • Champlain Valley Film Series
          • Essex Poetry Open Mic
        • Music
          • Essex Community Concerts
        • Shopping
        • Recreation
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • Health & Wellness
          • Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness
          • NEW Health
        • Nature
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • Education
          • CFES Brilliant Pathways
          • Pok-O-MacCready Outdoor Education Center
        • Nightlife
        • Worship
      • Events
        • Christmas in Essex
        • Downtown Essex Day
        • Fourth of July in Essex, NY
      • Dining
        • Chez Lin & Rays
        • Essex Ice Cream Cafe
        • Essex Inn on the Adirondack Coast
        • Farmstead Catering
        • Old Dock Restaurant
        • The Pink Pig Cafe
      • Lodging
        • Essex Inn on the Adirondack Coast
        • The Cupola House and Cottage
      • Transportation
        • Essex-Charlotte Ferry
      • Heritage
        • Architecture
          • Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler’s Field Guide
        • Historic Essex
        • History
        • People
        • Government
          • Essex Post Office
          • Town of Essex Government
        • Vintage Essex Trivia
        • Vintage Essex Artifacts
      • Directory
        • Adirondack Art Association
        • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • CFES Brilliant Pathways
        • The Cupola House and Cottage
        • Essex-Charlotte Ferry
        • Essex Farm
        • Essex Ice Cream Cafe
        • Essex Initiatives
        • Essex Post Office
        • Farmstead Catering
        • Full and By Farm
        • Historic Essex
        • Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness
        • NEW Health
        • Pedal Power
        • Reber Rock Farm
        • The Hub on the Hill
        • Town of Essex Government
        • Whallonsburg Grange Hall
      • Show Search
      Hide Search
      You are here: Home / Agriculture / Full and By Farm, August 11

      Full and By Farm, August 11

      August 11, 2011 By Sara Kurak Leave a Comment

      James Graves at Full and By Farm in Essex, NY.
      James Graves at Full and By Farm in Essex, NY.

      We’ve enjoyed some much needed rain in the last few days. It’s refreshing to look out and see dark soil again. We hope it’s a little relief to the stressed fields of vegetables and pasture. The second cutting of hay seems oh so far away still, though the dark mornings are creeping in and the crisp night air makes it clear that autumn isn’t far away.

      Despite the hot, dry summer our old friend Late Blight has managed to make it’s rounds up north again this year. This is the blight that wiped out the tomato crop the year before last. The deadly spores spread like wildfire, traveling miles on a single storm, and staking claim on wet plants of the tomato family (eggplants and potatoes included). They wipe out a plant within days, as dark lesions quickly spread on the stems, leaves and fruits. The latest sightings have been in Maine and as close as Burlington. It was earlier reported in Connecticut, Massachusetts and on Long Island. In other words we’re surrounded. Please be extra vigilant if you have home crops, and be nosy if your neighbors do. You must destroy plants immediately by placing them in trash bags and taking them to the dump. Infected crops, especially potatoes can over-winter in the ground and come back up nice and early to infect next year’s crop, burning spreads the spores even faster. We have taken the precaution once again of spraying our tomatoes with copper. This is a certified organic spray, but still a last resort for us. It does mean that you must wash your tomatoes off before eating them, including the sungolds. You can borrow a sink here if you need to snack on the way home.

      Their is a natural seasonality to all things on the farm, some less obvious than others. The warmth of summer make it the perfect time to raise broilers. Since the young birds live on the ground rather than perching and don’t develop the full plumage of laying hens they don’t do well in chilly or damp weather. Likewise every spring we welcome in a new batch of piglets to the farm. They’re here for about 6 months, until they reach their prime weight for meat. Pigs don’t really enjoy winter, they have very thin coats and walk around like they are on toe-shoes, slipping and sliding on icy ground. Raising them over the winter would also mean they would need to eat more expensive and labor-intensive grains and not spend their time rooting around in the pasture and wallowing in mud, their favorite activities. The beef steers are with us a bit longer, usually just over two years until they reach their best weight. The prime season for butchering a steer is at the end of summer, after they have been feasting on good fresh grass and legumes in the pasture. Most of you have probably noticed that the selection in the freezer has been getting lower each week. First the beef went, then the sausage and bacon. Finally we’re down to pork chops, a few roasts and chickens (as well as a fine selection of organs). We’ll have another fresh batch of broilers next Thursday, then James plans to butcher a beef in the beginning of September, and the first pork will follow shortly after. Remember to savor your fresh chicken now.

      In the veggie share this week: Green beans, celery, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, green cabbage, garlic, onions, bunching onions, carrots, beets, kale, chard, broccoli, basil, dill, cilantro, black and white beans. And lettuce is back! Tomatoes are still straggling in, we seem to be past the pest issue of the early season, but some hungry raccoons have been raiding the biggest, plumpest fruits this week. Taking a bite off each before moving to the next juicy one. Coming soon: melons and peppers.

      In the meat share: chops and chickens

      See you all tonight between 4 and 6,
      Sara Kurak
      Full and By Farm

      PS: Almost forgot….The flower rows are really blooming now. Don’t forget time to come up to the garden and cut some beautiful flowers and pick your sungolds.

      Related articles
      • Late blight confirmed in 21 cases (cbc.ca)
      • Haying with Draft Horses at Full and By Farm (rosslynredux.com)
      • Full and By Farm, July 28 (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)

      Share this:

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Pinterest
      • Email
      • More
      • Print
      • LinkedIn
      • Pocket
      • Reddit
      • Tumblr

      Filed Under: Agriculture, Lifestyle Tagged With: Activities, Adirondack Coast, Adirondack Park, Adirondacks, Broccoli, CSA, Essex New York, Essex NY, Farm, farm share, farmer, farmers, Fruit and Vegetable, Full and By Farm, Full and By Farm Essex, Green bean, James Graves, Lettuce, Sara Kurak

      About Sara Kurak

      Sara Kurak is one of the owners and operators of Full and By Farm in Essex, NY. She shares updates from the farm with her CSA members and also contributes those letters to the Essex on Lake Champlain Blog to share the news with a wider audience. Learn about farm life week-to-week through her reports!

      Reader Interactions

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

      Primary Sidebar

      Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler’s Field Guide 

      Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler's Field Guide

      View all Essex Editions books...

      Follow Essex, NY on FacebookFollow Essex, NY on TwitterFollow Essex, NY on PinterestFollow Essex, NY on YouTubeFollow Essex, NY on FlickrFollow Essex, NY on RSS

      Search

      Top 10 Contributors

      • Katie Shepard (595)
      • Geo Davis (394)
      • Whallonsburg Grange Hall (259)
      • Avatar photoChamplain Area Trails (CATS) (208)
      • Avatar photoEssex Farm (205)
      • Olive Alexander (190)
      • Sara Kurak (165)
      • Avatar photoTom Mangano (142)
      • Avatar photoFort Ticonderoga (142)
      • Avatar photoLakeside School (116)

      Footer

      Resources & Policies

      • About Essex on Lake Champlain
      • About Essex, New York
      • Essex, NY Weather
      • Disclosure Policy
      • Privacy Policy
      • Submit a Story
      • Contact Us

      Popular Essex, NY Searches

      • Essex, NY
      • Essex, New York
      • Essex on Lake Champlain
      • Essex Charlotte ferry
      • Essex ferry schedule
      • Essex Charlotte ferry schedule
      • Full and By Farm
      • Essex Farm
      • timber rattlesnake
      • Essex NY fireworks
      • Christmas in Essex, NY
      • Champlain Area Trails

      Local Links

      • Adirondack Art Association
      • Belden Noble Memorial Library
      • Champlain Area Trails
      • Champlain Valley Film Series
      • Essex Community Concerts
      • Essex Theatre Company
      • Historic Essex
      • Rosslyn Redux
      • The Crater Club
      • Town of Essex Information
      • Whallonsburg Grange Hall

      Copyright © 2023 Essex Editions

       

      Loading Comments...