Well into August now and still pushing hard to get caught up from the early summer rainy season. The transplanting and seeding is finally up to date, with all but the fall spinach and last batches of lettuce in the ground. We’re making very, very slow progress taking back the fields from the weeds that took over all those weeks when we were unable to cultivate.
Standing at the head of some of the rows it isn’t possible to tell what is supposed to be growing there, with the jungle of weeds towering above the cultivated plants. The veggies appreciate the space to stretch when we finally make room, winding their long roots below ground and filling out their green canopies above.
It’s a refreshing change out there in the last couple of weeks. The plants have put on lots of new growth, up and out, and have begun to size up or produce more blossoms. Seeing food out in our vegetable fields isn’t something I will take for granted again.
We have another nice looking hay window coming up this weekend. We’ll make a big push to get all of the first cut finished and the small field of ready second cut baled and in the barn. The animals are all happy and healthy, enjoying the cool weather of late and this year’s abundant pastures. Once we get the rest of this hay in we’ll be sleeping a little easier knowing they will be well fed through winter.
In the Farm Shares
In the veggie share: kale, swiss chard, carrots, beets, bunching onions, lettuce heads, mesclun mix, basil, herbs and flowers. We have a large variety of good summer veggies—cucs, zucs, eggplants, tomatoes and sweet corn—starting to roll in, just not many of each thing, sowe’ll put them all out with limits and choices to make.
Our third planting of green beans is still on the way. The first and second were too damaged early on to produce more than one week of beans each, but the pole beans look good and should keep us happy later on in the summer.
In the meat share: More fresh beef—steaks, pot roasts and ground beef. Whole and half broiler chickens in the freezer.
Related articles
- Full and By Farm: Heat Good for Hay (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
- Full and By Farm: Harvest Woes (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
- Full and By Farm: Bank Barn (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
- Full and By Farm: Cruising Along (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
- Full and By Farm: Summer Veggies (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
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