Summer is over but our winter CSA program still delivers fresh organic, farm vegetables. For the two months of November and December we shift from summer crops to traditional hearty vegetable crops that we all associate with the holidays and shorter days of winter. Certain types of crops excel in cooler weather and cold nighttime temperatures and these become the focus of the winter growing season for us. Green curly kales, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, arugula, cabbage, lettuce, and tatsoi seem to crave the lower tempe
ratures and double in size in a short period. Gone are the worries of weeding and watering as the frost takes care of most weeds and frequent rains keeps the plants hydrated and growing.
ratures and double in size in a short period. Gone are the worries of weeding and watering as the frost takes care of most weeds and frequent rains keeps the plants hydrated and growing.
Our 15 acres of sweet potatoes and butternut squashes are harvested and stored in our packing shed. As they cure and dry out after the harvest, the starches turn to simple sugars creating a sweeter, more complex flavor that these vegetables are know for. These stored vegetables are good for months and will be featured in our CSA and farmers markets throughout the upcoming holiday season.
Our winter CSA is harvested in four pickups over the months of November and December. Each 1/2 bushel of organic vegetables are harvested fresh from the fields or in the case of sweet potatoes and winter squashes from our stores of fall harvest.
Fall and winter favorites that are included in our CSA boxes include: sweet potatoes, butternut, green kale, collards, lacinato kale, tatsoi, arugula, turnips, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cheddar cauliflower, white cauliflower, red and green cabbage, lettuce, and brussel sprouts.
Our first winter CSA share saw the last of the tomatoes, peppers and green beans. Organic sweet potatoes, butternut, kales, radish and cabbage filled the remainder of the box.
How We Grow Them
We will start the transplants in the greenhouse in early to mid June. The fields are prepared by spreading organic fertilizer, tilling, laying plastic beds and drip irrigation lines. Plants are translated on 30″ centers in the center of the beds. The low flow, low pressure irrigation system is turned on and the plants start to grow and spread. Depending on the rain (and this year we have had a lot), we will plow out the weeds between the rows one to two times. In one month’s time, the watermelons have covered the ground and small , yellow blooms appear. Melons are ready to harvest 80-90 days time.
Plants will flower in 3-4 weeks from transplant and be pollinated by the many bees we have on the farm specifically for that purpose. Cantaloupes will be ready to harvest in approximately 70 days from day of transplant.
We harvest the Cantaloupe in the morning hours before the sun has a chance to heat the melons up and before the have a chance to soak up the day’s heat. After cooling overnight, the melons are firmer and cooler in the center. Not all the melons ripen at the same time so we choose those melons that have a light tan to orange skin with a slight softness around the stem end. Green melons or immature melons are left on the plants to ripen in the next few days. Harvesting on a patch of melons will typically be done over a 10 day period with 2-3 pickings of fruit. Crews will work through the field selecting and piling up those melons that are ready. Next we toss the melons from one person to another and gently place them in the bins for transport. Reminiscent of grade school “field days” and the egg toss, harvesting melons is not much different!
