After what seemed like a tumultuous start, our brassicas are charging full steam ahead. We already have cauliflower heads forming and will be ready to harvest the first week of November.
Rutabagas will be ready in a few weeks as well and broccoli soon to follow.
Brussels Sprout Greens
Today we cut off about 6-8 Brussels sprouts leaves, from the main stalk. These can be cooked like kale or collards. We would usually do this when the plants are a little older and closer to harvest, but it is easy for us to start early and only cut what we can sell, leaving more for future weeks. By removing the leaves and then the crown of the plant it forces the plant to put more energy towards the production of the sprouts.
In our climate, we plant Brussels sprouts in seed trays in early August, put them in the ground in mid-September, and then the sprouts will be ready in January
Snow Peas or Swiss Chard or Lettuce Heads
This fall we started growing a selection of snow, snap, and shelling peas, but unfortunately, the young seedlings were attacked by snails and slugs. The larger seedlings survived and we have a small crop of snow peas to send out today. I also have 5-6 heads of lettuce leftover from our first fall planting and we have a little bit of swiss chard that is just big enough to cut. We split the three items between everyone this week, each member will get one but not the others. We have a full complement of chard and lettuce heads coming in the next few weeks, and a few more peas, but unfortunately we will not have enough for everyone at the same time.
Sweet Potatoes
I dug up the first of this season's sweet potatoes on Monday and they were huge, so we went ahead and harvested one for each basket. We just dug up about a third of our planting, so I’m hoping to send them in November and December through the holidays.
Sweet and Hot Peppers, Eggplant, Cucumbers
Our cucumbers plants are looking tired, but they are continuing to produce. We sent two per person along with a couple of eggplants and more peppers. The eggplant and peppers are going strong.
Melons
We finished picking the remaining honeydew melons today. These were surprisingly sweet and productive for the late season.
Arugula
This is continuing to grow and we keep cutting it. We will need to take a week or more off. I am ready for this to slow down.
Braising Greens
We cut off the damage from the bragada bugs and sent out the good leaves. These spicy mustard greens will add a kick to your salad.
Pomegranates
One of our volunteers brought pomegranates for everyone from their home garden. They have 18 trees that they propagated themselves. Pomegranates are one of the most ancient fruit trees. These trees can be grown by cutting a branch off of one tree, put the branch in the ground, keep it watered, and the branch will grow roots and become its own tree.
Coming Soon…Green Onions and Swiss Chard
I will be thinning our Swiss chard next week and sending out the greens. This is one of the advantages of working at and purchasing vegetables from a small farm. Just like the Brussels sprouts greens, there are many parts of plants that would otherwise just turn into compost or not be picked at all. At a small farm, most of our labor is done by hand, so it is easy to just put the thinnings or cuttings into a container and save them as it is to put it on the ground. And as an eater, you are rewarded by tender greens and vegetables that you can't get at the store.
I am excited to have more green onions to harvest next week. This time of year, we are planting all of our alliums, onion family of vegetables, not harvesting. I can use onions in almost every savory dish I make in the kitchen, so in the fall and winter, I miss having these fresh.
We will be planting our garlic next week as well as our onions that overwinter for spring harvest.
Have a great week,
Julie Moreno