We've reached the peek of the season here at Riverhill. The fruits of the harvest are hanging abundantly from the plants, and our CSA members are receiving **enormous** boxes of produce each week (probably at least $35-40 worth, for their $27 weekly share). For example, this week the members received about 5 lbs. tomatoes (heirloom and other); onions, garlic, peppers, eggplants, bunches of beets, salad turnips, carrots, leafy greens, and basil, cucumbers, as much summer squash as they can handle, 2 lbs. of potatoes, a pint of strawberries, 2 melons and 1 watermelon!
The veggies are coming so fast, we can't keep up. Unfortunately, we've swallowed a lesson in planning/marketing/keeping our eyes on the plants every day this part of the season. We've lost a lot of melons to rot in the field: perhaps not catching them quite in time, perhaps overplanting, and being unlucky in two fields planted at different times coming to ripeness simultaneously. We've composted what I've calculated to be thousands of dollars in melons. Similarly with some gorgeous eggplants, not finding a market for an abundance of food means adding once again to the compost pile as they've gone too far on the vine and keep coming fast. The waste is hard to bear. Fortunately, we do have a worthy receptacle for the abundance of summer squast that we harvest every other day: squash and other good produce that doesn't go to our CSA members (and we can't find other markets for) goes to the InterFaith food bank. We're extremely happy that they'll take it by the truckful!
It's truly amazing the amount of food being produced here. The land is healthy and the sun shines every day. The challenges of farm planning and marketing are being highlighted now, as the success of the harvest hangs heavy on the vine. The soil and the sunshine do what they do best, and we farmers attempt to funnel their gifts into needy hands one way or another.
This is also the time to plan for the lean times: we're brushing up on food storage skills and a variety of strategies are being pursued whenever time permits. On the farm we've harvested and dried storage onions and hung garlic. We've built sun-drying racks and began to process bushels of tomatoes every week. After hours, I've started pickling and canning whenever I can stand a hot and steamy night in the kitchen: pickled fennel, dilly beans, sweet pickled eggplant, pickled cukes and summer squash and sweet peppers, and cold-pack whole tomatoes, skinned and ready to be used for sauce some chilly day this winter. Jeremy's been making jams and chutneys with the abundant peaches we've received in our fruit share (and the shares of those who astoundingly fail to pick up each week!)
This is an amazing place. I've never eaten so well and been so grateful for my food. It's a joyous time for we farmers and our communities. I hope you're a part of one this season! Bon appetit!
[FYI: pictures to come]
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