2021 CSA Farm Update: Week 14

Hello and welcome to week 14 of the Katchkie Farm CSA. This month the farm seems it has two sides. One side enjoying all the rain with gorgeous green leaves, robust radishes, and vivacious peppers, the other side seems a bit subdued…. One side seems mostly undeterred by the weather, the other would like about two weeks of sunshine.

The other day the crew and I were harvesting carrots, in what was looking to be a bountiful harvest about a month ago. We started digging and only to find short stumpy carrots, which sometimes happens at the beginning of a bed. Then tops started coming off without the carrot, to find mostly carrot mush where a carrot should have been. Two 300’ beds later we have our 200 bunches. Was it a total loss? Luckily no, but it was about a 75% loss on September’s carrot crop. Those beds were prepped back in May, seeded in June, and weeded in July and August. As someone who loves to grow carrots, this was a bit of heartbreak. I was reminded of the words of a farming mentor, that if you succeeded in everything, you did not do enough.

There were lots of successes this week as well, which you will find in your CSA bags. We are trialing a mini sprouting broccoli, which is very delicious steamed and finished with a little butter and salt. The green curly kale has been made extra tender from all the rain and slightly cooler weather. Delicata squash is showing us that nearly 20” in July and August only add character!

Until next time,
Farmer Jon