In the Heat of the Summer

School's out, graduates have graduated, the first clutch of robins have fledged, and Fourth of July picnics are just past... it must be summer. The farm is growing and markets have been busy. We finally have a decent supply of lettuce coming out of the field - almost enough to make it all the way through a market without running out. The market table is filling up with an assortment of early summer vegetables: baby boc choi, Asian stir-fry greens, broccolini, escarole, frisee, and fennel.

We even have had a small harvest of early tomatoes. This past winter, my gardening fanatic friend Lyle, suggested we see how early we could get a ripe tomato. Adventurer that I am, I willingly agreed to the plan. In late February, we started plants in the basement, right next to the furnace with grow lights. We selected two varieties to try: Glacier, a super cold tolerant heirloom, and Beaver, another cold tolerant variety from Oregon. By early April they were busting out of their pots. We prepared a bed in the fieldhouse and planted on April 3. First, we laid out red plastic mulch, and then filled up the legendary 'Wall-o-Waters' which surround each plant and add an extra insulating layer.

We were shooting for a ripe tomato by June first, but didn't quite make it. We ate the first ripe, sweet and juicy tomato on June 14- not bad considering all the cool and cloudy weather in May. There are only about 20 plants in the fieldhouse, so production is quite limited, but we have been able to start bringing a few pints to market the past couple of weeks.

The main crop of heirloom tomatoes did not get planted until June 2, so they are quite a way behind the early planting. So far, the plants look healthy and are putting on about 6 to 8 inches of height each week. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the disease gods are kind to us this year and that we will have a joyful and abundant crop. Due to the late start, I would not expect to have tomatoes in quantity until mid-August or later this year.

This past week we started bringing escarole to market. This is one of our favorite cooking greens and a key ingredient to the classic Italian Beans and Greens dish. It's quick and easy to prepare, and so tasty: wash and coarsely chop the escarole, saute some onions and garlic in olive oil, add the escarole and cook until tender - about 1o minutes. Top with cannallini beans and cook until warmed through. Add fresh or dried herbs to taste... and you're done.

In the past we have only grown escarole as a spring and fall crop, as this is when it does best. This year we are also trying some summer plantings - we'll see how it does.

We also started bringing fennel to market this past week. We used to grow this unique crop regularly, but dropped it from our planting plan the past few years because it was not that popular. We brought it back this year, one - because we missed it, and two - there is a small dedicated following of customers who ask for it. The simplest way to use this unusual vegetable is to thinly slice the bulb on a green salad. There are also all kinds of recipes that call for it in rice or pasta dishes. Used fresh, there is a distinctive licorice flavor, but when cooked, the intensity fades, leaving a wonderful sweetness.
Along with this year's successes, we continue to have a number of problem crops. Our gamble on late planted peas was a bust. Germination was very scattered and sparse. The plants that did come up were very short and not very productive. We have been harvesting a few for ourselves this week and we may have a few pints to sell at this week's markets, but that will be all.

Spinach has also been disappointing this year. The earlier plantings were inundated with excessive rain and basically drowned. Spinach is intolerant of having its roots saturated for more than a couple of days. The more recent plantings have not done well either; I guess it's just too hot and the plants bolt (go to seed) before they're barely in the ground. Hopefully, the fall plantings will do better - we'll keep trying.

Finally, we have been having problems with our baby greenhouse greens that we add to the mesclun mix. Again, poor germination and damping off, where a fungus attacks the roots and kills the seedlings, are the problem. There is not much you can do to prevent it, except get as much air flow through the greenhouses as possible, and be careful how and when you water. We also covered the houses with shade cloth to cool them down, and changed our seeding method, which seems to be helping some. Mostly, the diseases just need to run their course and eventually the situation usually improves... we hope.

That's about all the news for now. Enjoy the summer weather while it lasts.