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| Total double rainbow over Minglewood |
It's been a total double rainbow of a season. If you're a fan of hot, humid and sultry weather, this has not been the summer for you. If you prefer cool nights and mild sunny days, however, what a summer it has been. You really could not ask for better growing conditions for a vegetable farm. We have continued to have modest amounts of rain, but have avoided any major deluges from the passing storms. With our heavy soils, that retain moisture for so long, this is ideal. We have only had two short spells when we had to irrigate at all.
The fine growing conditions have led to an abundance of all the crops. Just about everything we grow on the farm is available right now - the bounty is a bit overwhelming. It's been a real challenge just to fit everything on the truck to get it to market, especially with all the heavy crops coming in like tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, and Canary melons.
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| Brandywine tomatoes |
It's been a few years since we have had a good tomato crop, but this is shaping up to be one of the best. The plants have over topped their six foot stakes and we have had to start tying them up to the hoop house frames so that they don't fall over and break. In the past couple of weeks we have seen the appearance of the first foliar diseases on the plants, but this does not seem to be affecting their productivity. They were a little slow to start producing, but in the last week everything seems to be ripening all at once. In one week we picked over 900 pounds - we're staring to run out of places to put them all.
We are growing many of our favorite varieties from past years including: Brandywine, Black Krim, Copia, Earl of Edgecombe, Eva Purple, Costoluto Genovese, and Green Zebra. In addition we've added a few new ones to try. Our favorite is called Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye. This is a cross of old heirloom varieties bred to create a "new heirloom". It's a dark tomato, like a Black Krim, but has the striping like a Green Zebra. Best of all is the taste and texture, both of which are excellent.
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| Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye tomato |
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| Mini-heirloom tomatoes |
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| Copia tomato |
The recent cool nights have benefited the production of cool weather crops such as kale, broccoli raab, and cabbage. We're real excited about the kale crop, which is the best I've ever had. We are growing a variety called Rainbow Kale, which is a cross between Lacinato (dinosaur) kale and Red Russian kale. Mostly it looks like the dark green and bumpy leaves of Lacinato, but then there are also a random smattering of unusual mixed characteristic types through the patch. This new variety seems to combine the best features of each parent, the great sweet taste of Lacinato and the productivity of the Red Russian. Be sure to try some this fall - Eat More Kale!
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| Rainbow kale |
The Saratoga Farmer's Market has been hopping with all the Saratoga summer activities in full swing. Be sure to stop by on Saturdays, 9 to 1. Hope your summer is full of double rainbows, at least as good as this one!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSNhk5ICTI
