Our beautiful summer days have finally given way to the chilly winds and wet gray days of mid-autumn. We are well on our way to "stick" season, that much maligned period between early autumn foliage and white winter days, when all the trees turn to sticks. But, we certainly can't complain, as this has turned out to be one of the most pleasant growing seasons that I can recall. We had more than our fair share of sunny mild days, with just enough rain to keep thing growing along. The crops responded well to the conditions and rewarded us with an over-abundance of just about every vegetable that we grow.
We managed to sneak by unscathed from the first light touches of frost earlier in October, but last Monday night nailed us with a low temperature of 25 degrees. Most of our frost sensitive crops like tomatoes and peppers have been done for a few weeks, so damage to crops was minimal, but it did clearly mark an end to our growing season.
It's hard to believe that this Saturday's farmer's market will be our last of the season. The Saratoga market will continue on inside throughout the winter, but we will be enjoying hibernation and spending Saturday mornings by the wood stove. The season seems to have flown by, but on the other hand, those early markets where we were selling hundreds of tomato plants seems like a life-time ago.
Despite the recent crappy weather, we still have lots of beautiful produce to bring to market. The cool weather brings out the sweetness in most of the late season crops like kale and spinach, so now is the best time of year to eat those foods.
We also have lost of Swiss chard, Savoy cabbage, baby boc choi, fennel, escarole, frisee, and stir-fry greens. Still lots of potatoes too; and they're on sale. Remember that potatoes store well if kept in a cool and dark spot, so stock up now. It's a great time of year for stew. If you are in the area, we hope to see you at the market. Thanks for a great season!
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| Swiss chard |
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| Savoy cabbage |
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| Fennel |
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| Escarole |
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| Nicest frisee I ever grew! |
