The question we are most frequently asked this season is “How is all the rain affecting the farm?”

The short answer is that things are really growing. Really. Really. Growing!

Everywhere. Even where you wouldn’t expect it!

But not just the weeds.

Crops we direct seed in the field (eg. beans, sunflowers) are germinating quickly – several days earlier than normal – and without me watering them. The salad greens are lush & green, and mature faster. The tomatoes, peppers, eggplant … are hanging extra heavy with fruit. The fennel are fatter. The edamame taller. The onions bigger. I could go on …

That’s the good news.

The rain can cause problems too. Several weeks ago I shared how our broccoli rotted from all the moisture. Kohlrabi also. We have lost most of 3 plantings now – a lot of kohlrabi!

The 1st planting of zucchini succumbed to disease as well. And cucumbers. But tomatoes are the biggest concern – blight & other diseases are showing up already. In fact we decided to apply a fungicide on the weekend, the 1st chemical spray we have used on the tomatoes in 6 years! We are hoping it prolongs their production as tomatoes are our biggest crop.

I guess that is why we grow so many different vegetables. Whatever weather we get, some will do well and others may suffer.

Rain is a good thing. And so is sunshine.

Today’s forecast called for showers – again – but we received nary a drop. We planned to work inside the barn, cleaning garlic and staying dry. Instead we were able to work outside all day, harvesting, weeding and planting – working ahead because tomorrow’s forecast calls for … rain!

What’s in the box?

Blackberries, shishito peppers, garlic, carrots, tomatoes, fennel, salad greens, beets, zucchini, green onions.

Fruit – Nectarines & blue plums

*** (for those who signed up for fruit)

• It is blackberry season! And what a season it is. The berries are bountiful & beautiful and they taste great! For those not familiar with blackberries, they are a bit sweet & a bit tart. If they aren’t quite ripe they can be sour. Too ripe and they are soft & mushy – but incredibly sweet. We try to pick them as ripe as possible but still firm. Unlike raspberries, blackberries are not hollow but have a soft edible centre core. The only way to eat a blackberry is to pop the whole thing in your mouth.Try to take a small bite and you will be covered in dark, staining juice. While best eaten fresh, blackberries also make great jam, juice, sauce & ice cream. (Lorie has her homemade blackberry jam for sale in the barn.) Last year we harvested no blackberries, so we are extra excited for them this year. Enjoy your 1st taste this week – we expect to pick blackberries for all of August and even into September.
• *Please note that we do use pesticides on our blackberries. For many years we did not. That was one of the good things about growing blackberries – no spraying necessary! Then along came the spotted wing drosophila. Spotted wing drosophila is an invasive vinegar fly that has the potential to cause extensive damage to many fruit crops – especially soft and dark coloured fruit – like blackberries. In the last number of years it has been found throughout much of southern Ontario and most of the fruit-growing areas of North America, and has become a chronic pest in berry and tender fruit crops. Effective biological controls are not yet available. There are cultural practices that we use to help reduce the insect populations, but the only effective control right now is chemical. And so we spray regularly to try to kill the spotted wing drosophila and protect our blackberries. We would rather not! But then again, we would rather not have worms in our blackberries either!
• Shishito peppers are one of our favourite vegetables. They are a small, thin, bright green pepper, with a sweet, fruity flavour and thin, tender, wrinkled skin. What makes a shishito exciting is that 1 in 10 peppers could be slightly hot! They are simple to prepare and delicious to eat! While you can use them as you would any other sweet pepper, they are best eaten charred in olive oil in a cast-iron skillet or other heavy pan over medium-high heat. Cook the peppers whole, turning occasionally, until they begin to blister on all sides. This only takes a few minutes! Sprinkle with salt & pepper and a splash of lime juice and some parmesan cheese, and serve immediately. Eat the whole pepper – except the stem.
• The garlic is now dry and can be stored at room temperature in a dry area for many months. The bulb can be broken open and partially used without the remainder spoiling. Enjoy!
• The carrot patch should yield enough for another bunch this week – mixed colours of orange and purple. The next planting will be mature in a few weeks.
• Red, pink, orange, yellow, purple, brown, white, green and everything in between. Solid colours and stripes too. Round, and oval, and maybe even some pear shaped ones. Our cherry tomatoes are a delight to look at – but even better to eat! We are also picking the large, red beefsteak tomatoes now.
• Another fennel bulb, salad green (probably mini-romaine lettuce), beets, zucchini & green onions complete the box this week.

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Around the farm this week …

Beautiful weather Saturday at Georgetown Farmers’ market – finally!