The bad news is it looks like we won't have any of our summer-bearing raspberries this year. It seems that the ones that were not killed off by phytophthora root rot last year, are succumbing to it this year (or something that looks similar). We know these are a big hit with everyone, but apparently our soil is just not well-suited to raspberries. But we did plant two new rows this year so we'll see how they do.

Where is the rain?? Its not here in our little corner of the Finger Lakes! When we go to till a bed its just rototilling dust and I get covered in the dust from the cloud that results.
So our pond is being drained rapidly by our irrigation pump.

This week's vegetables:

lettuce

lettuce mix
sunflower shoots
pea shoots

squash and zucchini

cucumbers
shell peas - just a few :(
beets
dill and parsley
new potatoes
Swiss chard
kale
baby Swiss chard
garlic scapes
a few beans

next week's expected vegetables:

all of the above plus
a few eggplant
 green onions
a few peppers

Millies' kids that now have a new home

Old broken down farm truck (and now donated to public radio) on the right and our "new" one on the left

Potato flowers

Week 4

This Spring has been overall quite dry – or at least it has seemed dry to us. Since April 1 we've received 6.41 inches of precipitation. I don't know how this compares to the normal, but we had no problems with not being able to till because the ground was too wet for the whole spring (except for the one late snowstorm). And we have had to use the irrigation several times in May and June (including tonight!)

Overall the precipitation has been enough to keep us wet enough, though. But this current dry stretch (and heat wave!) has us hoping the summer will be cool and moist.

And with this heat many of our spring lettuce crops are bolting while the summer crop like tomatoes and peppers are loving it. We will keep the lettuces covered with shade cloth and keep them well irrigated to try to keep more from bolting.

This is Restaurant Week in the Finger Lakes, with restaurants serving menu items made with 100% local ingredients – and I do mean 100% down to the oils and seasonings. Please visit one of the restaurants participating in this exciting event. www.restaurantweekfingerlakes.com

This week's available vegetables:

lettuce

lettuce mix

sunflower shoots

spinach

squash and zucchin

cucumbers

snow peas - just a few :(

carrots

beets

dill and parsley

new potatoes

Swiss chard

baby Swiss chard

garlic scapes

next week's expected vegetables:

all of the above plus

kale

a few eggplant

a small harvest of green beans

pea shoots

The sunflower and pea shoots are a new crop we are trying this year. We have had some success but we are still working out the kinks such as: correct planting interval to have continuous supply, watering regime, correct soil mix and keeping the birds off of the trays. Hope you enjoy them. Let us know what you think of them.

CSA week 2

This week's available vegetables:
Lettuce
Spinach
Lettuce mix
Baby Carrots
Beets
Garlic Scapes
Spicy Mix
A few cucumbers
A few squashes

Next week:
Lettuce
Lettuce Mix
Rainbow Carrots
Beets
Garlic Scapes
Cucumbers
Squash
New Potatoes

First week of CSA is here!
We feel very proud this year that we are able to a offer you a little bit more selection in these meager first few weeks of the CSA than we have in the past years. Hooray for climate change, right? We were able to plant beets outside in March!!
In the above photos you can see the change in tomatoes and cucumbers in the hoophouse from April to May. The second photo is about 2 weeks old and they are about 3 times that size now! Note the new insect netting installed on the sides of the hoophouse. This allows the sides to be rolled up for ventilation yet it keeps out insects. Most notably cucmber beetles which eat our cucmber plants and devastate them by spreading bacterial wilt.
You may wonder if the insect netting excludes insects, how will pollinators get in to pollinate the cucmbers. Well we have to grow parthenocarpic varieties which means they can set fruit without pollinating. That's handy huh?

Crop update:
Probably no broccoli again this summer due to flea beetles and slugs
Cilantro plantings have bolted already due to heat
Our peas are about as poor as usual
And the flea beetles and slugs have delayed our kale harvest by a few weeks

That's the bad news...everything else is looking pretty darn good. And we are up to date on our planting schedule! Which is nice because our time for farmwork is drastically reduced with the start of farmers' markets and harvesting every other day.

On a personal note our pregnant dairy goat had two kids last week - one buckling and one doeling - and they both seem very healthy and playful thus far. Photos to follow.


This week's CSA options:
Pea Sprouts
Lettuce
Spicy Mix
Baby Carrots
Beets
Spinach
Garlic Scapes
Beans from Cayuga Pure Organics
Flour from Farmer Ground Flour

next week's expected vegetables:
Sunflower and Peas Sprouts
Lettuce
Lettuce Mix
Spicy Mix
Baby Carrots
Beets
Garlic Scapes
a few cucmbers??!!
a few squash??!!