It’s another transition time. . . again. Two rows of potato vines died down which tells us its time to harvest. So, Ben put on the “V” plow and tore through the rows. It’s much easier to do this instead of forking. Then we walk the rows and pick up. We do lose some that were split by the process. You’ll never get fresher. We’ll wait and see what variety goes next. I’m hoping for the “blues”.
Onions are peaking out for size and we’re taking them as they top over. These are not storage onions as they have not been hardened off. To prepare the onions for storage, when the neck starts drying, the top falls over. They can be left in the field or pulled and dried until the necks seal off. The first large onions we harvest have a thick neck and are a “use soon” onion.
Field carrots and beets have been a big disappointment this year. Too wet. The carrots along the hoop house were in water far too long and although we thought they were sizing up nicely, when pulled, the bottoms were rotten. Beets…pitiful and hardly worth harvesting. More of both are planted for the fall growing season.
Summer squashes and cukes are looking great and we harvest daily. They ones that get missed one day become “bread zucchini” the next day. I grate the entire “beast” and freeze in 2 cups quantities for a winter zucchini bread or muffins.
Tomatoes and peppers are ripening slowly. They are tropicals and thrive in the heat. Those protected in the hoop houses are farther along. I think we’ll start closing HH2 at night to keep some heat in. This is nearly August! Eggplants will be available as they size up. Peppers and eggplant go into the cooler. Tomatoes will be found with the potatoes and onions on the table by the pack shed door.
Lots of seeding and planting is happening. What was a broccoli bed might next be beans or carrots or lettuce. . . .