Weather Report

Yesterday we wrapped up our third week of the CSA, which is hard to believe.  All day was hot and muggy alternating with torrential dowpours, it (the weather underground) says that we got an inch of rain before it turned into a beautiful night.

A few people asked how the weather effects us: "very directly" is the short answer.  As I was sitting at my table handing out veggies (yeah for peas!) I was noticing some differences over last year for example: this weeks share seemed about one item short to me, and I realized that item would have been broccoli or beets (both of which are ready next week).  The broccoli at least is a pretty clear example of how we deal with the weather, and how that isn't always as straight-forward as you might think.  Normally I "remay" the broccoli.  Remay is this white fabric that lets light and water thru, but not bugs, and acts as a blanket, keeping things three-4 degrees warmer underneath.  Well, that's good. speeds up the growth of the plant, less stressed without the bugs, but broccoli in particular can "button up" (lots of fun quoted terms in this post, huh), making the head unusable, if it gets a temperature spike, so after much consternation, I decided it was going to be a spring of temp spikes and left it off.  Hence, we have broccoli, but a week late.

The warmth and rain (we are two inches above the average for the month) are going to have some great consequences.  Potatoes thus far are looking like they want to be crop of the year, with tomatoes not far behind.  Onions also look to be a bumper crop like we haven't seen in years.  Also carrots just a few weeks away, so, lots in our future.