Tuesdays
3:00pm - 6:30pm (choice style shares)
3:00pm - 7:00pm (pre-boxed shares)
Farmer Dave's
437 Parker Road
Dracut, MA
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Farm Notes: Long Live the Peach
G
It seems like it's been forever since I have tasted a real tree ripened peach- actually about two years. Peaches are not grown in cold climates for a reason. If winter temperatures dip below -10 degrees the flower buds are killed. And that is what happened around Valentine's Day 2016. That one cold night eliminated the whole New England peach crop.
We are at the northern limit for peach growing and cold injury to the buds occurs every few years; but 2016 was the first year that 100% of the crop was destroyed. In a typical year a percentage of the buds are harmed; but rarely all are harmed. Luckily, this last winter was mild for the peaches. The trees, having had a rest the previous year, are raring to go. The trees had so many buds that in mid-June we spent more than 200 hours thinning off the extra fruit. If we had left them all, the peaches would all be the size of golf balls. By thinning/plucking off enough to leave about one peach every 8 inches of branch, the remaining fruit should size up nicely, if all other factors are good.
Unfortunately, in the first three weeks of July, when the peaches are filling out, we had a little more than an inch of rain. To size up the peaches nicely the trees should have had a good inch of rain per week. Our Westford orchard is our only area that does not have irrigation. As a result of the lack of moisture, the first varieties of peaches will be a little smaller. Last week's inch of rain should help to size up the later varieties. We are looking into options of a water source for the orchard in the future. It is always frustrating to put in so much effort and then have something else out your control pull you back. This reminds me of the old proverb, "There is always something to keep the rabbit's tail short." Yet, though the first peaches are small, they taste oh so good.
Enjoy,
Farmer Dave
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What's in The Share:
Week 8
 Broccoli and Green Beans are shining this week. Eggplant and peppers are beginning to trickle in from the fields. Cucumbers and summer squashes continue to be growing well.
Vegetable Share:
- Lettuce, Kale or Napa Cabbage
- Slicing or Pickling Cucumbers
- Beets or Carrots
- Broccoli (The broccoli has been loving the cool nights we've been having. Be sure to chop up and cook the broccoli stem. It's the sweetest part of the broccoli right now!)
- Green beans
- Summer Squash, Kousa Squash, Patty Pan or Zucchini
- Spring Onions
- Green Garlic
- Dill, Sage, Basil or Chives
- Tomatoes
- and more!
Fruit Share:
- Peaches!!!!!!!
- Blueberries
- Gravenstein Apples (possibly. We are just beginning to harvest these first apples of the 2017 season. We hope to have some for the fruit shares this week.)
- Strawberries (if we're lucky!)
This is what we are planning and hoping to harvest this week. Ultimately Mother Nature has the last word so the actual contents of your share will vary.
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Try some of these recipes from our blog!
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Vegisode of the Week:
Investing in Stocks and Broths!
In this Vegisode, Stacey and Denise help you get the maximum value out of your CSA share by making your own vegetable stock from clean veggie scraps.
Check out all our Vegisodes and subscribe to be notified when timely new videos are added.
These videos are designed to help you make the most of your CSA share with tips on storing, preparing and preserving your veggies.
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Place your add-on orders today to pick up next week with your CSA share.
As the summer progresses we'll be adding more local and seasonal products. For the food preservers in the group, we will be offering bulk quantities of some of our vegetables and fruits, on weeks that we have extra available.
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Groundwork Share-a-Share Update
Thanks to generous donations by you (CSA members) to the Groundwork Share-A-Share™ fund, we were able to subsidize the cost of shares in 2016 for over thirty individuals and families, as well as shares for local food pantries.
To learn more about the program, click here.
Thank you all for helping us keep this program going in 2017!
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C
ontact Us:
Farmer Dave's CSA
437 Parker Road
Dracut, MA 01826
(978) 349-1952
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