This fall, we went from sunny and 60 in November to a flip of a switch after Thanksgiving. I figured I'd share with you a little about how the farmers worked thru our last order (week 4).
Many of the cold hardy crops will take a freeze down to about 20 until there is significant damage. Generally, when the sun comes back out and it warms up, crops like spinach, cauliflower/Romanesco, and broccoli are OK.
Last delivery cycle, hats off to the farmers who toughed the cold - on their hands and knees - to harvest our produce. When it showed up at the warehouse, there was even snow on most of it.
Mose - Polk - light snow and clear, cold nights made for some freeze damage to the romanesco, but overall I'd say he was able to get 75% of it out with little or no damage. I just ate the last of ours earlier this week. His biggest struggle this fall has been the aphids - which made a strong comeback in the mild, warm November. These bugs are harmless and wash off. It's a sign that your vegetables weren't doused in chemicals.
David - Homerville - He's one tough guy. David and his children harvested 400# of spinach on their hands and knees in the 20 degree wind. Each bag may have had a few "burnt" tips that turned black when thawed, but overall what a tasty treat for a cold winter day.
Larry - Madison - Snow cover is usually a good protector to crops still in the ground. The snow acts as a blanket to insulate the ground from big swings in temperature. Carrots and beets easily survive under the snow. Larry's bigger issue was that he had almost 4 feet of snow. It crushed a few of his greenhouses and row covers in the field. The weight - not the cold -was the bigger issue. This week the snow has finally melted and he has carrots for us and is busy digging beets for our next share.
James - Middlefield - The path of Lake Effect Snow mostly missed James. He got 6 inches, but not so much to destroy the crops under his row covers. He shook the snow off and peeled back the row cover on the last delivery to harvest the beautiful leaf lettuce. This week, he's pulling kale and mixed greens from under the row covers.
This week will mark pretty much the end of anything out in the field still - either in the ground or under row cover - and at this point we expect the cold to settle in. The storage crops, canned and frozen vegetables are on the horizon.
Our farmers are thankful for your support and that you their hard work is appreciated by all of you.
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