I'm heading to the farm tomorrow morning to survey the damage. . . I mean the garden. I'm not sure what will be available but I'm hoping the frost blankets have done their job. Should be more greens like the kale and Swiss chard. I'm also throwing in another jar of preserves: pickled daikon radishes with cayenne flakes.
Remember, those greens can be blanched and frozen for later use. I say this as I'm still canning more and more peppers. . . making my first batch of harissa (a paste of roasted red peppers, chilies, cumin, and coriander).
Not sure if there'll be another week. I'd love to offer a final "bounty" delivery that includes squash, herbs, etc. for Thanksgiving meals. Anything you'd love to have fresh from the farm? Let me know!
I've been handing you the boxes for most of the summer but I still wanted to recap the final veggie box:
mini pumpkins
basil
heirloom tomatoes (mainly Italian lobed, Russian blacks, and gold and red currant-sized)
summer squash (mixed varieties)
mini European melon
and, yes, more peppers!
This is the final "official" box but I will continue to make deliveries. Those who paid in full and asked for deliveries put on hold for vacations will get make-up boxes. I've talked to a few of you about this already. . .
Deliveries will be on a week-to-week basis as the season winds down. A frost will end the garden, for the most part. I will try to get one special order of preserves, if I ever get a few free days to start canning.
The next delivery will be FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2008. The art center closes at 5pm so I'll probably be at the cafe (or the art center parking lot). I'll arrive a little before 5pm for the office staff but I can't stick around past 6pm. If it's a problem for pickup and you want your veggies please let me know and we can make arrangements. If not we'll try again the next Thursday.
Some stuff survived the flood. The heirloom tomatoes are starting to take off and I've got a second flush of beans ripening. I saw some pickles starting to form (despite the overgrowth of weeds!). I'm also in talks with an organic apple farmer for a fruit supplement to the veggies.
Next year I may ask for volunteers/veggie trades in the garden. Weeding overwhelmed my summer and the bad weather (cold spring, 2 extremely dry spells, and a few floods) took it's toll on this year's garden. A few hours a week of help will make all the difference. Anyone interested?
No, I haven't dropped off the planet! I'm just preparing for this weekend's Renegade Craft Fair. It's my biggest yarn/knitwear sale of the year and it just happens to fall during peak garden production! Did I mention I'm still planting last-minute fall crops (more radishes!).
Deliveries will still be Thursdays through the end of the season (October 2).
I haven't been sending out e-mails because I've been seeing most of you at the drop-offs. Plus, this time of year the boxes are simple: peppers, beans, and tomatoes. I can't predict Thursdays offerings but I'm confident there will be more variation.
I've added a few extra stops on delivery day. Your deliveries will still be before 5pm if you're at one of the offices I deliver to. That means I may be at the Hyde Park Art Center after 5pm, depending on rush hour traffic. I've been harvesting most of the veggies the same day so it's a bit of a rush for me to pick, pack, drive, and deliver. This week I won't be sticking around after the art center drop-off, the front desk will have all the answers and I'll use that time to log into my home computer shoot out an e-mail update.
I've been keeping my notebook with me to update your vacations. Some of you were paid in full for the season and I haven't yet calculated the extended weeks into October to make up for those "make-up" deliveries. I'll be catching up with paperwork the week of September 15 and will contact you individually.
Yes, I may extend deliveries into October. The average first frost date is October 15. The end of the season veggies are my most bountiful but the frost puts an end to most of the garden.
See most of you Thursday.