C.S.A. Week 13 September 18th/19th

It seems the first frost of the year is always right around the same time as Common Ground Fair weekend, the third week in September. The forecast predicts a potential frost tomorrow morning, and a seemingly definite frost Thursday morning. We were busy, today, harvesting the bulk of our potatoes, pulling in just about 1,000 pounds for winter storage and sales. We have a bit more to go, but that is the bulk of them. Any green tops remaining will die back in the frost but the potatoes themselves will be fine, protected under the soil, until temperatures get very cold. After harvesting, we spent the afternoon setting up row covers for any remaining cold sensitive crops in the field to preserve them a little longer. The first frost is often followed by a warm up, and if we can keep things like peppers, eggplant, and lettuce going for the farmers’ market, its worth it. The row covers simply keep the frost from settling on the surface of the plant in the early morning hours, which would cause their cell structures to expand and break. Things like kale, rutabaga, carrots, beets, and celery root improve in flavor after a frost so you will see those in the share next week.

In the share:

• Green Cabbage

• Kohlrabi

• Speckled Amish Bibb Lettuce

• Tomatoes

• Delicata Squash

• Carrots

• Leeks

• Peppers