Rain or Shine, Farmers Work Hard to Bring in the Crops

Rain or Shine, Farmers Work Hard to Bring in the Crops

Someone asked me a couple of days ago which I prefer: last year’s heat and drought or this year’s rain.  I honestly couldn’t decide.  It seems too soon to tell what all of this rain means for the rest of the season.  Last year the heat and drought broke in August and crops managed end up pretty well.  I had a bumper crop of tomatoes and peppers. 

Wet weather comes with many different problems.  It is hard to get into the field to do any work.  Weeds thrive on the moisture and quickly get out of control.  Rain makes diseases spread so much more quickly, especially in tomatoes.  I can already see spots and yellow leaves on about the first foot of many of my tomato plants.  This makes me really nervous for the fate of these plants.  My green bean plants are loaded, but laying on the wet ground can ruin the crop.  They get moldy and rot.  Never fear, though, the zucchini are thriving on all this water and I predict a bumper crop.

            As I write this, it is storming and there are flash flood warnings for much of the area.  It has been raining all day.  The good news is that the extended forecast shows sunny skies starting Thursday and extending for several days thereafter.  I never put much stock in the extended forecast, but we can only hope it is correct and gives things a chance to dry out.

            In spite of the tough conditions, farmers are resilient folk.  Mud covered as we may be at the end of the day, we still make every effort to bring in a good harvest and provide you with the best produce possible.  Come support us at Farmers Market to make sure our hard work pays off.  You won’t be disappointed.

            I will say all of this rain has helped me grow the best beets I have ever attempted.  I have to tell on my mother again—she raised me to hate beets.  She hates them so much she barely even allows them into her house.  It is only within the last couple of years that I discovered how wrong I had always been about them.  Turns out I actually LOVE them.  Right now I can’t seem to get enough of them.  Here is a yummy beet recipe from Guy Fieri, one of the chefs from the Food Network.  I don’t watch much television so I don’t know anything about his cooking, but I got this recipe from the website and it is might tasty.

Kale with Roasted Beets and Bacon

2 beets (about 14 ounces)

1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
6 thick-cut bacon slices (8 ounces), diced
1 large bunch kale (about 1 1/2 pounds), washed, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken stock
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Directions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Wash and trim the beets, removing both ends. Place them on a 12-inch square sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Drizzle with the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Seal up the foil packet and roast until the beets are fork-tender, about 1 hour. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until medium-crisp (or however you prefer your bacon). Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Increase the heat to high and add the kale, stirring to coat in the rendered bacon grease. Cover and cook for a few minutes, and then add the chicken stock and 2 tablespoons of the vinegar. Stir to combine, cover and allow to wilt for 6 to 8 minutes. Peel and cut the beets into chunks and add them to the kale. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar. Add the bacon, stir to combine and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

A Red, White, and Blueberry Holiday

A Red, White, and Blueberry Holiday

    Happy Independence Day!  One of my favorite holidays has arrived.  Come to farmers market to buy all of your party food needs.  Our meat vendors can supply a wide range of products for the grill from hamburgers and hot dogs to chicken breasts and pork chops.  Green beans and sweet corn would make nice side dishes.

    For days now, I have been entertaining myself while I am working by singing all of the old patriotic tunes that I learned in elementary school.  If you were to happen upon me in the field you might catch me in the midst of a lively version of “You’re a Grand Old Flag” or “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy.”  These songs make me happy and I’m not ashamed to admit it. 

            According to the old saying, corn is supposed to be “knee high by the Fourth of July”.  With today’s modern, high-yielding corn varieties, corn that is only knee high by the Fourth of July seems to be behind schedule.  Much of the corn I see right now is almost shoulder high.  Perhaps we need to change the saying to be more accurate in our modern agricultural era.  “Thigh high by the Fourth of July” would be a more appropriate description for most fields.

            Last week I was asking for rain and I certainly had my wish granted.  Unfortunately, I figured out that my rain gauge leaks if it is filled past a half inch, so until I remember to buy a new one, I have no idea how much rain we have actually received.  Suffice it to say it has been a lot.  It has made some tasks difficult to accomplish because the field is so saturated. 

It is interesting how spotty and isolated the rain has been.  For example, I was on the north end of town the other day and the store clerks said I just missed a storm which brought down a lot of rain plus large hail.  When I got back to my place on the south end, not a drop of rain had fallen.  Luckily, there has been no repeat of last year’s deracho, which occurred on June 30^th.  I remember last year several of my friends had not gotten power restored by the Fourth of July so they all gathered at my house for the day.

I have spent the last couple of days with a bunch of kids, all under the age of nine.  I must still be a kid at heart because I have to admit that I was silently bummed when there weren’t enough sparklers for me to have one without shorting a child.  I may have to buy a box of sparklers just for myself.  Here is a fun summer recipe that would be good to serve to a group of children. (www.spoonful.com)

Red, White, & Blueberry Freeze Pops

• 10 (5-oz.) plastic or paper cups
• 1 quart raspberry juice
• 10 Popsicle sticks
• 1 pint frozen vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

    Assemble the cups on a cookie tray. Pour an inch of raspberry juice into each cup, then place the tray in the freezer. When the juice is partially frozen, set a Popsicle stick in the center of each cup and let the juice freeze solid. Pour 1 cup of water into a blender. Add 4 large scoops of frozen vanilla yogurt and blend until smooth. Pour an inch of the vanilla mix on top of the frozen raspberry juice layer in each cup and freeze again. Once the vanilla layer sets, blend 1 cup of water, the blueberries and a large scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt. Spoon the blueberry mix into the cups. Freeze overnight. To serve, dip each cup into a bowl of warm water for an instant. The pop should slide out easily. Serves 10.