Week 12 Newsletter

Greetings!
Welcome to the new format. We hope this blog style format will suffice as well or better than the Publisher to PDF we have been using. While the look of it may not be as slick, the functionality may improve. You can comment, ask questions, share recipes, etc. There should also be many more images for you to gaze upon.

Now for some content. 

What's in the box? Tomatoes; Beets; Napa cabbage, Broccoli, or Cauliflower; Melon; Cucumbers or Summer squash; Peppers or Eggplant; Beans; Parsley.

With over four inches (!) or rain over the last week, and the beans to pick, we did not attempt to dig potatoes or carrots; the roots I hope to get into the boxes next week, weather allowing. The beans are pretty much done for the year.

There were two classes of melons: watermelon and non-watermelon. If you got a non-watermelon melon, it is a good idea to wait until it has a nice floral smell before cutting into it. I decided it was a better idea to pick the melons before they ripened on the vine because so many have been damaged by one pest or another just as they start to ripen. Better to ripen on your counter than get chewed up in the field.

I am sorry if there were a few too many passengers on your produce. I do try to manage the pests but sometimes they get away. Timing is critical with pest control; harvesting usually takes precedence over spraying. I hope you are not put off by critters; perhaps consider them as a testament to the vitality of the gardens.


For next week, we should be able to get some greens back in the boxes, kale, chard and/or arugula. (We have more lettuce greens coming soon.) I hope to get onions and/or leeks as well as thyme, sage and/or oregano cut soon. I hope to have time to start harvesting the winter squash and pumpkins soon as they should be cured a couple weeks before eating.

Party News

It looks like a good turn out for this Saturday's Garden Party. If you have not RSVP'd and would still like to come, go ahead and do so as soon as possible. Also, use this blog to tell us and everyone what dish you will be bringing. We are going to supply a bunch of roasted veggies, chips and salsa (homemade), and a leg o' venison, lemonade, and the Simon Rowe trio!

For those of you from Fargo-Moorhead planning on taking Highway 75, be aware that the highway is closed just south of Shelly; they are replacing the bridge over the Marsh River. There is a simple detour. The gravel road just before the construction is 113. The quick way is to take 113 west a quarter mile then north on the next gravel road (102), then left at the blacktop. Proceed west toward the Red and look for 1008 marker just before the bridge (we'll probably put out some signs, too). However, they recently started rebuilding a stretch of 102 and I do not know when they'll finish. So, here's another way. Instead of taking 113 west, follow it east, then north on the next gravel road (104). This will takeyou to CR 3on the east side of Shelly. Take 3 west, across 75, and toward the Red. (Post a comment if you have questions about these directions.)

That's about it for now. See you Saturday?