Oh my gosh–it was a hot week. The squash plants were busting through their row covers, and it was time to let them out. As we peeled back the row covers, you could almost hear them breathe a sigh of relief while stretching out their long stems and extra large leaves. I didn’t mean to torture them, I was really trying to protect them from the two beetles that cause harm to our squash and cucumbers. I was also trying to give the crew a couple of extra weeks off from the dreaded “BUG PATROL”! No one is a fan of that job. This is a good time to sneak in some crimson clover alongside the edges of the beds. As the squash dies back later in the summer we already have a cover crop planted, and it will fill in and protect the soil.
It’s mid summer, and we are continuing to plant and plan ahead for the next round of vegetables and cover crops. This year we will be much more aware of where not to plant our winter rye. It held us up a couple of times in our crop rotation plan this past Spring, and we had to adjust or hold back seedlings longer than we wanted. I think I might have mentioned before that G2G is a work in progress. It’s great to share information and be on the receiving end, too. Last week BJ shared something from the Farmers Almanac…best time to water is after it has rained. Think about it. 🙂
Here is Claire transplanting some bunching onions into groups of three, causing less stress on the plants when we put them in the ground in another week. Adele is showing off one of our lovely onions from plot 6. Three hundred pounds harvested from that plot so far and another full bed to be pulled and donated. We also have 3 more plots planted. Onions are one of our most requested vegetables so I am hoping to exceed last year’s total of 1,000 pounds. This particular variety is a sweet and mild heirloom called Ailsa Craig. It was introduced by David Murray in 1887. He was the gardener for the Marquis of Ailsa in south Ayrshire Scotland. The Marquis owned the isle called Ailsa Craig 10 miles off the coast of Scotland. I find plant history so interesting, and I could keep going, but this is the farm report of a small farm in Maine. Focus, Theda!
Here they come! The tomatoes are ripening up! We spent one hot morning removing all the leaves below the fruit to encourage circulation. Annie was determined to finish the task despite the heat. Thank you, Annie. You often inspire me to complete a job so we can check it off our list. Claire always wins the most yellow award. No, she does not have a liver disease nor is she trying out for a zombie movie. Thanks, Claire, for taking the most yellow face award away from me!
Mary came and volunteered to make bouquets with Christine on Friday morning. These went off to Morning Glory Natural Foods store in Brunswick. Thanks, Morning Glory, for being so supportive of G2G and allowing us to showcase our mission in your store. The feedback is that the word is out, and bouquets are becoming very popular–another great way to support G2G and enjoy the smells and colors of summer. You are always welcomed to come pick your own, the choices are expanding with so many dahlias blooming.
I want to mention our abundant elderberry flowers, which hopefully will be producing abundant elderberries in the coming months. Abbie Sewall (our elderberry mentor) stopped by to check out the bushes, and she and I agreed that there are way more than we could ever hope to pick and process. So we hope to get the word out to the elderberry community that these will be available. Pick-your-own is what works best for the farm, and we are asking for a ten dollar a pound donation. Abbie will post info on her facebook page @thebaileyfarm.farm, and we will as well.
As we ended up this hot week, our Friday potluck’s theme was “refreshing foods”. I offered our friend/volunteer Brigitta some elderberry flowers a couple of weeks ago. She always talks about an elderberry syrup that her mother and grandmother made back in Austria. A refreshing summer drink that consists of syrup and some sparkling water. I asked Carrie to hold up this beautiful bottle of a generational family recipe. I am sorry, Brigitta, that you were not able to be there so we could toast you and the women in your family. It was delicious and the rest of the bottle came home with me! 🙂 We also had some really “refreshing” summer foods. My favorite was the frozen grapes sprinkled with a pinch of dry cherry Jello! I grew up in the midwest and the joke was, how many jello salads would be on the buffet table at a family reunion? Most of my family loves Jello salads. Not me! I am a card carrying anti-Jello snob. I was fascinated how a grape could taste like a cherry! Annie, thanks for the Jello experience and slightly changing my attitude towards the dreaded Jello!
Thanks to all of you who came and volunteered in these hot humid temperatures–this includes the members of the Fix-It Team and Mowing Team. Diana and John were working on measuring the ends of the tunnels for replacement purposes. Judy was driving the mowing machine around and around with her hat on and water bottle close by.
The FarmYard Jam is coming right up on August 6th. A family friendly event with games, food trucks, and 4 live bands! Would you like to get in for free? Email Patty at patty@growingtogive.farm, and she will direct you to the times and jobs we need help with.
We’re looking forward to adding green beans and tomatoes to our donation boxes next week. That brings us up to 12 different offerings. Eggplant and summer squash will be added next. We are headed into my favorite time at the farm. With so many boxes of fresh produce, the gleaners have to figure out how to get them all into their cars.
This is possible because of all our different volunteers–from board members to bug patrollers. We count on all of your help, and thank you for it.
Sincerely,
Theda