Week 6

All but a very small section of garlic, Spanish Roja, is pulled and drying in the barn.  The garlic field is being flipped for fall carrots that are due to be seeded in one week.  The quick flip of fields and getting two crops out of the same space has been a regular strategy this summer.  We really haven't downsized plantings much, but our space has been downsized by a little over 20 percent.  In my mind it didn't seem like that would be as difficult as it has been.   Our labor is considerably higher than last year and I am not exactly sure why, but I suspect loosing Shincke is contributing to it.  Every year is different.  Every year we hope to be better farmers and better managers.  I think both Kelly and I are really struggling with that this year.  It is much easier to become better at something when you first start doing it.  We are in our 12th season of farming and our drive to always be better is still there, but it seems harder to make large improvements.  The transition to South Bay has gone okay, but it hasn't simplified things as much as we had hoped.  I still am not happy with the flow of our new washroom and walk-in or the organization of all our stuff.  I don't think I realized how many systems we had in place.  Those systems just kind of formed naturally and got tweaked a little each year.  I thought we would take all that knowledge, bring it to South Bay and set up a perfect system, but it is just going to take a bit more time than either of us expected...story of lives :)

We started going the Oly market all four days last week and we applied for a double stall/permanent stall assignment.  Up until this week we showed up at 8:55 and waited for our name to be called based on a seniority system.  We then unloaded the van, parked it a couple blocks away and then set up, all in under an hour.  We never knew if we would get to spread out into an extra space or not.  Now we can show up earlier and just head to our stall!  It feels so much better.  We also hired another person.  She will cover crew taking summer vacations and work on Fridays since we will be loosing a harvest position to work the market on Friday.  July is always a hectic month.  While you all are still in the first half of your CSA season, July is the month that really sets us up to sell through November.  Today I am seeding the last round of cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, all of which should be planted in the field by August 1st.  Seed, weed, harvest, repeat!  The motto for July is now or never. Well, there is always next year, but I promise I am still trying to make this year the best yet.

On that note, I am off to seed.

Enjoy your week.  Hope you all had a nice holiday.

Lettuce
Carrots
Potatoes
Swiss Chard
Zucchini
Garlic
Cauliflower - If you don't have cauliflower this week you will next week.  I am hoping we can harvest enough for everybody but we might have to do one size share this week and the other size next week.
Bok Choy - Large Only