Veggie CSA Newsletter, Week #12

Full Share:
Melon - 1 medium or 2 small - $3.50
Tomatoes - 4# - $12.00
Basil - 1/8# - $1.00
Eggplant - 1# - $3.00
Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint - $3.00
Onions - 1# - $2.50
TOTAL - $25.00

Half Share:

CARRBORO
Potatoes - 1# - $2.00
Tomatoes - 3# - $9.00
Basil - 1/8# - $1.00
Cucumbers - 1/2# - $1.25
Onions - 1# - $2.50

RTI
Potatoes - 1# - $2.00
Tomatoes - 3# - $9.00
Basil - 1/8# - $1.00
Leeks - 1/2# - $1.25
Onions - 1# - $2.50

As a reminder, those of you who chose the payment plan, the second half of the veggie share is now due ($162.50). Thanks!


Whats in your box...

As we head into summer, we're filling your boxes with tomatoes. This time of year, theres really just not a lot of variety out there, and we're still waiting for the eggplants and peppers to start producing fruits. Melons looks great, and I'm hoping not too much longer. Yum! Remember, the onions will store just fine for a few months, so don't worry about getting through them every week.

Unfortunately, the dry days are really taking its toll on the crops. I am pumping many hundreds of gallons of water every day (thousands?) as we are running the irrigation just about 24 hours a day. I stop for a few hours during the heat of the afternoon because its no use trying to irrigate when the water just evaporates as soon as it drips out of the hose. As I have mentioned in previous newsletters, I have been unable to prepare beds to plant more, and we have been in a holding pattern for about 6 weeks. We got 1.5" of rain FINALLY, on Sunday night. Much much better, but we definitely need more. That means no new seedings of beans or corn, and to add insult to injury, the deer have decided the beans are theirs for the snacking. Theres one more planting that may produce enough for y'all, but I apologize for not having more for you.

If things stay as they are, we may decide to extend the CSA deliveries a week or more. That way, we can make up for light boxes some weeks, and everyone will feel they get what they paid for (hopefully). I start seeding the fall garden in mid-August and usually have some greens and radishes by mid-September, sometimes a little sooner.

We are always at the whim of Mother Nature, and we just have to go along with the flow of the seasons, and work with what we get. I was fearful that we would face another dry year, because I knew it would be much worse this year because water levels never recovered (yes, Falls and Jordan Lakes filled back up, but theres much more to it than just that - ground water levels never recovered, so thats something we worry about every day as our irrigation source is a 600' deep well.)


On a positive note, we're having a great time growing food for you all. Through all the trials we are faced with every year, we still look at each other and know theres nothing else we'd rather be doing. The community we have created by growing and eating local food is awesome, and we all need to embrace it. By joining CSA and shopping your local farmers markets, you, our co-producers, are helping to strengthen our community. Your support, no matter big or small, means everything to us, and we thank you.