Thank you Laura for your insights and newsletter!! 

September 21, 2010

Hi all—

Happy autumnal equinox, more or less.  

In the fields, it feels exactly like that kind of half-time—we got hit by a fairly substantial frost last night, it took out the watermelon vines, the basil, the second summer squash planting…the tips of the pepper plants, some but not all of the tomato plants…we’re in a bit of a late summer/early fall twilight zone.  No matter how great of a run we’ve had with these vegetables, and no matter how appropriate the timing of our first frost,  its always a bit shocking, and then melancholy, to be working among the fallen fruits.  Mother nature, always the stern reconciler of time.

Now is the time of season when we all start to think about preserving the harvest, putting things up, pickling, canning, freezing, etc.  Berkshire Grown runs a series of preservation workshops with local restaurants and caterers.  The series is already in progress— www.berkshiregrown.org for details on upcoming workshops.

Speaking of the changing landscape, we’ll be changing our distribution hours on Tuesdays starting the first week in October (2 distributions from now)—we’ll be wrapping things up at 6 pm instead of 7, because it will be dark by 7.  We’ll remind you copiously between now and then.  Saturday hours will remain the same.

If any of you have a build-up at home of the pint and quart containers that you’ve been using for the cherry tomatoes, bring them in--we will definitely re-use them

We’re still looking forward to lots of kinds of winter squash, turnips, broccoli raab and beets and carrots.  If any of you have fun, easy recipes or preparation suggestions for these veggies, send them along!

Enjoy the harvest this week.

--Laura Meister, Farm Girl Farm Farmer