Weekly Abundance, Vol 11-09

Weekly Harvest

Chard – Silverado

Lettuce – Buttercrunch and Simpson Black Seeded

Melons – Honey Pearl Honey Dew, Maveric” Muskmelon, Haoggen Dessert Melon and Eel River

Tomatoes – Green Zebra, Taxi, Brandywine, Oregon Spring, Moskvich, Bellstar, and Early Girl

Summer Squash – Yellow Crookneck, Sunburst, Golden Zucchini, and Cozelle Zucchini

Onions – Siskiyou Sweet

Basil – Genovese

Parsley – Italian Flat Leaf

Watermelon – Moon Beam

Farm Life

This week, we said goodbye to our intern, Ian Hensel.  I greatly enjoyed having him around the farm and wish him much luck as he returns to school at UC Berkeley.

Those of you that have visited the farm have seen our laying hens out under the old orchard.  After a very long wait, they are now laying reliably.  Baring any unforeseen incidents, we should have eggs through the winter.

We have learned that the hens lay the vast majority of their eggs mid-day. We have changed our routine to collect eggs in the early afternoon to ensure that they are as fresh as possible.  Here I am after collecting eggs with our Jr. Interns, Bennett and Julie.

Yellow Watermelon

Veggie of the Week

Our featured item this week isn’t a veggie… it’s your watermelon.  Watermelons produce the largest, sweetest fruits in areas with long, hot summers.  Consequently, I searched hard for a variety that would grow well  in our climate.  Fortunately, I found it in “Moon Beam” This early and productive variety grows well in northern climates.  The lemon-yellow fleshed fruits are thin-skinned, sweet and of the finest quality.  At five to eight pounds, you can think of it as a “personal size” watermelon.