Bags of Veggies!

Today is our first CSA pick-up day! We just finished harvesting and putting the bags together. Because of our spring cutworm problems, we had been a little nervous about the first weeks of the CSA. But things are actually looking better than we had thought. At the very least for the first week. We had planned for July to be smaller, simply because there is much more variety in the the later months, but after 150 feet of lettuce seedlings disappeared(and smaller amounts of almost everything else) we had thought we would have a meager July.

But looking at our first bags, we are very happy. Lettuce, broccoli, arugula, radishes, and sugar snap peas. The broccoli and peas are much earlier than our first two years, which has helped fill out the bags for now, but of course we're just stealing from the later weeks.

Anyway, this is where some of the fun of the CSA comes in. We have a plan on the computer, but of course life doesn't work out like that. The great thing is that we can hopefully still make it all even out by the end of the year.

We did miss our first ever farmer's market last thursday(in order to be sure we'd have enough for the CSA) which was only a little sad(since we could sleep in!). We hope to be back this week, because now we just have too much of some crops to put in the bags. So it's too much of some, not enough of others, which again is great with a yearly membership program.



But the real hero of the story: strawberries. Now, we don't sell strawberries(yet), but we planted a fair amount for ourselves last year. They've fulfilled all expectations, such that we've been gorging, and still freezing some for a fruitless day. If I had to pick a favourite fruit, it would probably be strawberries, so they really have done wonders in curbing cutworm anxiety.

The runners up for hero of the story: The Midnight Hunters(mainly Mike and Kath, guest starring Luke and Sarah(a friend from town)). Cutworms come up to the surface at night, crawl along the soil, nibbling our seedlings, and sometimes chopping down the larger transplants like miniature lumberjacks. With the help of crank flashlights, and keen eyes, the cutworm hunters move down the rows, hunched over, stalking silently through the night(for an hour and a half or so). The cutworms are helpless, caught red-handed! The rest is too gruesome for this website.
The first few hunts were plentiful, but being human, we just couldn't help but over-hunt. Eventually we were going out only to find a few lonely cutworms! Well, I don't think we need to put them on the endangered species list just yet(better to wait until next year).

The Guitar hero of the story: Brad. Brad came down this past week, and brought his playstation avec guitar hero. Needless to say, we rocked.

Happy Summer Everyone!