We never claim to be exactly accurate on everything but occasionally even when we are wrong on a few points we are still right on point. Here specifically we refer to the Chester Farmer’s Market’s starting and ending dates. We were completely right about the number of Chester Farmer’s Markets in total. If you can recall back to our early June writing in which we jumped the gun, thinking the Chester Sunday Market started a week earlier than it actually did. Well we are staying consistent in our thinking when we announced the Chester Sunday Market ending 10/8 a week earlier than it actually does Sunday 10/15. And yes we are sounding like a broken record yet again saying there are only two more weeks of the Chester Sunday Market, Sunday 10/15 is in fact the last Chester Sunday Market.
So let’s keep the sounding like a broken record theme going and once again thank all of you the Good Food People for coming out to the markets Friday and Saturday. It’s tough getting ready for and attending markets in the wet weather but it is well worth it to see and hear from all the folks who rely on and appreciate the markets for being a source of local healthy food. Not to mention hopefully seeing Joel work in the rain for a change was in itself worth it. A few market dates that we’d be willing to bet the farm on are Friday 11/17 the last Madison Market and Saturday 12/16 the last New Haven Market. On farm pick up will continue up to the week of 12/16 returning early January as well as the New Haven winter market.
More relevant on farm news includes sweet potato and ginger success, 7 sheep’s first move into Middlefield field blocks, recovering one of the high tunnels in Durham and our friends the turkeys making trouble. As teased last week we dug our first ginger and sweet potatoes of 2023 to see how they were. We are pleased to report it took 5 farmers and several implements to dig out our modest planting of Purple Splendor sweet potatoes. Large and more or less without blemish these beauties are curing as we speak and will be showing up online and at market in a few weeks. Making an appearance at the markets this past weekend and newly available this week online is fresh ginger. An adjustment on the early season sprouting technique combined with a bit of cultivation has helped us find redemption from last year’s disappointment and we are hoping similar success with the turmeric, stay tuned.
Tomorrow looks to be ideal weather for recovering a high tunnel and Tuesday is an all hands on deck farm day, so with any luck we will be able to quickly complete the task. Last summer we planted two rounds of cover crop in this high tunnel, let the chickens eliminate the cover, planted a portion of last years seed garlic, then cut and removed the more than 13 year old plastic. The idea being proactively recovering a high tunnel while gaining the benefits of cover crop, rotation and rain(a lot of rain).On the animal front upon completion of some fencing this morning, the flock will be moving to some fresh pasture near the cover cropped portion of the Jungle, which will hopefully be their Winter oasis. Peas, oats and tillage radish planted a few weeks prior is looking lush and with the benefit of the high tunnel should stay that way till the end of the year when we will allow the flock to graze. In the mean time they begin the exciting process of rejuvenating the field space in Middlefield. Meanwhile in Durham the mystery of avian spinach destruction has been solved. Over the past month several mornings were spent scratching our heads while inspecting strange newly planted spinach destruction, with only a feather as a clue. Our insect eating friends a local gang of Mothers and young turkeys, were caught in the act gleefully dirt bathing Wednesday in a freshly prepped(luckily not yet planted) bed. After 4 or 5 spinach plantings turned into 4 or 5 frustrating re-plantings its hard not to be a little upset. That being said its also hard not to love a bunch of little turkeys we’ve been watching grow up, eating problematic pest along the way
Have a great week