Another Farmers Market Day

It was a gorgeous day at the farmers market. While we are in severe drought conditions here, I am thankful that we are dry and not flooded as is most of the Midwest. I am almost afraid to "pray rain". Many of the customers today reflected the same thought. I feel so sorry for all people affected by this horrible weather. I have heard that many of the organic farmers in the southern part of Wisconsin have been wiped out.

My market table looked pretty good today. I had Irish Cobbler and Red Norland potatoes, Boston Pickling and Australian Lemon cucumbers, White Egg turnips, Perkins Long Pod okra, Black Plum paste tomatoes, Black Beauty and Golden summer squash, beautiful golden cured Stuttgart onions, Samarkand garlic and some of Tom's sweet corn. I wanted to check yesterday for green beans in Tom's garden, too, and cut some of my good dill and Italian Flat Leaf parsley, but digging up the rest of my Irish Cobbler and Katahdin potatoes took all my energy, and wouldn't you know it, I had people wanting to know where the dill and beans were! Oh well, I'll hope to cut some next week. The melons may be ready next week, too. I hope so. I cut one Hannah's Choice to test it for taste and it seems a tad unripe right now, so I'm thinking one more week ought to do it.

This coming week I want to start cleaning up the field. We'll get the grass cut and raked, pick up all the vegetable residues that may be laying around, till the finished sections and plant an annual rye grass cover crop, prepare the holes for the replacement fruit trees that will be coming, finish cleaning up the asparagus patch, and maybe finally get get a gate put up for the fence. After all, I can't complain about deer getting my produce when they are not properly fenced out of the field!

I am picking my pumpkins as they turn a good orange color and letting them cure in the garage where nothing can get at them. I don't have many, but what I have sure is pretty. I have a couple of Big Moon pumpkins growing. With the drought they certainly didn't get very big, but I like them. I have picked my Blue Ballet winter squash and have that in the garage curing. The Sugar Loaf Delicata don't look at all ready and I want to check the growing requirements for that to see when I should pick them. The cukes are about done, and I doubt I'll see many tomatoes from the field. I know I will have tomatoes from the high tunnel plants though. And in the high tunnel, the okra and peppers are looking great. I even have a couple of eggplants slowly coming.

We have another beaver. When I went out to the field yesterday, I saw a fresh skid line going down to the creek, though the water level in the creek is so low, I don't see how anything will even float in it.

Finished reading Barbara Kingsolver's new book and really enjoyed it. I like her writing style and think I'll get some more of her books from the library to read.

Well, I'm beat so I'll sign off for now. See ya!