I can't believe a whole growing season has passed since my last Ramblings!
The recent deluges have brought most outdoor work, other than harvesting, to a stand still. Luckily, apart from weeding the leeks and some late lettuce, we are pretty much up to date. All our potatoes and onions are into store and a winter cover crop/green manure is now growing in their place. These 'crops' are usually some sort of cereal or grass, mixed with vetches which will fix nitrogen in the soil, and anything else that will grow at this time of year, such as mustard and phacelia. This, among other things, will bind the topsoil and stop it running into the river Cherwell when we get heavy rain (again!). I have recently noticed a lot of conventional and regenerative farmers talking about 'cover crops' as if it is some new idea. Well, organic farmers and growers have been doing it for decades!
It may be soggy underfoot outside but we have plenty of work to do in the polytunnels. All the summer crops will gradually be stripped out, to be replaced by hardy salads and spinach. Garlic, mangetout peas and carrots are also going in to give us a headstart next spring.
I am painfully aware that our carrots in recent weeks have had a lot of root fly damage. We still have a fair amount in the ground so we have decided to reject the smaller ones and give you a bit more to make up for the heavy peeling that will be required. If you find them unacceptable, please let us know as we are always happy to refund or replace.
In the boxes this week you will get green tomatoes which is our traditional offering before we clear the crop. These are best cooked as leaving them to ripen will take ages. They make a great salsa, or the American delicacy of 'fried green tomatoes' Next week, there will be pumpkins, which are culinary varieties and very different from the watery monstrosities for sale at the supermarkets.
At the end of last month we said goodbye to Rachel Lindfield who has worked four seasons with us. She was keen to learn how to drive the tractor and for the last two seasons did a great job managing our field scale operation. We wish her well for the next stage of her life.
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