B & H Organic Produce

Dear Friends,

What an exciting summer. Like everything it has it’s peaks and valleys and so far this is turning out to be a usual summer.

Personally I like the heat. It is nice to seek shade but all in all I prefer this to winter. We are very blessed at the farm to have water for our crops. Our water comes from a mountain spring. It is the best tasting water I have ever drank. And all of our crops drink the same water. However, nothing substitutes for rain and the lack of rain is certainly taking its toll on quite a few of the crops.

We are careful to put down irrigation every time we plant. This insures that we will have water no matter what the weather conditions are. Mostly for us dry weather is a good thing. It keeps the weeds down and disease away. Did you know that wet years produce disease and dry years produce insects? I am sure you have noticed the holes in the leaves of the leafy greens.

Here is an update on some of our crops:

Broccoli: One of the most popular vegetables. I would say this has always been the most challenging for me to grow. Broccoli is plagued by at least 4 different insects. We have to plant broccoli under a cloth to protect it from insect damage. The cloth though produces extra heat, which the broccoli hates. And these hot temperatures are rough on the broccoli plants. We put a lot of effort into growing broccoli with very little results. The perfect heads of broccoli you see in the grocery store are a fantasy for me. It is actually more common to have misshapen heads. And then on top of the broccoli being miserable about the heat a family of groundhogs moved in and ate what was savory. They are smart creatures. We have been doing our best to get any broccoli in your boxes. We will continue to try. And with the help of 4 volunteers we were able to almost finish our fall broccoli planting.

Tomatoes: I would say this is the most popular vegetable. Tomatoes are plagued by disease in the Eastern part of the US. I am happy to report that our plants look fabulous and have no signs of disease. They are loaded with fruit. Now we are just waiting for them to ripen. Tomatoes need warm nights to ripen so even though the days are hot the cool nights do not ripen tomatoes. You should expect tomatoes by next week.

Garlic: This crop is not doing well for us this year. There are many factors leading to their demise. There will be garlic but it will be short lived.

Due to the slow spring our boxes were a bit meek in the beginning of the season. Instead of just giving you greens for 4 weeks I chose to give you small quantities of other items such as carrots, cucumbers and beets. Now that we are hitting the peak of our season we have been able to increase quantities. I will do my best to satisfy your needs. Everyday I wake up and I am grateful for what I have although it might not be what I need to fill boxes. Just wait; we will all be rewarded for your patience. Don’t forget to keep checking for our extras even if you don’t want to order.

I would like to thank our volunteers this week. We had 4 non -member volunteers this week to plant broccoli and weed. We had 3 members come and dig the rest of our spring carrots so that we can plant cover crops in that area. We are ready to accept Saturday work hours. The Saturday hours are from 2 pm – 5 pm. Otherwise, we are accepting work hours Monday through Friday 6 am till 4 pm. Please send me an email with a date you would like to volunteer. We will need help in the fall as well.

And one more note: please contact my cell number is you are having any issues or need to speak with me 484-955-1098. I rarely check the office phone number. Or you can email me.

Here is this week's list:

Full shares:

• Yukon Gold Potatoes: 2 lb
• Carrots: 1.5 lb
• Beets: 1.5 lb or Peppers 1.5 lb
• Salad mix : 1/2 lb
• Beans: 1 lb or cabbage 1 large or 2 small heads
• Kale or Chard: 3/4 #
• Cucumbers or Summer Squash: 4 fruits each
• Lettuce: 1 large or 2 small heads

Half shares:

• Yukon Gold Potatoes: 2 lb
• Carrots: 1.5 lb
• Salad mix : 1/2 lb
• Beans: 1 lb or cabbage 1 large or 2 small heads
• If you would like an item from the full share list let me know. Peppers are just coming in and in short supply. Don't worry you will get them next week. I will do my best if you want them this week.
  

Optional Items (these are items we have but in fewer quantities which you could order as a substitute for one of the other items):

• Fresh cut bouquets of Sunflowers.
• Fresh cut bouquets of arranged flowers.
• Arugula: 1/2 lb - It is strong but excellent if you like the taste of arugula.
  

Extra Items this week: (these do not count as an item in your boxes).

• Basil: we have Italian, Lemon or Purple. They make a nice combination for pesto. We normally pack them in 1/4 lb bags. I can give you larger quantities. This will be an ongoing extra item so let me know if you would like to make a large batch of pesto. This is a first come first serve basis.
• Herbs: 1/8 lb bunches: french sorrel, marjoram, oregano, lavender, peppermint or spearmint. We have large quantities of mint.
• Hot peppers: 1/4 lb - These are mixed from mild to hot. They come in all shapes and colors. The bag will be mixed.
  

Thank you so much. It is a real joy to have you as members,

Erica