The sun peeked out for a few minutes this afternoon. I am looking for more sun. The hoophouse warms up surprisingly even on cloudy days. In fact, if the sun comes out it heats up too much and we roll the sides up to cool it, so right now it has been warmer inside with the sides down than it would be if it were sunny. And the spinach and salad mix that I seeded May 17 is growing quickly. Some needs to be harvested now and will be in your mix.
I have been concerned about giving you enough value during the fall share. Here is how last week broke out. I try to give you $35 of value per the farmers markets I go to, which have high prices. So, Fledging Crow has been charging $6 and $7 per half-pound of spinach, arugula, and salad mix, $3.75 for the nice bunch of carrots, 35 cents each for onions, and $1.50/pound on winter squash. The going rates for other things are $2/lb for potatoes, $3/bunch for chard, $2to $3/bunch for kale, $2/lb for Napa cabbage, $1 to $1.50/lb for regular cabbage, $4/lb for broccoli, $2 to $3/head of lettuce, $7/lb with a $1 minimum for garlic, $3/bunch for beets. So you got
- $13 of spinach/arugula/salad mix
- $3.75 carrots
- .35 onion
- $1 garlic
- $5 winter squash
- $2 kale
- $3 chard
- $8 potatoes
- $3 to $5 cabbage or broccoli
- $3 beets
- $4 lettuce
SO, about $45 farmers market value, though not all of you are taking everything. I was concerned on two fronts – was there enough value, and was I overwhelming you with volume? Some of this is bulky but not high value. I feel like I can relax a little.
Last Friday was really pushed because I spent Thursday digging sweet potatoes. I usually harvest at least half of the stuff on Thursday. Today I harvested and bunched the kale and chard, three lettuces each, broccoli, and pulled up beets but they are soaking overnight and will be bunched tomorrow since I quit a little early to take the cats to the rabies clinic in Keeseville. Sure doesn’t sound like I did much. Hmmmm. Tomorrow is finish the beets, cabbage, potatoes, herbs, and bag up spinach and salad mix. From Fledging Crow this week I bought spicy mix, spinach, and carrots for you.
Tomorrow I expect to do the distribution at the Route 9 site. I have lots of things I can stay busy with – cleaning and sorting garlic under the shelter, or transplanting and thinning in the mud if its only drizzling. What I can’t do with this continuous sogginess is weed. Even if I go and pull them up, unless I literally carry them out of the field they will just reroot. Hoeing is too frustrating with the mud building up on the hoe, and the hoe doesn’t glide through the wet soil to begin with. If it gets windy I will move the distribution up to the house (66 Jabez Allen Road). I have had enough standing in wet wind the last two Wednesdays at the Lake Placid Farmers Market (thankfully we have amazingly loyal customers who come on out in miserable weather).
The morning should be nice and I intend to enjoy it while I finish harvesting and washing. See you between 3 and 6:30.
