Newsletter: Let's Dance

Farmer Musings, October 18: (Overnight low 21 degrees)

Is the water off? Are the hoses drained? Where the heck are my winter gloves? Are irrigation lines pulled and stored? Are hoop houses closed? Did the beds get covered? Is there row cover on the field crops? Two covers on the field crops? Three?

Farmer Musings, October 22: (Daytime high 78 degrees)

Break out the short pants! Row cover!? We don’t need no stinking row cover! Open the hoops, drag the hoses back out! Water, water, water!!!!

Foxtail Farm Frequent Flyers know the dance that we do in the Spring and Fall to keep veggies growing through below freezing temperatures, mostly because I just won’t shut up about it. Some of the steps include opening the hoops during sunny days, then closing them a couple hours before sunset. Overcast days, leave ‘em closed. Cover plants on cold nights, take them off in the morning, rinse and repeat. After almost three years running the show, we know to strap on our tap shoes when the leaves start changing color.

The groove gets extra funky when we see darn near 80 degrees just FOUR days after almost dipping into the teens. When we first saw the forecasted low temps, I won’t say we panicked, but we were definitely whistling through our teeth. At that time, we had around ten 150-foot beds of vegetables out in the field, and no guarantee that any of it would survive the impending cold. Emmalyn, Ashley, and the crew busted their humps (don’t they always?) to get as many carrots, turnips, radishes, and Brussels sprouts out of the ground as they could, and we called in a couple favors to get some friends to help us pick more over the weekend (thanks Jose and Tim!).

Even with longer days and extra hands, we still had nearly four beds of veggies still in the ground the night of the 17th. All the beds were covered with three layers of woven row cover, and all we could do was hope that it would be enough.

And it was!

Jack Frost came in just when they said he would, and hard. Due to our preparation, retained soil heat from a long summer, and a heaping portion of luck, everything survived. Half a week later, we broke out the hoses, drip tape, and overhead irrigation, because those remaining brussels and carrots were thirsty! All in all, we certainly can’t complain. The Brussels we had to abandon in the field were on the smaller side, having an extra week or more in the field is very welcome.

Now we’re getting back to whatever classifies as normal these days. Flirting with freezing temps overnight, 40s and 50s during the day. There’s just a little bit of extra work to keep everything going, not the day-after-day-after-day, working-after-work frenzy we just got out of. Call it a Charlston, Jitterbug, Lindy Hop, or Nae Nae, I'm just glad that dance craze is (seemingly) behind us.

What’s in the Box?!

Photograph of a goat looking directly at the camera with a smile. — **-Komatsuna:** Also called Japanese mustard spinach. This green is very much like a pac choy, only with a skinny stem and a bit more of a brightness in flavor. Use it in a stir fry or sautéed with onions and ginger.
**-Kickin' Mix:** A mix of sweet and spicy East Asian greens. Purples and greens make this a very striking mix for a salad. If you're not a fan of spice, slightly wilting these greens or mixing them into a soup.
**-Arugula:** Peppery goodness. LOVE arugula on a turkey sandwich, or mixed in with nutty lettuces to balance a nice big salad. Pesto is another great thing to make.
**-Head Lettuce:** An oakleaf variety great for mixing into a salad or used on sandwiches. Very tender in texture.
**-Red Torpedo Onions:** I describe them as a cross between a shallot and a Vidalia onion. These Italian heirlooms are so deliciously sweet!