Photo by Elaina Natario
We still can’t believe that wild hail storm happened last week, can you? Although we were shocked at the sheer size of the hail stones, our farmers didn’t bat an eyelash when they took stock of the damage after the fact. Thanks to careful harvesting and our crop diversity, we were able to save much of our produce and have our most successful farmers’ market of the season!
Photo by Annie Gilmore
Among those lost included, surprisingly enough, cucumbers, squash, and even watermelons! Some of our root vegetables, like turnips and radishes, were also damaged from the hail breaking through the soil.
And the survivors? Cabbages, carrots, a bunch of tomatoes, eggplants, broccoli, cauliflower and white corn, among others. Because of their sturdy exteriors, these hearty veggies made their way to market without incident.
A big thank you to all of our farmers for working so hard to ensure that we’d have a beautiful and colorful display at the Somerville market!
Photo by Elaina Natario
In more crops news, the wild coyotes of Lincoln have definitely done a number on our melons. We put up flash tape around the vines to deter them, but much of these fruits have fallen victim to the sweet-toothed creatures. What’s even sneakier is that they take small bites out of the melons until they find a ripe one! But don’t worry: We’ve been able to harvest a handful of melons before they get to them, and they’ve so far shown no interest in the cantaloupes.
And finally, this past weekend, a big group of volunteers from Cambridge helped us harvest even more shallots and onions for our CSA and farmers’ markets. Their many hands made it much easier to transfer everything to the drying benches, so thank you to them (and all of our volunteers) for making the day run smoothly and efficiently!
Photo by Annie Gilmore
Have you been to the Union Square Farmers’ Market before? You can find us there on Saturdays, as well as our Farm Stand right at Drumlin Farm!
See you in the field,
Your Farmers