Late Summer Transitions

Hints of autumn are in the air. The cooler days, the first apples, orange on the pumpkins, and the arrival of the mums herald the beginning of the changing seasons.

In the fields, the crew is pulling up the summer carrots and beets. The carrots grown in summer are a variety that weathers the heat. In the fall we switch to a cold hardy variety that stores well. This week we also harvested the first of our winter squash, and our third planting of potatoes was mowed. They will be dug up in two weeks after they have had plenty of time to form a hard skin underground. This curing process is necessary for storage. Without it the potatoes would rot in your root cellar.

Some varieties of winter squash also benefit from being cured. They are placed in a warm environment with good air circulation (like our greenhouses) to finish sweetening up. The spaghetti squash and Red Kuri you will find in the farmstand now are best consumed right after harvest, whereas varieties like Butternut and Hubbard benefit from curing.

In the next couple weeks you will see a return of your spring favorites like bok choy, tatsoi, napa cabbage, radishes, and turnips with the return of cooler weather.

Enjoy the flavors of summer before they are gone!