This year October arrives almost naked. As the cold air slowly overcomes the warmth, we usually experience significant wind. The classic blustery fall day isn’t a fiction--we live it. And eventually it always manages to strip the trees of their splendor. Typically that process happens IN October, but this year it is well advanced at the beginning of October.
Fortunately, we’ve been able to protect most of the crops that will still be harvested. Several powerfully cold nights over this past weekend tested the limits of our efforts, but we are still confident that we will have crops to harvest till CSA ends two weeks from now.
In case you missed that, let me repeat: The CSA season ends TWO WEEKS FROM NOW!
This week is week 18. Week 20 will be the last week of the regular season.
One benefit of the cold weather is the sweetening effect it has on several of the crops. In order to survive the freezing temperatures, many crops (most notably carrots) increase their sugar content to prevent their cells from freezing. As you know, water expands when it freezes and consequently the cells and tissues of plants (which are full of water) will typically rupture under freezing conditions. Water with a higher sugar content however freezes at a much lower temperature and therefore any crop that can increase its sugar content will be able to survive at lower temperatures.
This sweetening is most notable in our fall carrots, but you can also taste it in some of the leafy greens like kale and spinach. See if you notice it this week!
In your share this week:
Carrots
Leeks
Acorn Squash
Spinach
Broc Raab
Dill
Arugula
Garlic