The Wild Side of Gardening

Market Update

• Cabbage
• Cucumbers
• Kale
• Green Beans
• Okra
• Salad Mix (spicy arugula, mizuna and parsley)
• Swiss Chard
• Heirloom Tomatoes- featured in the recipe of the week.
• Zucchini- also featured in the recipe of the week.
• Herbs: Basil, Parsley
• Garden Flower Bouquets

Field Notes

This week we are learning from our mistakes. I left the tomatoes in the food dehydrator for too long, and they are quite crispy. My brother was entertained  and suggested we invented Tomato Chips. They are delicious, however sun-dried tomatoes deserve another attempt. This is one benefit of having so much garden produce at hand: we are learning so much about putting food by.

This week we’ve noticed quite a bit of wildlife in the garden. Not just insects, but toads, birds and deer. Also, I suspect raccoons are pulling down our sweet corn plants. Toads are great for a garden. They eat a lot of the bugs that can wreak havoc on our plants. The birds can do some damage, but many of them also eat bugs. It is a joy to watch goldfinches hang upside down to eat the seeds from the sunflowers. So much work just to eat breakfast! I’ve seen deer prints in the garden, but I’ve yet to see damage. I think they’re feasting on other things right now, probably field corn. Which means we may see deer damage in the fall after farmers harvest their corn. I was sad to see the damage done to the sweet corn. We’re going to trick the raccoons and spray fox urine around the corn. Here’s some information about using fox urine as a pest deterrent. That should cause the raccoons to think a predator animal is nearby, and hopefully they will run away. Unless the raccoons read our blog…

We are still swimming in tomatoes. Green Zebra, Black Krim, Mortgage Lifter, Jaune Flamme, Brandywine, and Cherry Tomatoes. They are all delicious. Our recipe of the week is Tomato Zucchini Casserole. It’s easy and cheesy. (A great recipe to get kids to eat their veggies.) Stop by the Selinsgrove Farmer’s Market from 9-1 on Saturday and you’ll get a copy of the recipe along with your purchase.

As usual, if you’ve got questions, please email us at seriousfarms@gmail.com and keep in touch with us on our Facebook page.