
So much of last summer's produce just flat-out failed. We were 'gifted' with over three feet of rain in a six-week stretch, and by this time last summer, the whole farm was underwater, and we were considering aquaculture or fish farming as an alternative. Last summer we saw about the lousiest tomato crop I've ever been embarrassed to grow, melons never materialized, potatoes and onions rotted back into the ground before we had enough dry time to do any harvesting...I could go on for a while, but I'll stop there.
I think natures' making up for lost time this summer. We spent the entire day picking tomatoes again today...good lord, do we have some tomatoes!! Melons are ripening up beautifully - we plucked a ripe-looking watermelon from the field late this afternoon after that long, sweaty tomato pick, and immediately whacked into it to check if they're fully ripe. Yes they are!! Maybe it was the heat, but I don't think I've ever tasted anything so good. I managed to snag the photo above before we decimated the thing. FYI, these are not seedless watermelons. Those seed-less things are all genetically modified creatures, which are not permitted in true organic agriculture...and half the fun of eating a watermelon is sitting outside making a big mess of yourself while spitting seeds out into the yard. Trust me.
Our sweet peppers are starting to come along nicely as well. Lots of green bells and the slightly sweeter purple bells this week, as well as sweet red 'Marconi' peppers. I think these are even sweeter than a red bell pepper. The Marconis are a long, tapered sweet pepper that have thinner skins than a bell pepper, which makes them great for roasting or grilling, without having to deal with wet fiddly peels when you're done. Red bell peppers take the longest to mature, but should be ripening up in a few more weeks, if you'd rather wait.
Thank you all so much for your business, eat well, and have yourself a great week!