Rain Makes Corn...

Last week was hot, this week was wet. I think it rained, at least for a little bit, every single day this week! Now usually for farmers “rain is a good thing” but when you’re coming into tomato season you have to be careful not to over-water the plants.

Tomatoes are very sensitive to overwatering. If you have ever found a tomato with cracks on the top of it, chances are the plant got too much water while it was producing. Think of the tomatoes like a water balloon. If you keep filling it with more and more water, eventually the skin will break. Unfortunately, they don’t explode like a normal water balloon because, let’s face it, that would be fun to watch. Usually the skin breaks on the top of the tomato. It doesn’t affect the flavor or edibility; it just might not look as pretty. Perfect for canning and sauce making!

All of the other crops are keeping us very busy around the farm. The onions are slowing down. With all the rain we have been getting I’m worried that we might lose some of the onions in the field to rot… Luckily we got most of them out the field and into the barn to dry before all the rain came. We still have plenty if you need some onions!

This week we also started picking some sweet and hot peppers. The purple bell peppers look amazing! I can’t wait to cook with some and add some color to my plate (or, more realistically, pizza).

Sweet corn is finally starting to make its appearance as well! We picked some crates of bi-colored sweet corn starting this week. We should have plenty at the store going into the weekend. Everyone has been saying that the bi-color sweet corn has more flavor than the white; but don’t just take my word for it, try some for yourself! Don’t wait too long though or we might be out. Get it while it lasts! White corn should be on its way VERY shortly. Keep an eye out for tomatoes and cantaloupes coming within the next week or so….

Planting is just about done. This week we put the last of the seeds in the ground. I’m still waiting on some tomato plants from the greenhouse that will go in around early July so that we can be eating tasty red tomatoes well into the fall.

Get to know your farm!