July harvest and why we weed

On Friday, the harvest took almost the entire day with seven of us working diligently. Toward day's end we were able to get the rest of the tomato stakes pounded into the ground next to their waiting plants, but that was in the last 20 minutes before quittin' time.

In addition to the various greens (mustard, kale, chard, lettuce), basil, fennel, nasturtiums and flowers made into bouquets, we added some new roots to our harvest activities. Beef and eggs do not require the efforts of "down the hill" farmhands.

Long Red Florence Onions [1] (ready for market above and as they were gathered below) were ready to pluck from their beds.

The Siskiyou Sweet Onions [2] were ready, too. Here's how they looked before being nudged out of their earthen homes. As you may recall from earlier posts, there will be plenty of onions to savor.

The scallions planted back in April are almost all gone - this may well be the last of this crop below. Don't worry, we've already planted more. Their pearly white tips are all lined up like the wait staff awaiting the butler's inspection. They have been trimmed, peeled and washed - ready for market.

If you got to a farmer's market this weekend, I hope you enjoyed or are enjoying these flavors as I am.

Friday also brought up the first baby carrots and baby beets. One beet provided an important lesson - why we weed.

Yep, that's a baby beet speared by a stem of nutsedge [3]. Pretty clear lesson, eh? Nature is not always so succinct and patience helps, but this is one example of how clear it can be.