We had to buy more used pickle barrels last week to put away all the wheat we have cleaned so far. Once filled, I will fill the barrels with carbon dioxide to deny oxygen to any bugs that may want to make a home in our wonderful wheat. We have to finish this job soon as the seed cleaner needs to go back to Tierra Vegetables in Santa Rosa who co-own it with us. They will clean dried beans.
We are now picking green onions for your box. The variety is Early Red Burger which was sown in late May then planted in July. If we left this until the spring it would flower but used now it is a delicious addition to any dish. We have more onions to plant in early November which will form bulbs to harvest in May.
Our cabbages are growing very well. I like to assess the crop from the size of the leaves. In our soil after the wonderful work of the pasture and the chickens the fertility is so great that the leaves are huge. The broccoli leaves tell us how big the head will be. Last year they were too big at times and we could not fit the broccoli heads in your box. We have planted the broccoli closer this year to encourage them to make smaller heads.
To the left is a picture of onion and radicchio. They are growing well and what excites me is how few weeds are in the crop and we have only used our upgraded finger weeder. We invested another $5,000 in this machine this year, and Jose and I are very happy with the results.
The last picture shows Ramon and Miguel winding up drip lines onto spools for use next year. Drip irrigation saves water but the lines are expensive and up until now it has been difficult to find a place to recycle it. I am hoping this will change in the next year as many of our chemical farmer friends are starting to use it. The winding machine works with the hydraulics of the tractor so all they need to do is make sure the lines are empty of water and that they wind onto the spool evenly. Have a great week… Nigel