Winter Farm Share Program Week 3

We are at the mid point of the Boulder Belt Eco-Farm Farm Share Program (like a CSA only more so...). So far so good. Between what the market garden is still producing and what we have stored there is still a very good variety and I am having some problem picking and choosing and letting the shares get too big (I don't think this would be much of an issue for the farm share members but if they shares get too big we start losing profitability).

As it gets colder and I am more and more tempted to start using things from storage like onions, potatoes, garlic, dried herbs, winter squash, etc.. But the garden, despite the early deep cold, is still producing a surprising amount of stuff so instead of using the easy items to fill shares Eugene and I go up to the garden and harvest things in quite cold and wet conditions. The kind of conditions where your hands are bright red and totally numb so you have to look at what they are holding to be sure you picked the item up because you sure as hell can't feel the item in your hands.

Oh the joys of gardening on the back side of the calendar. Farming this time of year is interesting as it is very hard to do. It is not at all pleasant to be cutting arugula or spring mix when it is spitting some sort of precip, the row covers are hard deal with because either they have frozen to the ground or they start to freeze while you have them partially off the bed while harvesting things. (That happened yesterday as the temps dropped quickly and in 15 minutes not only were my hands red, unfeeling chunks of ice but the row covers got almost too stiff to put back over the lettuce.) And because you are hunched over the bed your butt crack is exposed and the cold wind and rain becomes very hard to deal with (next time I will wear the coveralls not have that problem). But working in such conditions does make the harvest taste just that much sweeter.

So here is the list of what our members got in their shares this week (12/13)
3 to 4 celeriac
5 leeks
1/4 pound arugula
4 to 5 yellow onions
1 pound red potatoes
1 pound parsnips
1 bag fresh thyme
2 carnival squashes
1 pound chard
1 pound kale
5 pears

Not a bad haul at all.