Box 9

Sweet Corn! What a phenomenon this sweet grain is! Sweet corn is one of the most anticipated crops of the year, especially in the country.  Even in rural food deserts you’ll have a flood of local sweet corn, mostly from rowcroppers making a little extra money out of the back of their pickups. When I was a youngin’ I use to pick half an acre a few times a week with my pa to sell in town.

Here is the bounty this week:

Can you believe its the ninth box already? Half way through the season and a lot of good produce still to come! This cool spell after the intense heat has brought with it a tinge of fall. We’ve started to seed September and October’s spinach, carrots and lettuce.  Eggplants, green beans, and zucchini had all been aborting their flowers during the last hot spell but are now all producing again!  Eggplant is just around the corner!

You may have some tag alongs in your box this week.  Not surprisingly, we’re not the only ones who like to eat good produce: insects on the farm are in full swing.  Cabbage worms have been abundant (little bright green guys about an inch long) in the broccoli and hold on tight even through good washings.  One member gave the tip of soaking broccoli in salted water for a few minutes to remove any of them.  No cause for concern if you find one.  We’ve also had some small beetles getting into the ripe sweet corn (you may notice a few hollowed out kernals near the top).  These are the same little black guys with faint yellow spots that you may find have dropped into your sweet beverage if you sitting outside on a beautiful summer evening.