Time Flies When You're In the Garden

It is amazing how time flies when you are working in the garden, or fields. Steve has been so busy ramping up for Hollow Pumpkin's 2012 Summer/Fall C.S.A. that there has not been much time for anything else. All the work pays off and the kick off of our Summer/Fall section is just around the corner. Assuming all goes well and as planned our members will begin receiving newsletters and important information and updates within the next four weeks.

The weather, of course, has been unusually helpful in early growth. Now that it has cooled down some we are seeing a tad slower growth. Steve has been walking around shaking his head a lot these days. Though the warm winter and spring has made it possible for many farmers to plant early, it also is confusing as to what to do in the coming years. We are scratching our heads and asking ourselves is this warm weather going to be a pattern or a passing cycle? Will Ma Nature play a prank on us just when we get used to warmer climates and throw a frost at us? Many if not all farmers who have been farming for a long time depend on weather patterns to plan their planting throughout the year. Steve is such a farmer and so he has been amused and a bit confused about the weather. I just tell him that Ma Nature is keeping you on your toes and dusting off some of those cob webs you've grown over the past 35 years. We all must have a sense of humor when it comes to farming, weather and, as sad as it is, possible global warming. Zones are changing and we all must adjust to it while we change our behaviors to more sustainable ones for the earth.

We are excited about the start of Hollow Pumpkin C.S.A. 2012 Summer/Fall harvest and we are looking forward to meeting all of our new members and seeing all of our loyal veterans. Please stay tuned for more updates coming soon and thank you for your support!

Happy Eating to All - Hollow Pumpkin Farm

C.S.A. Distribution: Week #2

We are distributing this Wednesday, June 15th 2011, at the Neighborhood Co-op in Carbondale from 4pm to 6pm. This will be distribution #2 and the share bags will look pretty and full this week. We will be including:

beets

summer squash

green onions

Basil

Dill

(Possibly: radishes and oriental greens such as tat soi and bok choy)

We all know that we blinked and spring was gone. It seemed like summer came on very prematurely. It has been hard to figure out what veggies from the spring planting would hang around and what veggies of the summer planting will be sized enough to begin distributing. Luckily for us, we have a mixture of both spring and summer veggies for our members this distribution, which does not happen often. The lettuces finally succumbed to the heat and became a bit tough and bitter. the good news is that we are going to get a bit of rain and cooler weather to boot!

The scientists are pretty darn sure that global warming is what is bringing us super cell tornadoes and excessively hot and arid weather. they are sure that the earth's core temperature has risen and we should expect more drought conditions to come. Hollow Pumpkin Farm is preparing for the future. Steve has figured out an inexpensive way to irrigate our fields on a more consistent basis and we are in the process of implementing this system. Good things are happening here on the farm so keep your eyes opened for more to come.