The summer harvesting has begun. As I prepared for Thursday, which is my harvest and farmers’ market prep day, I knew I would be picking the first blackberries and tomatillos. I’ve been watching both of these crops closely. Playing the game of, are they ready … no not yet, still needs a week or two then I’d go back and walk the rows checking how the fruit was progressing. So Thursday morning I went out to the field with my pint baskets and boxes, I focused my attention to harvesting the beautiful blackberries and delightful tomatillos. After I harvested a small but respectable amount I was ready for a little break.
I leaned into the cherry tomato row to grab a snack, figuring there would be a couple ripe ones, but I was surprised to find many plants covered in ripe fruit. I had been ignoring the tomatoes because they got transplanted late and I figured there would not be enough to take to market until the end of July. Well the past weeks of hot hot weather has pushed the tomatoes right along. Not only are the cherry tomatoes quickly ripening but my early heirloom variety, Glacier, has started to ripen, too. So yesterday at the market Quarter Acre’s summer bounty made its debut.
