Harvest is Slowing Down
There is not much left in the field. The winter squash has all been harvested. It was a small yield this year because the ground squirrels found out how sweet and tasty butternut squash and all his friends are. They…
Tag pumpkins
Weightlifting Pumpkins
I have been harvesting pumpkins and gourds since mid-September, but I’m pretty sure that last week was my biggest harvest yet, not in number of pumpkins but in weight. Most of the pumpkins weighed around twenty pounds each. I felt…
Autumn Days
The morning light starts a little later and the evening sunset shows up earlier everyday. The air is crisp and clear, autumn is here. The crops all know that summer is over. The tomato plants are still producing but the…
Handling Heirloom Tomatoes
School might be back in session but the days are still sunny and hot. The farm fields are full of summer bounty, which at Quarter Acre means tomatoes. Big ones, small ones, multicolored ones, and they all need to be…
You Can’t Win Them All
Every season on the farm there are things that are frustrating and other things that seem effortless. This season I am so frustrated with the winter squash and pumpkin plants or lack there of. Last year’s all I did was…
Everything is Planted
The entire field is finally planted. Last week I planted the last of the popcorn, a bit behind schedule but in the ground nevertheless. The tomato plants are getting big. The cherry varieties have lots of green fruit on…
Pumpkins, Winter Squash, and Gourds Oh My
The weather finally feels like autumn and the pumpkins are out in full force. My farmers’ market booth has transitioned from boxes of heirloom tomatoes and tons of pints of cherry tomatoes to piles and piles of pumpkins, winter squash,…
Feelings of Fall
The mornings are chilly, the sun sets sooner, and the vineyards are changing color; it is fall. With fall comes the harvest of fall crops: pumpkins, winter squash, and gourds. But even with these feelings of fall, tomatoes have not…
Autumn is Coming
The winter squash vines are beginning to crowd the walkways and are taking over the field. Hidden underneath the big leaves and bright yellow flowers are beautiful baby squash, starting to take on their varieties distinct shape. With all the…