Organic baskets 17, 18 , 19 & 20 of 2010 — done with the farm for good!

October was a busy month, so I decided to just highlight items from the last organic baskets into one post.

I’m not sure what was up at the farm, but we saw a mother lode of carrot the likes which I have never seen before. I was fortunate enough to get 6 bulbs of potent garlic, one being “sacrificed” and its cloves planted (fingers crossed!). I got two very nice butternut squash and plan to save the seeds for sure. I also have two small pumpkins waiting on the counter.

This week I got some mizuna, but Upgrayedd has developed a taste for greens and stole the bag. We noticed only when it was too late; there was mizuna strewn all over the floor and he was happily munching away. He’s also been known to grab whole peppers from the grocery bags, for some reason. He’s a strange, strange little cat.

So that’s it for this year, and I’m 95% sure I won’t continue with my partnership with the farm in 2011. This year, the quality of the vegetables was very inconsistent. A lot of the time they were wet, because of how the collection point was set up, and too many received items had started to rot — which could be a moisture issue, or a harvesting/storage issue. Needless to say, my comments on the annual survey reflected all of this and more.

I’m seriously considering growing my own next year, and have sheet mulched a section of the backyard to this that’s ?? by ??. But think I need more, especially if I want to grow lots of winter squash and other veggies that take the full growing season to mature. The good thing about all this is that I’ll be able to grow what I want and not have to deal with less-desirables like celeriac or parsnips. The challenge, though, ensuring optimal production by sustainable and organic means.

So it’s time to bone up: I’ll be spending the cooler months reading, planning and sketching out some ideas. Let’s see how crazy this little project gets. Wish me luck!