The garlic harvest is a nice moment in the life of the farm, something of a seasonal tipping point. The leaves had begun to dry out; it was time to harvest before the bulbs burst. And so we did – not à deux or à trois, but à cinq and à six – with two or three harvesting the bulbs and the others cleaning them as we went. In a few hours the job was done and the garlic was ready to be cured. This requires lots of space, i.e. just about every square foot of unused wood and/or cement flooring in the warehouse and the barn. For the next couple of weeks, the residual humidity of the central stalk will keep the garlic fresh, so you’ll be seeing some fresh garlic in your baskets soon.
We would be remiss if we failed to mention our abundant tomato and fennel harvests this week. However, good news is sometimes accompanied by not so good news, and the bad news is that we are waging an epic battle against the red-winged blackbird. Our first week’s corn harvest has seen significant collateral damage. Fortunately all is not lost, as we’ve planted corn for the next three to four weeks – but this winged felon is causing us considerable grief. We’re still strategizing.
