September 5, 2024
Labor Day ... the unofficial end to summer, or so they say. There is something that happens when the calendar flips from August to September. Labor Day hits, the State Fair ends, school starts, and the weather shifts just the slightest bit.
For many, it’s a new routine as school starts back up and kids are headed back to school, while for others September makes the perfect time to get back on track and find a new groove. Either way, we want to remind you that September is truly one of the best months to enjoy fresh and local produce.
While so many people seem to think that the height of locally grown produce comes in mid to late July, it is really hitting right now, especially this year.
With some crops coming in a bit later due to a cooler growing season, there’s so much great produce to choose from right now. And that should continue for another 4 to 6 weeks, weather dependent of course.
The Collision of Seasons
It is the collision of seasons for sure around the farm. We’re harvesting summer crops, but the great fall harvest has begun as well.
- Corn stalks were cut on Monday and are being hung to dry
- Pumpkins are being cut and rowed in the fields
- Squash and mini pumpkin harvest will begin very soon
Fall crops were affected pretty significantly by the wet spring we had, followed by the wet growing season. Many of our crops had to be replanted, and the yields are all over the board this year. We’ll do our best to get all of our customers covered, but there were a few crop failures that we will have to work through this year.
It won’t be long before the parking lot at our Waverly farm will no longer be a parking lot, but rather a staging site for bins and bins of jack-o-lanterns waiting to go to their new homes. Those of you waiting to see all of those beautiful fall décor items at our retail locations, we hope to have it there early next week!
Apple Season is Underway
The apple harvest is off to a great start! First Kiss apples are available at all of our retail locations and SweeTangos are arriving this week. It won’t be long and we’ll have Zestar!, Chestnut Crabs, and the crowd favorite, Honeycrisp.
Not only are apples abundant, but watermelons are absolutely phenomenal right now. While some of the Black Diamonds are running a bit smaller because of our unique growing season this year, their flavor is out of this world. Enjoy them now, because watermelon season is always too short in our opinion.
Still Plenty of Summer Favorites
We continue to have all of your summer favorites like sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and zucchini. These should continue through the end of the month and possibly into October as well, all dependent on the weather.
Savor that flavor of summer as long as possible, because we know what season comes next ... and we think fresh and local just plain tastes better.
