Week of August 24, 2015
Abbreviated Weekly Farm Report
From Friendship Farms & Fare
http://www.fffsite.org/
A Community Service To West Pasco’s Urban Agriculture Community
Planting & Harvest Notes
Seedings: Broccoli, Calabrese (42)
Garden Starts: Collards in planters in new south garden.
Harvest Notes: okra, eggplant, herbs, red malabar spinach, sweet potato leaves, and sweet potatoes
Heavy Production For Okra
Okra is producing heavily. See report later on plantings and harvests. Some of the plants are now taller than the gardeners. Nematodes are more abundant than in previous years, but most of the plants are showing no ill effects.
Come to the New Port Richey Okra Occasion on Monday August 24, 6:00 – New Port Richey, Public Library.
To inspire your use of okra, here is a site with 12 recipes from Southern Living:
http://www.southernliving.com/food/10-best-okra-recipes
And here is one from Cooking Light:
http://www.cookinglight.com/food/in-season/okra-recipes/view-all
Sweet Potato Update
446 slips planted
First Harvest in Early July
38 pounds harvested
We harvested 8 pounds this past week (one more bed). This is again light for the size of the bed harvested. Our total is now 38 pounds.
We continue to run well behind expected numbers at this point. We’ve done five beds and were expecting at least 15 pounds per bed – 75 total. We are only at 38. Next beds may be better.
We should be able to include SPs with all shares. We have various sizes (medium to fingerling). We’d like to move the fingerlings, so let us know of those are okay. Most are good quality (A), but not excellent/fancy (AA). There is a little scaring on some.
We will try to harvest more this week – with Sunday looking like the best day to start.
We planted a total of 446 slips in 16 beds this year.
We’ve staggered the planting to stagger the harvest. Using this method, we’ll be harvesting from July to late August and early September.
In 2013 we harvested 150 lbs. Last year (2014) our harvest was 250 lbs. This year we are atill aiming at 400 lbs., although the first rounds are not particularly encouraging.
Okra
64 pounds
We harvested 8 pounds of okra last week, bringing our total to 64 pounds..
If you read this far in the newsletter, and like Okra, come join the New Port Richey urban agriculture community for an okra mini-fest on August 24 at 6:00 PM, at the New Port Richey public library.
We are doing some advance planning for a larger event in mid-June, 2016. Let us know if you are interested.
If you did not get our okra slide show, and would like to step-by-step sequence of images of okra preparation, let us know and we’ll send the images. As the slid show shows, even large/long okra can be tender.
Some folks want only small and thin okra, and we are sharing accordingly. Everyone else will occasionally receive larger pods. Some may be woody, but we have found many (even up to 12 inches) that are quite tender.
Eggplant 135
Eggplants are flourishing. We harvested four more this week, bringing our total to 131 so far. The size and appearance is not consistent, and some would not be acceptable at a commercial market. All appear to have good texture and favor.
You may order eggplant this week, but we may not have enough for all shares.
Arugula: First Samples
One of our fall favorites, Arugula, is now available in limited (sample) sizes. We seed-tested some of last year’s seeds, and after 100% germination, we put a few of the seedlings into pots – just for fun. Wonderfully, they took root, continued to mature, and we’ve now transplanted some into open spaces in the gardens. Samples are available this week.
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http://www.fffsite.org/#!report/c1tuh
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http://www.ecologyflorida.org/
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PO Box 596
New Port Richey, FL 34656-0596
Friendship Farms & Fare reaffirms, restores, and advances agrarian ideals to reestablish a sustainable culture
http://www.fffsite.org/
Natural, Economic, Cultural…bringing three ecologies together to regenerate a resilient future for all.
PO Box 596 ● New Port Richey, Florida 34656-0596
www.EcologyFlorida.org
Ecology Florida advances the harmonious integration of healthy natural, cultural, and economic ecologies to regenerate a sustainable world
