We Made It to Week 16

Our last CSA baskets for 2018 went out today.  Seamus helped me harvest and we were both very proud of the quality and variety of this last offering.  Today's baskets included: zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, kale, swiss chard, parsley, green beans, basil, mint, green leaf lettuce, arugula, radishes, carrots, beets, brussels sprouts, jalapeno peppers, cayenne peppers, and a butternut squash.  There were also eggs and creamed honey.

I can now proudly say that Gael Glen Farm has successfully ran its first CSA program.  Preparing the baskets each week was time consuming but admittedly kept me committed to a regular schedule of harvesting and planting.  I really enjoyed that nothing from the gardens was ever wasted and I was not as overwhelmed by this year's bountiful harvest as I otherwise would have been.  It is amazing to think that our gardens fed three families for four months!  We also managed to can and preserve more than enough produce to get our family through the winter and I know some of our CSA families pickled or froze some of their produce too.  I plan to ask our families for feedback on our baskets and I am very much looking forward to hearing what they have to say.

Even though our CSA is over, our gardens are still going strong.  I hear, however, that a hard frost is predicted for Saturday night.  I will have to add putting up the cold frames over my three winter gardens to my to-do list.  I might also try covering some of the beans, broccoli, lettuce or zucchini in the big garden to see if I can extend their production a tiny bit longer.  It has been an incredible year for our gardens and I am eager to see how long into the autumn/winter we can keep it going.