Thursday, May 14, 2009

For the love of the game

It just won't stop raining around here.  Our berries are taking a hit, with near perfect ones often showing just one little bad spot and we're forced to toss them.  We've had several days of harvesting in the rain---Clover often whispers veiled threats during these times, something about treats and better be dry when we get home, but for the most part she is a trooper.  The rain isn't really too bad, it's just when it's raining and cold that makes it all not so much fun.  
We've recently discovered an infestation of parsleyworms in our carrot patch.  These incredible beauties turn into the lovely black swallowtail butterfly, so we leave them be, but they are definitely doing some serious munching on our carrot tops.  They are one of my favorite finds in the garden as their markings are so vibrant and unmistakable.  
On another note, did anyone catch the NY Times article on eat local mission creep?  What can you do.  I've begun reading Eliot Coleman's new book The Winter Harvest Handbook and it is very exciting.  Stuart and I are both very interested in keeping production going through the winter, so hopefully we'll find some gems of growing tips in the book.  But as for now, it feels we're watching the season fly by so fast.....we're already in week two of CSA, we've already hit the point in time where we can't keep up with our garden, and we've already begun daydreaming of times when we can stay in bed all day without hearing the cries of help from plants being suffocated by weeds.  But have I mentioned we love what we do?  And that the foundation of our house will be going in soon?  Hip hip hooray!  Hip hip hooray!

2 comments:

Randy Emmitt said...

Guys,

I have lots of bronze fennel and the Black Swallowtail caterpillars (not worms by the way) eat it and so far have not touched our carrots or parsley. If you plant the fennel you can always move to cats to the fennel. BTW our CSA provided bronze fennel this week.... like we needed more fennel.

Castlemaine Farm said...

Congrats on the foundation!!! WOO!