CSA – Week 16

Posted by: Robert

CSA – Week 16

Please allow me to introduce myself on this fine first day of October, 2010. My name is Robert, and I came to Camp Joy last week (by bike!) as an apprentice for the final two months of the season.

I've been pleasantly overwhelmed by the variety of activity going on here over the course of the past week, and I wanted to share with you a couple of activities I found particularly exciting:

Canning

Since arriving, we've pressed apple juice and made raspberry jam. As fall closes in, we need to take time to preserve our fruits and vegetables, ensuring fresh and local sustenance throughout the chilly winter season.

The canning process is quite simple, and now is the time to learn! (There are a number of websites that explain the canning process.) Canning is a great excuse to get together with a group of friends.

Cultivating

The Collinear Hoe, which we use to swiftly pull across our tender garden beds, is not merely an implement to weed. Since arriving at Camp Joy, I've learned that "weeding" is really an act of "cultivation." Cultivation means gently re-arranging our soil to let water, air, and nutrients flow freely, and removing the stubborn plants that take water, nutrients, and root space from the plants we want to see succeed.

This Week's CSA

What's in your box this week? onions, potatoes, garlic, leeks, sweet peppers, pears, apples, hot peppers, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, summer squash, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, dill, frisee, rosemary, kale, and basil.

Enjoy!