July 29, 2022

Last week I found a mockingbird nest while picking beans when I accidentally stuck my hand in it — the nest was very well hidden — and I felt some very naked babies. This week the babies have feathers and are already out of the nest. You can see one of them above. My favourite part is watching the parents catch hundreds of bugs and shovel them down the babies’ throats.

We didn’t get anywhere near as much rain as the unfortunate folks in southeastern Kentucky, but the drought is over here, too. The effects of the drought, however, will linger for a while. Some plants, e.g., the fennel, simply aren’t there anymore, while some others, e.g., the first pole bean planting, will likely never fully recover. In fact, since harvesting comes later than the growing, the biggest cuts to my harvesting may actually come now after the drought than during it. But the rain was very welcome and many plants, especially the younger ones, are already looking a great deal better. — Sydney

This week’s items

Items we plan to have at the market this week (an asterisk indicates unusually limited quantities):

• Beans, dry* (Peregion and Pinto)
• Beans, green* (half runner)
• Beets, loose (red and yellow)
• Carrots, loose (Nantes)
• Cucumbers* (Asian)
• Garlic (Porcelain-type hardneck)
• Granola (Cushaw Pecan)
• Lavender, dried
• Microgreens (peas, sunflower, and Tokyo Bekana)
• Onions* (Candy)
• Peppers, bell* (cream and green bells, and Jimmy Nardello)
• Potatoes (Carola, Norland, Purple Majesty, and Red Gold)
• Squash, summer (Cousa*, Pattypan, Yellow Crookneck, and Zucchini)
• Watermelon* (Crimson Sweet)