05 Jun Fri 2009
CSA Season Starts Next Week
In 2007, I started my CSA season on June 22nd. My main concern was having snap peas in the first box. In 2008, I started on June 9th. I had plenty of overwintered chard and kale, with plentiful new greens, so I was able to start two weeks earlier. My main concern in the 2008 was the long, cool spring, which I saw as an anomaly. This year, I wanted to start on June 1st, but I had to delay the first box pickup until June 10th. I had figured two years in a row of extended cool, wet spring conditions was unlikely. Wrong! Now I see long, cool springs as the new norm here in NW Washington, but we could actually be moving to more like the Northeastern climate parameters - i.e. cold winter temps and higher early summer temps. The maritime climate here usually features more "equable" temperatures because of the Pacific Ocean (the largest thermostat in the world!), but we are getting more variation in both winter and summer temps. Yesterday set a record of 89 degrees in Seattle and my thermometer in Ferndale read 94 degrees. Even I had to take a break in the afternoon and went for a refreshing motorcycle ride. [SInce I don't get any days off, I feel entirely justified in getting out the bike for an hour - especially since I rode over to Birch Bay to check on their Thursday Farmers Market.]
On another note - my spelt is headed out now. It has an interesting look to it and I am intrigued by the size of the head. It is reputed to be hard to thresh. We shall see.