This week marks a major turning point on the farm. It’s late September and that means the Autumnal Equinox is here. It’s not as scary as it sounds (unless you really hate winter in which case, start packing your bags now).
The Autumnal Equinox is the point at which our lovely Earth is aligned with our lovely sun at the equator. For northerners like us, it means the sun is sinking lower in the sky, that days are getting shorter, and – most importantly – that summer crops are coming to an quick end. Our summer crops include things like squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers (what little we have) and a few others. We will have a small amount of these crops for this week and maybe next but not much at all.
For the farm, it means a few others things too. For starters, I need to adjust the solar panels so they can take in more of a sinking sun. These solar panels power our greenhouse fan. The fan, in turn, works all winter to help our greenhouse survive windy days. It also means that our fall crops are almost ready. In the weeks ahead, look for crops like broccoli, more greens, cauliflower, radish, beets, carrots, turnips, winter squash and a few others to fill the share. Our fall season is looking really solid. Finally, our Get Started shares are wrapping up this week too. Thank you to all the families who chose Montalbano Farms.
With eight weeks remaining in the season, the crew is working hard to finish out the year strong. We have lots of harvest left and volunteers are always welcome to come on out and lend us a hand. All help is very much appreciated (we love the offer for children to help but harvesting is not a good job for children so adults only please). We’ll even make you lunch from the farm. Just let me know when you’d like to come out and we’ll find a job that’s right for you.