progress

Today in the commercial kitchen the ceiling is no longer raw drywall, the FRP is up and trimmed, top and bottom, the window is in, the doors have the first coat of primer on them.

The pea plants have been emptied out of the hoop house. Pea season is done now that the weather is quite warm and mostly dry. Tomato plants are being redirected from walkways into their cages, and cucumber plants are producing and being trained to their trellis. Beans were weeded, the garlic beds are getting cleared, more beans, okra, squash, melons, peppers, and eggplant will go in. Our eyes look to the last frost free date as some of these seeds or starts go in: will we harvest before the fall frost? When is that fall frost anyway? The USDA revises the dates every few years, to be a more accurate reflection of when it gets cold enough that it kills the mediterranean, warm weather loving vegetables. 2012 map indicates mid-October, which seems crazy late: 110 or more days from now! Most anything can be planted and harvested in that amount of time!

We will work on both the kitchen and the vegetables again today. In January and February we race the days to ensure that we will have plenty of early vegetables, and that the tomato seeds are started. Always mindful of our 40 share vegetable CSA, we work to start and then to be able to harvest enough for all without having too much go to seed. Now, in July, the countdown begins as to how many days of enough sun and warmth we still have and to seed/start accordingly. By mid-August we will start all the cold weather vegetables again, for fall and even wintertime harvest.

No lettuce planted for the next 6-7 weeks. We will harvest most all of the lettuce, with the exception of the heat loving romaine (a variety developed in Israel to thrive in hotter, dryer conditions) and fill in with beans, black eyed peas, string beans, drying beans, etc. 55 days to maturity preferred, a little longer ok too.

At the same time consideration of using the commercial kitchen. Propane or electric? What is best to make and take to market, using what we grow here, complementing what other vendors offer? If it is not well received, what can we eat for days after so it does not go to waste? Planning, discussion, consideration will continue.

216 square feet of tile, paint, FRP. All our water tests were passed easily, with no trace of anything tested. Plumbing today. Inspection soon.