Sure enough…Temps in the teens will do some damage to our beloved tender greens and turnips. This is also the week that we start seeding for the 2013 season. So our little seedling greenhouse needed to be walled in and have a new door installed. Done.

It’s quite obviously colder this week than it’s been yet this winter, or even last winter in fact. Last winter the temperature around our place never dipped down into the teens.

And while it sadly means the end of our salad and turnips, there’s a less-than-obvious major upside to these sustained, below freezing temperatures.

Any guesses?

Simple answer: BUGS

Remember these red guys from last summer? They did serious damage. Remember the lack of winter squash at our booths? That was because of the squash bug. Remember the lack of cucumbers in the late summer season? BUGS. Remember we don’t use chemicals? There are a number of chemical pesticides that kill these guys pretty swiftly, but they are awfully hard to treat organically. So this time of year we cross our fingers for really cold weather! These little bugs apparently lay eggs near the ground’s surface while the adults burrow down below. If there isn’t really cold temperatures, these eggs survive all winter, hatching out in the spring, and joining the others en mass. If the eggs on the surface are killed, we organic farmers are spared a little bit of their summertime onslaught.

So – join us this week in celebrating the cold! Bring it on! We’ll just have to go without salad for a little while. And we think the cukes and squash of the future are worth it.

This week’s harvest includes:

Arugula ($4 bag), Bag o’ Dark Greens (Farmers’ Choice – $3), …and our own Pepper Jelly (mild, medium, or hot – $5), and Multigrain Bread ($7).

If you would like to place an order, please email your list of desired items and pick up location to BroadforkFarm@yahoo.com

Delivery Options and Order Deadlines:

Pick up at our farm after 9 am Saturday: Orders due by noon Friday. Pick up your bagged order in the green shed/walk in cooler beside the house. Leave your payment (exact change or check) on the shelf in the tray labelled “Payment.”

Pick up at Good Health Herbs, Saturday 9-12:30 pm: Orders due by noon Friday. Leave your exact change or check in the envelope at the store.

Pick up at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Richmond (beside Byrd Park), Sunday 9-11 am: Orders due by noon Saturday. Pick up just inside the door facing Douglasdale Road. Janet will be there with your goods, plus a smile! Pay with cash or check.

** CSA details for 2013 are explained on our website. Online enrollment will begin as soon as our software company completes the set-up. Payment at our delivery sites is through our pre-paid CSA only starting Feb 13.

** We are currently accepting applications for apprentices for the 2013 season.

Enjoy ~