Or rather Hump Month. You know — like Wednesday is Hump Day of the Monday – Friday work week. It’s the middle. It’s the sign that we’re halfway to the weekend. Or, in this case, halfway to cooler weather and the slower part of the season. We really do love our work, but mid-July to mid-August is the hardest time of the year for us, and we tend to get grumpy. It’s hot. It’s dry, and often (it seems) a drought. (For two of our four years in business thus far we have been in drought status as of July. This morning’s rain is the first significant rain we have had in about seven weeks. Ouch.) Weeds really threaten to take over, and plants start to die. We are still maintaining the plants in the fields (and high tunnels) with a vengeance, and also seeding new trays of plants (for the fall) at full speed. Disease and pest management are at full tilt, and irrigation is such a challenge for us that it becomes a full time job in its own right (shall we advertise for a full time Irrigation Manager position??? Bless the person tasked with this impossible-seeming job. That person is currently Dan.) We hear of other farmers like us getting the duldrums in September, tired from a long and demanding season. But for us, September perks us back up. It’s cooler. Plants are healthier and less demanding. Thus, we really look forward to the end of July.    See how grumpy we get? Thankfully, there are amazing CSA members and customers that tell us how much our food improves their lives. How much they enjoy visiting our CSA pick up area/farm stand to collect their veggies, and getting to see the rows of vegetables that help sustain their families. The amazing people that tell us how incredibly delicious our tomatoes are, thank us for the soapbox Janet stood on last week, and spread the word about our little farm to their family, friends, and neighbors….you sustain us through these dog-days of summer. Thank you. Thank you for your support through our CSA, at market, and at our self-serve Farm Stand. Despite the drought, despite our grumps, and despite all the voices that say a tiny little organic farm like ours can’t serve a valuable role, and/or can’t survive financially, we are feeding really amazing food to an impressive number of people. And we will keep doing so through every challenging July, and all the other, easier months, too. All pictures, like usual, are from this week. (The flowers certainly help brighten everyone’s mood!) The market booth above is from the South of the James market last week, featuring about a fourth of our harvest from last week.

This Week’s Harvest:
Our Farm Share Bag (consisting of a farmers’ choice medley of produce, in one easy to order option), Beets, Carrots, Chard, Cucumbers, (Sun)Flowers, Green Beans, Kale, Okra, Onions, Peppers (green bell, jalapeno, Sweet Lunchbox, sweet yellow, sweet red, padron), Lettuce Heads, Lettuce Mix (a bit!), Scallions, Summer Squash, Tomatoes (slicing and cherry, including BULK SPECIAL) …plus our Pepper Jelly, and our Naturally Leavened, Hearth Baked Bread.

Enjoy ~

Janet (and Dan and the rest of the Broadfork Crew, by proxy)

Recipe Suggestions: (always cataloged on our Recipe Page)
Glazed Carrots
Tuna Cucumber Rolls (these look so great – someone send us a photo if you make them!) (We have a very long cucumber variety coming into harvest, so this recipe becomes appropriate.)
Balsamic Roasted Beet Salad
A Collection of Tomato Pie Recipes
Herbed Goat Cheese Toast with Roasted Sweet Peppers
Tex Mex Bean, Sweet Pepper, and Peach Salad
Keep it Simple: Dice up our tomatoes, cukes, and sweet peppers with salt (and maybe also oil and vinegar) and serve over top of a protein of your choice (salmon, cheese, tofu, chicken….)

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We continue at two farmers’ markets this Saturday: South of the James in Forest Hill Park, from 8am – 12pm, and the Brandermill Green Market in Market Square from 9am – 12pm. You may also purchase our produce and bread through Richmond’s online farmers’ market: Fall Line Farms or stop by our Self Serve Farm Stand. Details here.

2014 Market Share CSA Members: Choose your selection through our Online Ordering to order for pick up on Saturday at our farm, at the Brandermill Green Market , or at the South of the James Market in Forest Hill Park from.

Everyone else: Please sign up for our 2014 CSA and get first priority for the wonderful vegetables that we grow.

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VABF Richmond Farm Tour
Richmond Biological Farm Tour Weekend: September 20 & 21, 2014

Shake the Hands that Feed You!
Saturday & Sunday, September 20 & 21, 1 PM to 6 PM

We will be participating in this inaugural weekend of farm tours in the greater metro Richmond area. Load up your car with friends and family (one ticket covers everyone!) and head out for a day — or two — of meeting farmers and seeing where and how your food is grown. Learn more here and stay tuned for the complete list of farms on tour.