THE YOUTH FARM at the High School for Public Service

NEWSLETTER Week of August 18

th
2014
2014


www.HSPSFarm.blogspot.com
FROM THE FARMER
Hello, CSA members!

Dear CSA members,
In case you havent noticed, its been a very mild
summer for New York City! I used to anxiously await
that final week of July, which always seemed to tip
temps above 95 degrees. I am often asked how the
weather is affecting our farm, and this year is no
different. I thought that this week I would speak to the
weather and how its impacting our crops, and your
shares. We had an unusually long, cool spring, which
made for excellent salad greens and radishes hence
their proliferation in your early shares. Tender salad
greens are hard to come by in the summer, even when
temperatures are relatively low (weve had very few
days in the 90s extremely rare for NYC this time of
year!), but this season weve hardly had a lapse. In a
typical year, we harvest salad greens from mid April to
mid June, and then break resuming usually in
September. We hope to have salad mix back in your
shares by months end!
What else? Our white fly and aphid issues only just
began! Usually these soft-bodied insects, lovers of the
brassica family (kale, collards, cabbage) start making
their presence known by mid July. We have just started
to see these guys in meaningful numbers. Dont worry
plenty of brassicas to go! When we tackle these pests,
we use a mild soapy water and then rinse the plants
thoroughly, and even wait a day or two before
harvesting again.
Happily, we got very few cabbage loopers in our
cabbage crops, and we havent seen too much of a
presence of the dreaded soil-born nematode,
Symphylans, this season.
In the flower realm, we expect the fungus powdery
mildew to set in round about late June. We typically get
one lovely flush of unblemished Zinnias, but from there
on out its a sticky, sooty job to cut these prolific
bloomers. Not so this year! We just spotted the first
traces. Again, we dont let it stop us flowers require
more care and tools require more cleaning, but the
plants thankfully still produce. One way weve
attempted to deter this common pathogen is by spacing
the plants further apart, and, I hate to admit it by
avoiding growing squashes, which play happy host to
mildews.

The pleasant weather has made farming all the more
enjoyable, Im happy to say. Weve still lost some crops
(the Tat Sois are currently losing the battle to flea
beetles, and this spring our Queen Annes Lace and
Calendula were sorely defeated by aphids) but overall,
its been a pleasant year for crops. We hope youve
been enjoying the bounty. Buyer beware: make way for
tomatoes, because our vines are laden with giant green
orbs! Yes, the mild weather is lovely, but the lack of
humidity and heat is prolonging the solanum (eggplant,
tomato, pepper) harvest!!
Cheers,
Molly
IN YOUR VEG SHARE THIS WEEK!
Dino Kale or Red Curly Kale
Swiss Chard
Cucumbers
Romano Beans
Thai Basil
Beefsteak and Cherry Tomatoes
Eggplant
Jalapeno peppers
Cayenne Peppers
Radish
Leeks

IN YOUR FLOWER SHARE THIS WEEK!
Scabiosa


THE YOUTH FARM at the High School for Public Service
NEWSLETTER Week of August 18
th
2014
2014


www.HSPSFarm.blogspot.com
Christmas basil
Zinnias (Cactus and Benarys Giants)
Cosmos
Ageratum
Hopi Red Dye Amaranth
Ammi
Gomphrena
Sunflowers
Hyacinth Bean flower

VEGGIE HIGHLIGHTS
This weeks stars are Leeks and Cayenne pepper!
Leeks:
Leeks are another tasty member of the Allium family a
relative of onions, garlic, chives, scallions, and others.
Rather than forming a bulb they form a long stalk of
sheaths, or leaves, which are tender and sweet when
cooked. Please use leeks as a great substitute for
onions in any recipe. They are wonderful added to a
soup, and egg scramble, sauted with mushrooms and
added as a crostini topping! There are endless uses for
leeks. Well have more in the fall, so enjoy this summer
crop believe it or not, these were planted in January!!
Leeks take looooooong.
Cayenne pepper:
Cayenne peppers are full of healthy properties, such as
being an anti-cold and flu remedy; an anti-fungal
treatment; an anti-allergen and digestive aid.
RECIPE CORNER:
Source: Farmer Molly

Cold and Flu Prevention - Home Remedy

Anytime I feel a hint of cold or cough coming on
(usually a tickle in the throat), I quickly make a tea
using the following:

2 cloves minced garlic
1 tspn cayenne pepper (cut up fresh pepper or
seeds work too)
1 tspn turmeric
Squeeze of lemon juice
Dash of honey
1 tbspn of minced ginger

If you steep the above in hot water, for 10 minutes,
you can save the ingredients and make another
batch for a second cup (I usually drink some of the
ingredients, to get more of the benefits).

Youth Farmer Profile: Sorry, no profile this
week!

NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Interested in interning at the farm?!
Our internships are on Tuesdays and Thursdays from
9am-3pm. For more info please email Liz at
Liz@bkfarmyards.com!

August Volunteer Days:
Join us on the farm for Farm Volunteer Days! Our
Volunteer Days are always:

1
st
and 3
rd
Saturday of the month, 10-4pm
AND
Every Wednesday, 2:30-6:30pm during our farmers
market!

Upcoming Volunteer Saturday Dates:
September 6
th

September 20th

We would love to see you out on the farm!
Families and people of all ages are
welcome!