August 30, 2017

Corn is here! After many weeks of caring for the corn crop at Willowbrook Farm, it is ready at last. Organic corn is a very difficult crop to grow because it is so beloved by pretty much all animals and insects. We had corn our first or second year of operating the CSA, and then another nine or so years passed before we had corn again last year. Denise has taken on the corn-growing mantle, which is a lot of work, but very rewarding. Bees love to collect the abundant pollen from corn (a great reason to know where your honey comes from, since most corn is genetically modified and/or sprayed with a lot of pesticides and herbicides), and the plant is a lot of fun to watch grow. Of course, the worms got the first taste of this harvest, so the tops are cut off of each ear. Enjoy this sweet, fresh corn – and then dream of it until this time next year!

Those of you interested in gardening should mark your calendars for the Seed Camp at Montezuma Well on September 16th from 9am-3:30pm. Seed Camp connects Native American elders with young growers (they are especially seeking those under the age of 40) to pass on wisdom about native seeds and gardening. If you can’t make this event, the Planting Stick Project offers it four times a year. It is so exciting to see a resurgence in traditional growing methods and seed selection and saving! Please contact plantingstick@hotmail.com for more information or to RSVP.

Willowbrook Farm has extra pickling cucumbers available this week, so if anyone is interested in stocking up and preserving some, please contact Hilary at (928) 592-8886. If you let her know by noon on Tuesday, we can have the cucumbers available for you at Wednesday’s distribution.

Have a great week!
Meghan

What’s in your basket – August 30th

Apples – Willowbrook Farm
Carrots – Whipstone Farm

Cherry tomatoes – Willowbrook Farm
Corn – Willowbrook Farm
Garlic – Willowbrook Farm
Leeks – Whipstone Farm
Shishito peppers – Willowbrook Farm

Willowbrook Farm’s corn crop is ready!

Aren’t the kiddos at Whipstone Farm the cutest?!

Peppers have made a pretty triumphant return,
although there is not much fruit set yet.

We just saw one of these awesome rhinoceros beetles in Sedona yesterday.
How cool that they found one at Whipstone Farm too!