Salutations! Matthew here. It´s hard to believe that summer is just now officially underway. Working on the farm for a just a few months, I have come to appreciate more than ever before the subtleties of the seasons. Working around living, growing vegetables has given me a sense of the richness of time and the constant changes it brings.It is the time of potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and soon eggplant−all arriving just as the broccoli, kale, and collard greens approach the ends of their life cycles. Thanks to the blessings of nature and Paige´s prudent management, it is a seamless succession of bountiful produce.

Solanaceous is the word − the abovementioned summer tubers and fruit. They derive their name from the deadly nightshade plant, but nothing signifies summer, life, and healthful eating for me as much as Solanum Lycopersicum, the tomato.

Tomatoes have a rich and well-traveled history. They originated in either South or Central America and did not appear in Europe until the late sixteenth century. Once thought by the British and their cultural descendents in North America to be poisonous (or at least unfit for eating), tomatoes were likely reintroduced to North America by cultured travelers such as Thomas Jefferson, who would have been exposed to the enthusiasm for the tomato in France.

The tomato is both one of the most prolifically bearing, as well as one of the most labor intensive crops to cultivate. Most estimates place the necessary time investment at well over 300 hours per acre. One of the principal reasons for this is the tomato´s susceptibility to disease. Many diseases are soil borne, and as such we attempt to minimalize soil-to-leaf contact. Measures include mulching beds either before or directly after planting and trellising. These measures prevent the plants´ resting on the ground as well as soil backsplash from the rain. We also safeguard the health of our tomatoes by not handling them when wet in order to prevent the spread of disease.

I, along with my co-farmers, have spent many hours this week trellising tomatoes using the "stake and weave" method. We weave trellising twine around stakes placed at approximately three-plant intervals so that the vine is sandwiched and held upright. As the plant grows, we add successive layers of twine. An additional benefit of this practice is easier access to the fruit when harvesting.

Thanks as always to our invaluable volunteers, Hillary, Sandy, and Stephanie. You always bring joy to our day. And thanks to you, our CSA members, for supporting us and contributing to a healthier world. Have a solanaceous week!

Your Farmers,

Matthew, RJ, Lauren, Mary, Brock, and Paige