Late blight... Two words no farmer wants to hear. More prevalent in cool, wet and windy weather, it can wipe out a tomato or potato crop in no time. You've likely heard about the effects of the blight this season, as more farms in our area have started burning and burying tomato plants hit by the blight. Until recently, we had been lucky to avoid a brush with the fungus ourselves. But early this week at the Skunk Hollow Community Farm, our farm manager Rick Fonda noticed some of the white spores on the leaves of the tomato plants, a sure indicator of late blight. Since there isn't much a farmer, much less and organic farmer, can do to fight the fungus, Rick will have to begin the process of digging up the plants and burying them to prevent further spread of the spores.
There is little more disappointing for a farmer than to watch his or her crops die without any recourse. But amidst the frustration we're grateful that, unlike the people of Ireland in the 19th century, this year's late blight is problematic but certainly not life-threatening. And we're keeping this in mind when heading to the farm markets this summer. Fewer producers will be offering tomatoes, and the ones they do sell will be more expensive due to the demand. Regardless, we won't let that drive us to buy elsewhere, and instead we'll take advantage of summer's other bounty. They may not be the big, beautiful tomatoes we all love, but the cauliflower looks amazing this time of year. Supporting our local farmers by purchasing the produce they do have to offer helps strengthen our communities, not to mention get them back on track for growing healthy tomatoes next year!
For more information on the late blight, click here or here.
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