“sumer is a cumin’ in…”

What I’m harvesting now: Summer lettuces, Romano beans, beets, summer squash, Meyer lemons, Red Gravenstein apples, plums.

This week a big challenge for those of us who grow without using pesticides became very clear. One of the worst pests for vegetable and flower growers is cucumber beetles. They look like yellow/green ladybugs and damage just about every crop grown locally. This year is very bad, (for us; good for their populations), so many of the green beans, Persian cukes and basil leaves are scarred and/or deformed. Other growers are losing entire crops to these beetles.

How much of an impact this has on the grower depends a lot on how much damage you all are willing to accept. I’ve been eating these “seconds” and “thirds” for 50 years so know in most cases they still taste great. And research shows they might even have greater nutrient value as the plant rallies its defenses. I wish we did not have this menace but hope you don’t mind some cosmetic imperfections.

Wendy