Earlier this week we donated just under 300 pounds of produce to Chilis on Wheels. Our donation included 61 pounds of Collard Greens, 42 pounds of Swiss Chard, 19 pounds of Kale,
10 pounds of Tomatillos, 30 pounds of Green Beans, 30 pounds of Eggplant, 3 pounds of Okra,
10 pounds of Basil, 1 pound of Mint, 8 pounds of Peppers (hot and sweet),
50 pounds of Tomatoes, and 22 pounds of Beets.
We continued planting out some new fall crops, which included a ton of Lettuce!
The radishes we planted last week have germinated and we are getting ready to thin them so they have enough space to grow to their full size.
We have many new fruits ripening this week including Concord Grapes and hearty Kiwis!
We even saw a Bat sleeping on the Kiwi trellis this week!
This week we also harvested our first few Pawpaws of the season! If you are unfamiliar, Pawpaws are a fruit that is native to eastern North America. They have not been cultivated on a large scale because of their incredibly short shelf life, these fruits will ripen to the point of fermentation only days after being picked. They have a custardy texture and a flavor somewhat similar to a banana.
This year we are going to attempt to germinate the Pawpaw seeds! They require a cold period to germinate so we are experimenting by leaving a few outside over the winter, and taking a few inside to spend some time in a refrigerator.
Lastly, this week we donated 240 more mint plants! 200 plants went to the Young Israel of Forest Hills Senior League in Queens, and 40 went to the PSS City Island Center in the Bronx.
We hope people were excited to receive their new plants!