Hot Summer Weather at a Connecticut Farm, July Vol. II

Dear Mad Hatters,

What a hot and stormy summer it has been!  A normal Connecticut summer has an average of 18 days of 90+ temperatures.  We have already had 18 days of 90+ weather in July alone.  Pretty impressive.

I heard an interesting story on the radio about some university which was performing a study about global warming in urban areas.  Concrete and asphalt retain and amplify heat, so it is often 5 degrees or more warmer in a city than in a nearby suburb.  The students wanted to test the potential benefits of "green" roofs for city buildings - covering roofs in plant materials.  They took the temperature of an asphalt roof in New York City on a hot summer day.  The internal temperature of the asphalt was 180 degrees.  They took the internal temperature of a plant on that same roof.  The plant's temperature was 110 degrees, a -70 degree difference!  Pretty impressive.

With the weather so warm, the veggies are maturing faster than usual in our fields.  We have been harvesting like crazy and have a lot of terrific cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, zucchinis, cucumbers and more to bring to market. 

Now the forecast for this afternoon is for rain, but the Ridgfield Farmers Market is open rain or shine.  All your farmers work really hard during the week and count on the market for income.  A little bit of rain really scares people off.  So please, if you usually come to the market, grab your raincoat and come today.  You won't be disappointed.

This week at the Ridgefield Farmers Market, Fridays from 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., Mad Hatter Farm will have:

Gourmet Lettuce Mix

Washington Cherry Tomatoes

Golden Nugget Cherry Tomatoes

Black Cherry Tomatoes

Heirloom Tomatoes

Marketmore Cucumbers

Lemon Cucumbers

Kirby Cucumbers

Zucchinis

Green Beans

Green Onion

Garlic

Free-range Eggs from Ruwet Farm

and more...

Hope to see you at the market, and thank you for your support!

Alix and Jeff