his past Saturday we showed up at the Amherst Farmer's Market surprising customers with sweet corn, Japanese eggplant, watermelon, muskmelon(cantaloupe), shishito pepper, and edamame.

Sounds of the saxophone and upright bass Sweet corn and edamame sold out before noon. "I've been waiting all year!" customers said, grabbing multiple bunches of edamame. If you missed out, don't worry, there'll be more next week. To our Daikon radish fan base, eagerly awaiting the obnoxiously sized versatile white veggie, fear not, you should see it at the Amherst Farmer's Market on the 21st.

ugust is here, which means our favorite summer veggies are being harvested. Tomato is doing fabulous this year. There are more perfectly shaped and sized tomatoes than not. These are the Jet Star tomatoes; they ripen to a dark red. Japanese eggplant is delicious and growing well. Japanese Cucumber is so prolific this year......we have cukes coming out our ears. Lots of them are nice and straight, while the occasional twisted cuke

is reserved for home pickling purposes. More watermelon and muskmelon (cantaloupe)

are ripening every day. These are truly exquisite melons, as the weather conditions this year have favored these crops.. Also enjoying the dry and hot conditions are shishito and green pepper, which are now bold and beautiful.

ot all the crops are content with the dry conditions. We have had to irrigate this year in several locations. It has been easy to observe the areas of our fields which hold more water, useful information for 2011 field planning. Crisp yellow leaves are a clear indicator of insufficient water. One should also dig into the soil, looking for the moisture level.

The moisture level should not be below, or too far below, where the roots of the crops can reach. Nature Cultivation farmers are always keeping a close eye on soil moisture. It may be obvious that too little moisture can negatively impact crops, but if the soil is too wet for an extended period of time, disease may follow. That is why it is so important to prepare soil to a deep and fine consistency (usually done with tilling implements).

all and winter veggies are growing strong in the fields. The broccoli is already forming some heads and our first harvest will happen this week! There are a good number of holes in the cabbage leaves,

which happens practically every year. White butterflies lay eggs on the cabbage which later grow into small green worms, the culprit.

Typically, this is not a problem for two reasons; the leaves become tough over time and worms stop eating, also the head of cabbage, which comes later, is rarely snacked on. In Nature Cultivation, when a crop is compromised by insects or disease, it is a reflection of soil health. Just as the human body heats up when fighting an infection, the soil has its own processes of elimination. After this process, soil health increases.