There are still a few things "croppin' up" in the desert, even though we've had temperatures near to 120 degrees at times this summer! Thompson seedless and Red Flame grapes are turning to juicy and pungent raisins. That's them drying on tarps in the sun in Thermal (never a more aptly named place).
Palmeros (the folks that babysit date palms all year, slowly luring the fruit to turn to caramelized gold) have wrapped September's date harvest in mesh and brown bags to protect the fruit from birds, bugs and any adventurous rats. We will have different varieties for you to taste at our Hidden Harvest Open House on December 2.
Also cropping up, everyone's favorite okra (not really everyone's favorite!) and Turkish eggplant -- both crave high heat and love the monsoonal humidity we've been having.
August is the beginning of the fall planting season, so farmers are right now preparing their fields to plant lettuces, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and all the other beautiful vegetables we expect to find in our grocery stores year round. Harvest time for these crops will begin in late November.
Little known fact:
Agriculture crops are a 600 million dollar industry annually in Coachella Valley.