Meanwhile, things continue at the farm.  The seeds that germinated in February now have at least two sets of true leaves and some are ready to transplant.  These have all been moved off the heat mats to make room for the next round of starts; butterhead lettuce, kohlrabi, scallions, spinach, and many others.

According to the weather forecast, there is a chance we will get a little sunshine over the weekend.  If that happens, the temperature inside the Field House will shoot up, warming the soil enough to allow transplanting.  I might even be able to sow radishes, peas, and all of the greens that make up our wonderful braising mix.  (I would prefer to have sown these weeks ago but the soil temperature has been too low, even inside.)  Guess I’d better let my friends know I might not make it to their social event this weekend after all.

Below is a photo of our existing high tunnels, and our farm cat, Tiger.  The tunnel on the right is the Field House.  It is used for growing heat loving crops in the summer and cool season crops in the winter.  It is 30′X72′.  The end walls are removed during the summer to allow tractor access and to keep it from over heating.

The one on the left is currently 30′X20′ x14′ tall and is used for propagating our seedlings. This structure has not been ideal for this purpose, it’s just too tall.  It’s very difficult to keep a consistent temperature in it without using lots of energy to heat/cool it.  So, with the proceeds of the grant, I’ll remodel it to become Field House II.

We’ll then erect a new,  more energy efficeint, structure to use as a Propagation house.  Fortunately, I’ll be able to reuse the lumber and polycarbonate from the existing structure in the new one.  We certainly wouldn’t want any of that beautiful ceder, harvested more than 30 years ago, to go to waste.

Some seeds are very tiny.  As you might expect, we sometimes drop an extra one or two into a cell.   If we allow the multiples to develop, the plants will be too crowded and will not be healthy.  Consequently, we check through the flats every couple of days looking for “twins”.  When we find one, we very carefully use a pair of scissors to snip off the least health looking one.  In the photo below left, the seedling on the right has a brown spot on the stem.  This might indicate disease so we will snip this seedling off leaving the most healthy one to grow.

And, of course, there will be other things come up.  So far, one of the canopies over the packing area has blown over twice.  Another has broken so badly that it needs to be replaced.  Oh for the day when I can afford to replace those canopies with a pole building!  Until then… I’ll keep patching them back together.

As you can tell,  the farm is a busy place during the winter.

What a disappointment!  I was looking forward to celebrating the last day of the market season with my  customers and the market staff.  I am so sorry for having disappointed those of you that attended the market and found that I was “missing in action”.

Now….. what am I going to do with all this winter squash…….?

We’ve got wonderful red and green lettuces and the last of our flavorful tomatoes.  Plus, we’ve got several several varieties of winter squash that you can store for the winter days ahead.  We also have a special treat, bunches of sweet and hot peppers.  Hang them in your kitchen and use them in soups and stews over the winter.  Or, just enjoy their beautiful colors as they dry and turn from yellow to red.

Hungarian Wax Hot Peppers hanging above Red Kuri Winter Squash

And, we also have dried sunflower heads, a natural winter treat for your feathered friends.  Just tie a string around the stem and hang if from a tree.  No need to remove the seeds from the head, the birds can do that for themselves.   And, yes, the seeds can be eaten by people too.

Sunflower Heads

Don a cozy sweater and your rain gear and come see all the wonderful things the market has to offer.

I can tell you though that I will have lots of wonderful winter squashes at the market.  Just look for the beautiful Red Kuri Squash, the heirloom “Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato Squash, or the rare Canada Crookneck.  I also have Spaghetti Squash and Delicata too.  (If you need a recipe, don’t hesitate to ask.)

You’ll also find a medley of our splendid heirloom tomatoes  Brandywine, Cherokee Purple and Azyocha.

See you at the market!

With fall comes the time to stock your pantry for the winter months ahead.  Artisan Organics has tomato seconds available for your canning projects.  Available in 30lbs boxes, these tomatoes have cosmetic blemishes but our same great flavor.  Perfect for you canning needs.  You may pick up your box(es) at the farm or your favorite Farmer’s Market.

We have the following varieties available:
Dry Land farmed Early girls – grown with no irrigation to produce a firm, rich, flavorful tomato. Great for sauces or stewed whole tomatoes.

Dry Land Farmed Fantastic! hybrid – grown with no irrigation water to produce a firm, flavorful tomato.  Larger than Early Girl. Perfect for sauces.

Mixed Heirlooms – Brandywine and Cherokee Purple.  Great for ketchup and juice.  Sweeter than the Early Girl and Fantastic! Hybrid.

Mixed Yellow Tomatoes – Taxi’s and Azyocha (a Russian Heirloom).  Makes a beautiful yellow salsa.

You may place your order at the Contact Us page.  Please include the date you’d like to receive them, where you would like to pick them up, and the number of boxes of each variety.

In addition to our wonderful tomatoes, we will also have several new items including fennel and sweet and hot peppers.  Need recipes?  Just ask.

See you at the market.

I am conducting a formal Dry Land Farmed Tomato Trial to identify additional tomato varieties that work well in a dry land farmed system.  As part of the study, I must evaluate the flavor of the variety being tested against a control.  So, stop by my booth and have a taste of Variety 1 and Variety 2.  While you’re there, stock up on your favorite, plus all the other great things I have to offer.

See you at the market!