Whistling Train Farm

This is a difficult time. The seeds have all arrived. The onion plants have arrived.  Waiting…

…..and the rain just keeps coming.

A few days without rain are all that are needed to start working up ground.

Last week was beautiful. Mike had the tractor out, discing to loosen up sticky soil made heavy by winter rain. This is the first step—cut into the top layer to open it up and let oxygen in, so the water can evaporate. And it works quickly, even if the temperature is not very warm. In three days last week all the puddles disappeared, the back field was nearly dry enough to prepare for potatoes, for that is where they will land in the rotation. Broccoli and cauliflower two years ago, winter squash last year. Now it will be potatoes’ turn.

One more day was all that was needed. And then the rain returned. And it’s still raining. While we were at Della’s first track meet, we stood soaked by the downpour and wishing it would stop.

But all is not lost. The greenhouses are all repaired. The big one that we planted with carrots, beets, and salad greens is doing well. The next one that we planted in spinach and radishes is nearly sprouting. Inside, the temperature is at least 10° warmer, even if it’s cold and rainy. Even warmer if the sun peeks out. We can fabricate spring if we need to.

When we start harvesting next week for our Spring Season, we will have rapini, kale, green garlic, spring onions—all overwintered from last fall. Soon, the purple sprouting broccoli, spinach, pea shoots, and swiss chard will be ready to harvest.

My work begins in earnest now, to fill up Greenhouse #1, Arizona, with many, many flats of starts that we will plant out in 4-6 weeks. Lettuces, cabbages, scallions, those earliest broccoli and cauliflower—crops that will be ready for the end of Spring and beginning of Summer Season, late May-early June. Cucumbers will go in Greenhouse #2, California—those sweet, seedless, Persian cucumbers that we fell in love with last year. We didn’t lose our indoor cucumber plants in the short summer, unlike all of the outdoor cucumber plants that succumbed to the mysterious cucumber virus of 2011.

We started these pullets in November, so they'd be ready to lay eggs in April.

The pullets (young hens) we started last November are nearly ready to start laying. They will move into their new house this week, fitted with nest boxes and straw. Plenty of space to be comfortable. The older hens are picking up the pace now, just in time for Easter. Eggs are plentiful in the spring, but the hens need to be re-instructed on where to put them so that we can find them. This is the real Easter Egg Hunt, every day.

A tidy pile of little Napa cabbages. Sweet and crispy, with just a hint of mustard.

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:
• ”Delicata” Winter Squash
• “French Fingerling” Potatoes
• Topless  Beets
• Brussels Sprouts
• Savoy Cabbage
• Turnip Greens
• “Lacinato” Kale
• Napa Cabbage
• Tatsoi
• Onions

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

OUR WINTER SEASON IS OVER. IT IS NOW OUR TIME TO REST, PLAN, AND CLEAN UP IN PREPARATION FOR THE NEW SEASON. SEE YOU IN THE SPRING!

We have made it through the 10 weeks of our winter season. There is a list of things we wish we’d been able to offer for winter, like parsnips, rutabagas, leeks, and more carrots. But we feel like this has actually been one of our best winters since we started! We didn’t have to cancel any weeks, we’ve had plenty—even if we ran out of carrots. There has been plenty of food.

We hope to see you all again in the spring and/or summer. We have great things planned—if we have another short growing season we will be prepared, and if we actually have spring and summer weather, the bounty will be truly abundant.

Have a wonderful winter, and thank you for your support of our family and our farm!

Shelley, Mike, Della, and Cosmo

Glory of Winter

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:
• ”Baby Spaghetti” Winter Squash
• “French Fingerling” Potatoes
• Topless  Beets
• Turnip Greens
• Curly Kale
• Napa Cabbage
• Tatsoi
• Garlic

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON:
Brussels Sprouts
The End of Winter

Have you noticed? It is difficult to catch it when the days are dark and cloudy already, but we are gaining 3 extra minutes of daylight each day! Spring is on the way! Soon the plants will grow again, and the chickens will lay eggs. I’m tired already of buying eggs. The new pullets are coming along and are fully-feathered—they should be ready to lay in April.

The beet greens are not pretty any more, and there’s no point in trying to save the leaves when we harvest. The size doesn’t really  matter either. If they’re big I just cut them into chunks and roast them. The squashes may be little, but they are a true spaghetti. We think they’re tastier than the big ones too. Just bake at 350°, or microwave/steam, fluff out the strands of flesh and serve with pasta sauce or just good olive oil and parmesan. You can use Tatsoi just as you would Pak Choi or Baby Bok Choi. Sauté or stir-fry. It’s tasty and substantial.

We are already starting to strategize for next year. How to utilize the greenhouses more—we are actually going to get the ground worked up inside in the next week or two and start planting extra early. We want to have carrots, peas, spinach, and green onions in April when the Spring Season starts. We’d also like to have a little extra to start at farmers markets with something more than pea shoots and rapini.

I have been straining to think of what I can take a photo of today. It’s so wet and grey, there just isn’t anything that is inspiring me. Instead I scrounged through my photo library. When it’s not raining, we can spend the winter pulling up plastic mulch. Enjoy this one:

Child Labor: Della was 3 and Cosmo was 2. Start them out young, we always say.

It has been our pleasure this winter to create a new Pickup Site in Skyway, at Minters' Earlington Nursery. I have to admit, I've done my share of shopping—I'm a plant junkie. And, I couldn't keep my mitts out of the Winter Greens Bar. Stop by and grab some greenery!

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:
• “Baby Pam” Sugar Pumpkin 
• “Yukon Gold” Potatoes
• Turnip Greens
• ”Tendersweet” Cabbage
• Mixed Young Chicories (Radicchio, Dandelion, Endive)
• Young Fennel
• Pepper Cress
• Yellow Onions

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.
COMING SOON:
Brussels Sprouts
Red and Green Curly Kale
Shallots 

NOTE: CHRISTMAS IS AROUND THE CORNER, SO THIS IS ANOTHER DOUBLE HARVEST WEEK FOR WEEKEND PEOPLE. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY SUBSCRIBERS WILL GET TWO WEEKS WORTH OF PRODUCE ON THE 17th and 18th, AND THERE WILL BE NO PICKUP ON DECEMBER 24th and 25th.

Alas, the nights are ever-lengthening, and the mornings are colder each day. It didn’t thaw until 11:00 this morning. This is no great problem, except that most vegetables can’t be picked while frozen or they don’t wake up. They will thaw and be a wilted product that looks cooked. Freezing punctures the cell walls, and the plant structures soften. However, just about everything that is left in the field can handle freezing and thawing just fine, provided that they are thawed when harvested.

Last week we used up the remaining small lettuce plants, because the closer the thermometer gets to 20°, the less likely they are to recover. This week, the fennel is suffering. We decided to pick it, even though it is small and looks damaged because the flavor is still there and should taste good in a salad, soup, or other dish. Use it quickly though.

The chicories also are going to start seeing some damage, and they won’t mature in the spring before they bolt in the increasing daylength, so out they come. We thought that a mix of reds and greens would be nice with a touch of fennel and peppercress for a winter salad.

Turnip greens are a sturdy cousin of mustard greens. A little more substance, and a nutritious tasty vegetable. “Tendersweet” is a special cabbage, not particularly cold hardy, and ready now, so they were chosen this week. Thin, sweet leaves and a flattened head—these are tasty raw, or steamed or sautéed.

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:
• Various Winter Squashes
• “All-Red” Potatoes
• Golden Beets
• Mustard Greens
• Kohlrabi
• Swiss Chard
• Pepper Cress
• Red Onions

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.
COMING SOON:
Brussels Sprouts
Red and Green Curly Kale

I will create a page for Kohlrabi tomorrow, and more information on Pepper Cress. Basically, peel the kohlrabi and eat slices of it raw with a little salt, or sauté it in butter or olive oil. Pepper Cress tastes a lot like watercress, and it adds a peppery bite to a sandwich, salad, or on top of soup. More to come….