Congratulations! It's a Seedling!

These last couple weeks have been a blur of seed starting and packing to move, I haven't had much time for anything else. But I haven't forgotten my promise to update you on the nursery. It's not much to look at, I suppose, just plywood "tables" resting on sawhorses in my garage, all topped off with grow lights- luckily the seeds don't care, and neither do I. It's there, under the florescent glow that the miracles begin!

A few of the seeds awaiting their moment in the Master Plan.

Out of the 80-some varieties we're planting this year, only a handful need to be started this early: peppers, tomatillos, a few early tomatoes, chard, kale, broccoli, kohlrabi, onions, lettuce... The rest will go under the lights at about the time this first batch is transplanted out into their beds.

One of the nursery tables, freshly seeded.

I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the seeds began to germinate. Rather than the 4-5 days I was expecting, they practically leaped out of the soil. Here's a progression of Russian Red Kale:

Russian Red Kale: Day 1.

Day 3.

Day 4.

Day 6.

The tray of Romaine lettuce literally sprouted overnight:

Romaine lettuce: the day after being planted!!

Romaine: 3 days after planting!

We also have tomato sprouts! Look for tomatoes as early as June! :)

Moskvich: extra-early Russian heirloom tomatoes!

And I would be remiss if I didn't introduce you to some of the farm's first feathered friends. The Rhode Island Red chicks weren't feeling very photogenic (i.e., my poor camera didn't like the lighting), but the Pekin ducklings struck a pose for me. These little guys have a lot of personality! Once they're fully feathered, they'll be in the outdoor run along with the chickens, but for now they keep me company when I'm working with the seedlings.

Princess, Whyte, and Noodle after a romp in the water bowl.

There's plenty more work to be done before the season starts in June- look for an update after Easter weekend, when I'll be tilling the beds and planting peas and potatoes!

Intermission, or What We're Up To

It's been some time since my last update, but don't worry- we haven't disappeared! Quite the opposite, actually. Our family is in the process of moving to a lovely, large house much closer to the farm plot. It's a refreshing and exciting change, even though it's a challenge to coordinate packing with laying out bed plans!

Speaking of bed plans, some of the seeds have already arrived! The rest should be here within the week. I'll be posting pictures of the nursery operation later this week. This moving business is throwing the seed-starting timing off a little, but rest assured there are lots of early varieties on the roster- I'm looking forward to that first tomato as much as anyone!

Sadly, I do have to report that there may not be blue potatoes this year- every place I've looked is sold out or only offers 1lb increments. I'm still looking, but I may just have to take a rain check for next season.

*Golden heirloom beet seeds are also sold out for the season. I'll continue looking for another source.

Still lots of great vegs, melons, and herbs to look forward to! I'll be updating the "What to Expect" page with the specific varieties shortly.

What's In The Box: Sneak Preview!!

 Over the last few weeks, I've been on a treasure hunt for high quality heirloom seeds. You know that proverbial kid in a candy store? Yeah, that's me. There are just SO many different kinds of vegetables, in every flavor and color of the rainbow, and every seed catalog offers unique ones. Naturally, it was my duty to bury my nose in every catalog. Cover to cover. (I mean, it's not really an addiction if it's work, right?) I'm happy to say that I've found some real gems!

Since it's not quite time to start seeds, I've decided to tempt you instead with a visual sampling of what we're looking forward to this season.

Atomic Red Carrots. This bright red variety has a very strong "carroty" flavor. This is just one of four colors of carrots that will be grown this year- we'll also see yellow, purple, and, of course, orange! 

Chiogga Beets. An earthy, sweet Italian heirloom with trademark "bulls-eye" rings when sliced. Also on the list are  Golden heirloom beets and bunches of baby beets.

Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce. An old favorite dating back to 1875. Lots of lettuce on the planting rotation! Expect to see Romaine and Iceberg, and plenty of baby greens.

Cherokee Purple Tomato. A 19th century heirloom said to have first been grown in Tennessee by the Cherokee tribe. This very sweet tomato is not only one of the best tasting tomatoes around, but is also on the Slow Foods Ark of Taste list of heirlooms in danger of extinction. Other tomatoes that made the cut this year are: Green Zebra, Great White (a whitish beefsteak type), Yellow Pear, and another Ark of Taste list-er, the Amish paste tomato.

Gold Coin Cippolini. A flat-bulbed Italian braiding onion. Also look forward to red onions and bunching onions (scallions). 

Delicata Squash. This pretty squash has been around since 1894. It starts out sweet and only gets better with a few months in storage. Turk's Cap and Buttercup squashes and Baby Bear pie pumpkins also made the cut.

Eden's Gem Melon. Around since 1905, this little green muskmelon maxes out at about 2lb and is guaranteed to taste NOTHING like the shipped-halfway-around-the-world melons found in your grocery store. I'm still debating on a few others, but be certain there will also be watermelon!

Red Russian Kale. Another imported heirloom, this is absolutely one of the tastiest greens you'll ever eat! And since the more the merrier where greens are concerned, expect to see dinosaur kale and collards this season, too.

Italian Sweet Pepper. If you've ever had a jar of those fancy roasted red peppers, you're familiar with these. Also on the pepper roster are bells and jalapenos.

Kohlrabi. This unusual vegetable is also called a cabbage-turnip and is a member of the brassica family. The bulb is crisp with a nutty, cabbage-like flavor.

Lemon Cucumber. Another 19th century heirloom, these 3-inch yellow cucumbers are easily digestible and not prone to bitterness like many other cucumbers. There will be classic pickling and slicing types this year, too.

Mizuna Mustard. This Japanese favorite is delicate, with mild mustard green flavor. It's often used in those fancy lettuce mixes at the grocery store.

Shungiku. This is another unique Japanese green- edible chrysanthemum leaves! There are so many Asian greens available, it was hard to narrow the list to just a few (there's always next year!). Also look for bok choi to join in the boxes this year.

Genovese Basil. The absolute standard for basil and amazing in pesto. If I grew only one herb, ever, this would be it... but, since I'm an herb-lover you can expect parsley, cilantro, chives, and mint to make appearances as well. If there's one you'd like to have included, please let me know!

Adirondack Blue Potato. Despite the name, this potato is actually more purple than blue- and if you don't overcook it, it will keep most of that pretty color! I'll also be planting Kennebec, Dark Red Norland, and Gold Rush potatoes. The anticipated potato harvest this season is around 3000lb!

Easter Egg Radish mix. First of all, isn't this just gorgeous? I think I would grow these radishes just to look at them! Until I was ready to eat it, of course. This rainbow-hued heirloom has that classic radish "bite" to it. I'm also growing a French Breakfast-type radish that is much more mild.

De Milpa Tomatillo. This Mexican heirloom actually grows wild in the cornfields in Mexico. It's sharp, tangy flavor is a must for authentic south-of-the border cooking.

Bright Lights Swiss Chard. Another vegetable I would grow just to look at! Other, more sedate, greens to expect are arugula, spinach, sorrel, and endive.

Cherokee Wax Beans. A creamy-yellow bush bean that's a little more mild flavored than the traditional green bean. Bush beans are one of my favorite vegetables, so look forward to a lots of them this year! Also on the list are Royalty Purple Pod and Contender green beans, as well as sugar snap peas early in the season.

Purple Top White Globe Turnips. Turnips are an under-appreciated veggie- too bad! This traditional American heirloom has lots of "turnipy" flavor. Also featured in the late-season boxes will be parsnips, another humble-but-delicious vegetable that deserves a little recognition.

Still with me? Remember, this little slide show is only a fraction of the seed list! There are about 80 varieties of vegetables, melons, and herbs planned for the 2012 season! CSA shares go fast and sign-up closes at the end of May, so if you want a share of the harvest, snag it now.

Stay tuned for my adventures in seed-starting!

The Adventure Begins!

Hello!

If you're reading this, you're joining us at the start of an incredible adventure. We have the opportunity to follow the path our food takes, from the very first stages of planning all the way through to its final destination- your plate! Please, take a moment to poke around and see what all the excitement is about!

We're thrilled to be able to share this journey with you, whether you just want to tag along with this blog, or take the plunge and order your CSA share! (If you do, go to "Sign Up" and select the share size you wish to receive for the 2012 season.) If you have any questions, feel free to ask! We want everyone to be as excited about vegetables as we are!

This promises to be a wild ride. :)