Turnips

One of my favorite things about having a farm is trying out new varieties of veggies that I have never grown before. I buy seeds of new veggies every spring, but my favorite way to try out new veggies is from the seeds people give me. This year friends gave me carrot and pepper seeds that did well, but my favorite of the year was the turnip seeds my friend Jackie gave me.

I planted the turnip seeds in late summer because they are a cool weather crop. It sends up green shoots in a week or two and the turnip bulb you are familiar with grows underground. Turnips like loose soil so the root can form and a good amount of compost. I use organic fertilizer on them about once a month. In 10-12 weeks, the turnips are ready to be harvested.

I'm not sure what variety of turnip my friend Jackie gave me, but these are the sweetest, most tender turnips I have ever eaten. Karen roasted them with some of our Fingerling potatoes and they were a real treat. Later, I'm going to steam them and puree them with butter for another turnip side dish.

Planting Garlic

Garlic, getting ready to go in the ground

Garlic cloves planted in rows

Turnips

Onions

I should have planted garlic for next year last month. But, I have so much clean up to do and then we were on vacation for a week. If you're interested, check out my blog about the trip to Croatia and Slovenia with a side trip to London.

Today, I finally had a chance to plant the garlic. Luckily, the weather has been mild, so we can still plant it. Last year I planted a variety called Russian Garlic. While the flavor is pretty good, the bulbs were very small so I'm planting a purple garlic this time which should have larger, more flavorful cloves.

Normally, I don't sell garlic at the farmers' market, because we just grow enough for us. But, we use a lot of garlic at our house, so we plant enough to get 100 bulbs in the fall. Not to mention all the garlic scapes we get in June!

With the warm weather, there is still time for you to plant garlic for next year. Use a good garlic you like from the grocery story (it's much less expensive than what you get from the seed stores online, just make sure you're buying organic). Till the soil (garlic bulbs grow underground so the soil needs to be loose and fluffy). Plant the garlic cloves pointy end up about 6 inches apart. So, in an 8'x4' bed, you can get 64 bulbs! Use organic compost as fertilizer and mulch with straw. Remember to cut off the scapes in June (use them for garlic scape pesto) or else you will get small bulbs.

While outside, I also noticed a few stray onions that I picked for French Onion Soup and some turnips as well. My friend Jackie and her husband gave me the turnip seeds, so this is the first time I've grown them. I'm looking forward to steaming the greens and adding to my potatoes. Karen's mom made roasted turnips for Thanksgiving, so I'm going to try that recipe as well.

Croatia and Slovenia

Karen and I just returned from a trip to Croatia and Slovenia with a side trip to London. I created a blog for this trip here.

Of course I talk about agriculture issues that I find of interest like sustainable practices and local economies selling products to the community, but I also talk about the history of this volatile region, the interesting people we met, wonderful meals we enjoyed and our course, wine. There's lots of pictures including a couple of Gigi, the retired truffle hunting pig. I hope you enjoy the blog and drop me an email or post a comment with your thoughts. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

The Onion lampoons foodies

First off, this video has some language that some people might find offensive, so consider yourself warned. But, I find it very, very funny. After all, you have to be willing to laugh at yourself. Here's the link to the video.

Snow!

Turnips

Peppers
Carrots

Last year we returned from a week of 70 degree temperatures in Italy to snow the first week of November. That early snow storm was a foreshadowing of a very snowy winter. Yesterday, a Nor'easter roared up the east coast and dropped two feet of snow in Northern Massachusetts. We had dinner at our friend's house in Foxborough and driving home late last night was an adventure of wind, ice and driving snow. But, in the boondocks of Southern Rhode Island, we got mostly rain and a couple inches of snow. By the afternoon, the sun had melted most of the snow and the storm is mostly forgotten. I just hope we're not in for another brutal winter.

The good news is that there are crops that like the cold weather and even the snow. Turnips love cold nights and the reason we eat them in the fall and especially at Thanksgiving is because they do so well in the cold and will be ready to harvest in November. Carrots, Beets and Radishes like the cool weather, too. In fact, I'm looking forward to a bountiful November harvest of Carrots. Arugula is another good cold weather crop. Today, we took some Arugula and had it on pizza. Arugula won't get its distinctive peppery flavor until temps drop into the 30s at night.

Coyotes

Our Beets and Carrots have been ravaged this fall. Not the root, just the tops. It looks like someone went down the row with a weed whacker. At first I thought it might be rabbits, but we haven't seen rabbits in several weeks at the farm (Coyotes must have got them). Then, I thought it might be deer because I saw a few tracks near the planting beds. I couldn't really make out the type of tracks since the rain had distorted the shapes of the tracks. But, we haven't seen any deer at the farm recently.

We have, however, seen coyotes lately at the farm. Even though they are normally nocturnal animals, I have seen them during the morning and evening. Today, Karen saw two coyotes in the garden and took the pictures you see above. They were having a grand old time eating the tops of beets. Karen scared them off, but now I have to find a way to organically get rid of them without hurting them. The only real method I have seen online is by using wolf urine, since wolves are natural predators of coyotes. We'll see how it goes, but I'm open to ideas if you want to drop me an email.

Sage

Yesterday I cut some Sage for the Richmond Farmers' Market and our own kitchen at One Love Farm. When we sell Sage, people always ask what to do with it. There are tons of uses for Sage, some culinary, some fragrant and some ceremonial.

Sage goes very well with carrots, so we like to cook Carrots in butter and Sage. Just blanch the Carrots in boiling salt water for a minute or two until they are al dente. Then, put them in a saute pan with butter until they are just starting to caramelize. Add Sage (either whole leaves or chopped) and let the leaves wilt. Serve hot. You can also do the same recipe, but add Scallions and toss over hot bow tie pasta. Serve with Parmesan Cheese and hot pepper flakes or Chili Powder

I also like to burn dried Sage as a sort of incense. I've posted about this before. Native Peoples have used Sage for cleansing ceremonies. Yesterday, I gave some Sage to my friend Allen, a world famous artist. He is getting ready to open his shop selling his handmade Native American Wampum, created in the traditional style. Allen told me he will use the Sage in the traditional way, to cleanse a new space of negative energy.

Fall Crops

Beets

Radishes

Earlier this week I posted about a frost that killed most of our tender annuals last week. Since then, we've had three days in row of 80+ degree temperatures. But the nights have still been down in the 40's. Sunny days and cool nights are perfect weather for Fall crops. At One Love Farm, we plant beets, carrots, radishes and arugula for Fall harvest. The cool nights give the veggies more flavor. Radishes taste crisper and spicier. Arugula gets its trademark peppery tang. Planting these crops in August and September is a lot of work. Especially when there is so much other stuff to do in the garden in late summer. But getting these veggies into November is definitely worth the effort.

Frost

Basil, done for the season

Eggplant Frostbite

Wednesday and Thursday night we received a hard frost at One Love Farm. This is a little early for most of Rhode Island (my friends in Newport and Providence didn't get frost and probably won't for a couple of weeks). In fact, talking to people at the Farmers' Market on Saturday, a lot of folks in Hopkinton, Richmond and even Hope Valley didn't get frost this week. But, One Love Farm is in a low spot, even for Hope Valley so we get frost in early October every year (October 10th in 2010 and October 12th in 2008).

You'll be happy to know that the Rogue Tomato I posted about last week survived the frost. That's because he is sheltered by the house and back stairs, which radiates heat at night and creates a tiny micro climate. Micro climates are areas which are different from the surrounding areas. There can be many reasons for the differences in environment. In this case a man made structure (the house) causes a micro climate of a few square feet. When we lived in Warwick Neck, we had a micro climate there due to the Narragansett Bay keeping temperatures cooler in the Summer and warmer in the Winter than the surrounding area. At that house, we often didn't get frost until well into November and one year we even harvested tomatoes for Thanksgiving!

Even though the frost kills off tender plants like basil and tomatoes and eggplants, many species love this cool weather. Arugula, for example, loves a couple degrees of frost overnight. Later this week, I'll post about some plants that are thriving at One Love Farm this fall.

Rogue Tomato

Harvesting tomatoes a couple of weeks ago, I dropped a couple near the back door. Karen saw a Chipmunk munching these treats on the back steps. Last weekend I noticed a tomato sprout in the gravel next to the steps. Just shows how hearty plants can be. Dropped in rock with little soil during fall weather, this tomato sprout looks strong. Of course we will have a frost long before it can flower and bear fruit, but this just goes to show that you don't always have to sow seeds during the traditional timeline for planting.

Passing showers

What happens when you combine a downpour with one of the dirtiest job at the farm? You get muddy. Really, really muddy.

Tomatoes are done for the season, so Karen and I were pulling out the last 80 Cherry Tomato plants. By October, the vines are everywhere and tangled together. First we take out the stakes. Then you take out the plants. When you rip them out, tomatoes go everywhere. On the ground, in the paths, under your shoes and in your face. Then, the dirt flies around. You gotta pick up all the tomatoes, because they will send up sprouts next spring. While this sounds like a great way to save money on seeds and time on planting, we won't put tomatoes in the same spot next year.

When you garden organically, one important thing to remember is to rotate crops. That means never planting the same vegetable in the same spot the next year (or the year after). At One Love Farm we use a three year rotation plan. So, in 2011 we will be planting lettuce and other greens in the spot where tomatoes flourished this year.

After about four huge wheelbarrows of tomatoes, tomato plants, weeds and dirt, thunder cracked and the skies opened up. Karen and I scrambled to finish up but of course we got soaked and covered in mud. We finished the job and went inside to clean up. An hour later the sun is out. We could go back out for more muddy fun, but I think we're done for the day.

Grapes

Cluster of Grapes

Destemmed Grapes

Extracting Juice from Grapes

Grape Juice ready to made into Sorbet

Cabernet Sorbet

When we first moved to Hope Valley in 2002, one of the first thing I did was plant grape vines. My intention was to make from my own grapes. Unfortunately, the weather never got warm enough for the grapes and the wine produced was just OK. I ripped out the vines after a couple of years and bought grapes for California to make my own wine.

But, one rouge vine persists and today I picked the grapes, just a few pounds, but still tasty. In the past, I've made grape jam, but today I decided to make a sorbet from the grapes. After destemming, deseeding and getting rid of the skins, I used the juice with some organic sugar to make a sorbet mix. But, the mix needed a little something else, so we added a glass of Cabernet which gave the Sorbet a great depth of flavor. Not to mention a great deep color.

Pumpkin

Pumpkin Gelato with shaved Chocolate

Pumpkin Ravioli

Today is the first full day of Fall. To me, Fall means squash; butternut, acorn and of course, pumpkins. Because of a wet spring and Hurricane Irene, the pumpkin crop in the Northeast is much smaller than usual and the price of Pumpkin is twice the normal rate.

Even with the Great Pumpkin Shortage of 2011, it wouldn't be Fall without Pumpkin Raviolis. Usually, we have the Ravs with butter a Sage topped with Parmesan Cheese. But today, we braised some of our Carrots and Peas in butter with Sage and added in the Pumpkins Ravs and topped with Cheese. Simple and hearty. Delicious.

We also made some Pumpkin Gelato. We took canned Organic Pumpkin and added in some Nutmeg, Allspice, Cinnamon and Ginger. Organic Sugar and Local Milk go in the Gelato, then we topped it with Shaved Belgian Chocolate.

Cherry Tomato Salsa

Three pounds of Cherry Tomatoes. Washed and ready for the oven

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes. Sweet and caramelized, rich and smokey.

The Final Product. Ready to be served or jarred and preserved.

Of the varieties of tomato we grew for the first time this year, my favorite is Matt's Wild Cherry (here is a post about my now second favorite, Black Cherry Tomato). The tomatoes are small, but pack a great flavor. This heirloom variety produces like crazy, so we have tons to eat fresh, sell at the farmers' market and still have a lot left over. That's fine because I love preserving tomatoes. My favorite way as I have posted about before is by freezing, especially the heirloom varieties. But we also can some salsa and marina in jars.

While I have seen people freeze Cherry Tomatoes, I decided to make these into a salsa this week. I took three pounds of Matt's Wild Cherry Tomatoes, roasted them in the oven until they were caramelized.

I also roasted my Onions, Sweet Peppers and Garlic with some salt an olive oil until they were soft and caramelized as well.

Once cooled, I used an immersion blender to make the tomatoes into a smooth sauce and cooked them in a sauce pan until the sauce gave up half its volume. I chopped and added the peppers, onions and garlic and let the salsa simmer for another 30 minutes. I added a little salt and the salsa was ready to go! Here is a post with another salsa recipe. I put some in sterilized jars and processed in a water bath for 45 minutes. That salsa will be wonderful this winter. The rest I will have on the side of our meal of roasted garden veggies tonight(Potatoes, Peppers, Onions).

Eggplant

I've posted several times about my favorite way to prepare Eggplant; Eggplant Balls. But there are lots of other ways to enjoy Eggplant. You can roast it with other veggies, like onions, peppers, potatoes and garlic. You can grill it. My favorite way to enjoy grilled Eggplant is to marinate it in Garlic Scape Pesto for an hour before grilling.

We also love to make Breaded Egpplant and freeze it. It's super easy to make. Just peel the Eggplant and cut lengthwise in half inch slices. Then, coat the Eggplant slices in flour. Dunk the slices in milk and then coat in Eggplant. Roast the in the oven until crispy. You can freeze the Eggplant slices for later or use them right away or use it in Eggplant Parm.

Husk Cherry Tomatoes

Husk Cherry Tomatoes (also called Ground Cherries) is a great undiscovered treat. They look like a tiny Tomatillo, but when you peel back the husk and pop them in your mouth, you get an unbelievably sweet mango or pineapple flavor. We love just peeling them and eating them, though people do use them in jams and pies or in cocktails!

Husk Cherry Tomatoes propagate easily. In fact, much like Tomatilos (who are in the same biological family of the Physalis), we have not planted new Cherry Husk Tomatoes in several years. The seeds easily sprout the next year wherever they land. Even though I built new beds this year and last, the Ground Cherry Tomatoes sprung up BETWEEN the bricks and weed block! These are super tough and hardy plants.

And the plant produces tons of fruit. The only problem is harvesting them. They don't call them Ground Tomatoes for nothing. The vines grow along the ground so you have to really stoop down to collect the sweet fruit. Sounds like a good job for kids who are already close to the ground and don't have bad knees!

Radishes

Earlier this summer, the Providence Journal did an article on succession planting. Tom Meade interviewed me on this topic and Kris Craig took some nice pictures at One Love Farm. Here is a link to that article in the Pro Jo.

Some of the best crops for succession planting are beets, lettuce and radishes. Radishes only take 28 days from planting to harvest and love cool weather. So, we plant radishes early in the spring and again in late summer every two weeks for continuous harvest. In fact, we are picking radishes this weekend for the Richmond Farmers' Market on Saturday.

Parsley

We grow lots and lots of Parsley at One Love Farm. Folks don't eat a lot of Parsley (even though it is delicious fresh in salads) but we dry it, grind it and use it in our Chili Powder recipe where it adds a lot of flavor to the mix.

Last Wildflower

Our wildflower garden was a surprise this year. Echinecia came up this year even though I don't remember planting it. We added Hollyhocks for next year. Sweet William came back along with lots of other wildflowers. But, as we get into September, all the wildflowers are done except for this one last wildflower.

Hurricane Irene

By the time Hurricane Irene hit Rhode Island, she had been downgraded to a tropical storm. Since the path had shifted, we ended up being on the east side of the eye, which means we got more wind and less rain. To the west side of the eye, you usually get more rain and less wind. We still got a few inches of rain, but it was the wind that did the most damage. While we lost many tomato plants at One Love Farm, most of the other plants made it through fine. Best of all, the greenhouse survived. I very much expected to find blown to bits all over South County.

We also lost power for five days. Trees knocked down power lines all over the state causing three quarters of the state to lose power. We have a well, so we lost water for those five days, too. This was a problem not only for the humans at One Love Farm who like water for drinking and showering and flushing the toilet, but also for the plants who like to be watered regularly. For the established plants like the tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, they did fine living off the water from the storm. But, we are also planting lots of fall crops this time of year. For them, they require watering, in some cases every day, to ensure germination and proper growth. Hopefully, they will be able to withstand this short respite from regular watering.

Early September Blooms

Karen planted these Limelight two years ago and it has thrived. This one has been blooming prolifically for two months!

Russian Sage is one of my favorite under appreciated plants. It's gray silver foliage has a great aroma and it blooms forever in the summer with fragrant lavender flowers.

Turtle Head blooms with tons of pink flowers in the late summer. It might be too early to tell, but this year's Turtle Head blooms may be fewer than in past years.

Salvia is just starting to bloom. The light red tint will become a dark red by fall.

We sliced some grass off the mother plant near the water garden last fall. Strangely, this grass is sending up plumes weeks before the mother plant.

As anyone who has planted Morning Glory knows, it will reseed in places you did not intend. We had Morning Glory potted to keep it from spreading, but the seeds sprouted in locations far flung from the original pot.

Eggplant Balls

We've been harvesting a lot of eggplant this year so we've been busy making and freezing Eggplant Balls. Here is a post with a recipe for Eggplant Balls. Like all good recipes, this one changes over time. Somtimes we add onion roasted with garlic and the eggplant. So, here is another recipe for our Eggplant Balls. Eggplant is so plentiful and inexpensive now that we are in full harvest in New England that you should try this staple.

Hurricane Irene

Lots of people have been asking me how we are preparing One Love Farm for Hurricane Irene. With apologies for sounding facetious, the answer is everything and nothing. We are picking everything we can as quickly as possible. We're blanching tomatoes and freezing them, drying peppers and crushing them, roasting eggplant and making eggplant balls. That's the everything part.

The nothing part concerns the plants. As much as I would like to protect the plants outside, there's not a lot to do. Cover them? Surely the winds would blow off the tarp. We just have to get as much harvested as possible and hope for the best. Hopefully everyone in the path of Irene stays safe and dry.

Weeds

Crabgrass

Freshly weeded

Weed block to keep the crabgrass from coming back

This has been an especially bad year for weeds. Crabgrass grows in beds, between beds and even in cracks in the asphalt or in a handful of dust that blew up next to a rock. The roots can go down over a foot making the weeds especially difficult to get out.

But really, all those are just excuses. When harvest comes in, weeding takes a backseat to .picking veggies. And, as you can see from the pictures above, weeding has taken a backseat for a few weeks. Today, I weeded several beds and pulled weeds between some of the beds. Then, I put down some weed block in an attempt to keep the weeds from coming back. It may word to keep weeds from between the beds, but as sure as the sun rises, I'll be out there next week pulling more weeds from veggie beds

Tomato Soup

This is my favorite time of the growing season. Tomatoes, eggplant, onions, peppers, basil and so much more are coming in fast and furious. The question is, what do you do with all this bounty? We freeze tomatoes and pesto, and make eggplant balls and freeze them as well. We process peppers and keep onions and potatoes for the winter. But we also eat lots of this fresh produce during August, September and October.

Last night Karen took our tomatoes, onions, garlic and basil and made an amazing soup topped with olive oil. Then, she put a piece of bread baked by our friend Isis at the bottom of the bowl and labeled soup on top. I love these meals where everything is from the garden (except the bread). Can't wait for Karen's ratatouille with more of our veggies, including our potatoes.