Purple Basil

We didn't plant any Purple Basil at One Love Farm this year. But, as you can see, it seeded itself from last year's plants and greatly expanded the area where it is growing. The plants are growing in a stone walkway (I guess the plants in the beds last year dropped their seeds here) so you have to be a little careful when walking, but if your foot brushes up against the basil, you get that nice aroma when passing by.

I posted some pictures showing the growing cycle of the basil. You can see how big the basil has grown since the spring. You can use purple basil the same way as regular basil. Mash it with olive oil, salt and garlic for pesto or use a few leaves on pizza. You can also eat it chopped in salad, although I find the leaves a bit more leathery than green basil leaves. We even chopped some up and made a purple basil gelato with lemon last week!

Potatoes

I wasn't expecting to harvest potatoes. I was just weeding the bed (isn't organic farming glamorous?) when I noticed some potatoes peeking up above the soil. I had noticed that the potato plants were starting to die back (sure sign that potatoes are ready for harvest) but chose to ignore it.

So, I grabbed my pitchfork and dug up a single plant since I didn't have time to dig them all up. As you can see from the picture above, I got a few pounds of potatoes from this single plant. This variety is Fingerling, one of my favorites for roasting. We also planted some blue potatoes.

Growing potatoes is pretty easy. Here is a link to a good article on growing potatoes. Plant them in early spring in deep trenches and use the hilling method to add dirt over time. In other words, dig a trench two feet deep and drop the potatoes in. Cover with a few inches of soil. Then, when the potato sprouts and sends up green shoots, cover with more dirt. Repeat several times until you have a hill. This will protest the stem of the plant, but more importantly, greatly increase the productivity of the plant and give you a lot more potatoes.

Potatoes get harvested when the plant dies back. Use a pitchfork and try to be careful not to stab the tuber. In reality, this is difficult and you can expect to have a few potatoes come up on the tongs of your pitchfork. Use these potatoes right away or they will rot. Karen says harvesting potatoes is like Christmas because it's a surprise with each pitchfork full.

Potatoes are very susceptible to pests. The potato beetle is the most common. There are organic controls, but I have had only marginal success with them. The most effective way to control the beetles is by picking them off the plant one by one and crushing them between you thumb and forefinger. Or you can drop them in a glass of soapy water. Like I said, organic gardening is very glamorous.

Eggplant

Eggplant is one of my all time favorite vegetables as you can see from the many posts I have done over the years. I have posted about Italian eggplant, but my favorite is Asian Eggplant. It is more tender and has fewer seeds than the Italian variety. It is also easier to peel and cook.

One of the problems growing eggplant is insects. Flea beetles have hammered my eggplant in the past and this year the Japanese beetles have been a challenge. The beetles don't eat the fruit, but the leaves of the plant. They do such extensive damage that the plant doesn't produce any flowers or fruit and eventually dies.

Flea beetles are difficult to control. I have used soap, nematodes and other organic insecticides. None have really controlled the flea beetles, but they have helped a little. With the Japanese beetles, I spent every morning picking them off the eggplant and potato plants. Not an easy job, but it does control the insect population. As you can see from the pictures above, we have a nice crop of Asian eggplant this year.

Late July blooms

I've been posting all spring and summer with pictures of what is in bloom during the season at One Love Farm. From the crocus that can bloom when there is snow on the ground to the Black Eyed Susans that are in full color now and don't seem to mind the lack of rain, it has been an explosion of color this year. Right now, some of my favorites are in bloom. Like the under appreciated Russian Sage. It has delicate lavender blooms and almost gray foliage. It's wonderful sticky scent is a bonus. Also, the old time Rose of Sharon. If you are not familiar with this plant, ask your grandmother.

From top: Zinnia, Shasta Daisy, Russian Sage, Rose of Sharon (two pictures), Limelight Hydrangea, some water plant whose name I don't know and Black Eyed Susan.

Frog

I've posted about frogs many times in the past. From the peepers who keep us up during mating season to the frogs who make our water garden home, we have a lot of frogs at One Love Farm. This morning when I was picking squash, this tiny frog jumped on my hand. I'd seen small frogs this size before, but they were always brown. This guy was green and as you can see from the picture, he is tiny.

Coyotes

Yesterday, Karen spotted a coyote cub drinking from our water garden. She called me and I saw him with his face down in the water. Karen ran to get our camera, but it was too late, he was gone. I have posted in the past about coyotes in our neighborhood. How they started showing up a few years ago and how the rabbit population declined. Then, as fewer coyotes came along, the rabbits bounced back over the past couple of years. Now, we've seen coyotes more regularly and I suppose that means we will be seeing fewer rabbits over the next few seasons.

Finches

I posted earlier this year about hawks and a red winged blackbird. There are always a lot of birds around One Love Farm. When I got back from La Strada Wood Fired Pizza in Matunick, I noticed some finches in the wildflower garden, so I took some pictures.

Squash Blossoms

I just picked the very first zucchini of the season. One tiny, measly zuke. What do you do with one puny squash? Well, I had some onions and basil so I chopped them up and folded it into some goat cheese. Then, I made some rice and added the cheese mixture.

When selecting squash blossoms to eat, it is important to pick the male flowers. That is because the female flowers will become squash. The male flowers will not. So, don't let them go to waste. Stuff them with rice or cheese or veggies or whatever you like. Dip them in flour and fry them up.

So, how do you tell a male squash flower from a female squash flower? It is actually pretty easy. The male squash flowers have a very thin stems. The female flowers have a much thicker stem because that will become the zucchini. Try some today, since you surely will have a billion squash blossoms if you have even a few plants!

Peas

The last of the spring peas. Since I still have some fresh peas in the fridge, I blanched these peas and put them in the freezer. We will surely enjoy the taste of spring on some cold January night!

Early July blooms

I've posted every couple of weeks with an update on what is in bloom at One Love Farm. The point being that we tried to plan with color in mind as well the size and shape plants along with when they bloom. Right now we have some beautiful lillies in bloom along with lavender (see the out of focus bee in the picture? The bees are going crazy pollinating the lavender). Hostas have sent up their flower spikes and our new echinecia is flowering. We're also seeing tons of daisies and coriopsis that are in full color.

Tomato Supports

First off, Happy 235th America. You don't look a day over 228. I spent my morning pruning tomato plants and tying them to bamboo stakes. I've posted before about bamboo stakes being my favorite method of supporting tomato plants.

The reason I need to prune tomatoes is because most of the heirloom varieties we grow are indeterminate. That means they will vine out aggressively and produce fruit throughout the season. Pruning helps promote growth by making sure the entire plant gets enough sun and is off the ground where fruit can rot or be prone to disease. Here is an excellent article on pruning tomatoes.

Since it was so hot and sticky today, I only finished about 1/3 of the pruning and staking, but will continue the job next week. As you can see from the pictures above, there is a huge difference between a tomato plant that has been pruned and one that has not.

Elderflowers

I've complained about our late spring this year. But, even though it took longer for some veggies to get going, and some perennials bloomed late, many perennials are coming in at the same time as last year or even earlier. That is noteworthy because as I posted last year, everything bloomed and harvested early in 2010. For example, we have lavender before July 4th this year, just like last year. And, Elderberries are finishing up their blooms, where they were just starting last year at this time. Last year, I posted a recipe for Elderberry Lemonade and here is a link to a bunch of adult drinks featuring Elderflower Syrup. This year, I've made a bunch of Elderflower Syrup and am going to try and make a minty, lemony, Elderflower Sorbet out of it. We'll see.

Peas and Carrots

Did you ever wonder why some veggies are often served together? Well, besides the fact that some veggies taste really good together, the other reason is that they are in season at the same time. For example, tomatoes and eggplant both are in season in late July and into August. Roasted eggplant with roasted tomatoes or Eggplant Parm are great dishes featuring both eggplant and tomatoes.

You've probably been eating frozen peas and carrots since you were and kid. The reason they go together is that they are both spring vegetables. Planted in early spring, peas and carrots are ready for harvest in June. We planted our peas and carrots and couple of weeks late, so we are just harvesting them now.

Blanch the cut carrots in some boiling water. Take them out and shock them in ice water. Then, quickly blanch the peas for 30 seconds in boiling water, take them out and shock them in ice water. Then, put the peas and carrots back in the hot pan with some butter and salt. Add some pepper and chopped fresh herbs. Thyme is especially good.

If you have lots of peas and carrots to harvest, blanch them and shock them in ice water. Put them in freezer bags and in the freezer to keep them for up to a year.