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.