Greenhouse

After two years of trial and error and six months working on this project, the greenhouse is finally up and operational. I certainly learned the hard way not to cut corners or scimp when building a greenhouse. Several earlier editions tried using PVC pipe for the greenhouse frame. These plastic frames ulimately failed in high winds. So, last year, with a lot of help from Fletch and Karen's brother Jeff, I finally was able to frame out the greenhouse and get the steel hoops in place. Karen helped me pull the plastic skin over the frame (on a very windy day!) and her experience with greenhouses helped me secure it down. So far so good. We have had big storms and high winds and everything is still in place. As you can see from the picture above, we have moved tables into the greenhouse. I have also put a potting bench in there with seed starter mix, fertilizer and a wireless thermostat. The greenhouse is small by commercial standards (only 28'x14') but when I am inside it seems like a lot of space. I've already planted several flats of lettuce and other greens and expect to plant several flats of tender annuals next weekend.

Spring is here!

It's been a rough winter in Hope Valley. There was lots of snow this year and hard blowing winds. However, it looks like most of our plants came out none worse for the wear. The first sign of spring is when the crocus pop up. They are still blooming at One Love Farm. The next sign is when daffodils bloom. While we are a few weeks behind the rest of Rhode Island due to our location in a low lying valley, protected tete a tetes (mini daffodils) are in full bloom! It won't be long now!

Lilacs

Last fall we moved lilacs from an unprotected area in front of the house to behind the house near a wall (see post below). Although we had a harsh winter in Hope Valley, the lilacs seem to be thriving this spring. We are very much looking forward to watching their progress throughout the spring and summer.

Fall transplants

Lilac being moved to its new home.


Lilac in its new home
Fall is a great time to move plants to new locations. The trees are starting to go dormant as are shrubs so you will not disturb their growing cycle. And, if you plant them in the fall, it gives them a head start on the spring growing season. Make sure you water them in well during the day and give them a good layer of mulch so the roots won't freeze.
Another lilac next to his sibling

Today is likely one of the last 60 degree days at One Love Farm. Karen and I moved several small plants like hosta and asilbe to make room for some lilacs. We have had these lilacs since friends of ours gave them to us 12 years ago (maybe even longer than that!). They moved with us from Warwick to Hope Valley. For the last six years we have been trying to coax them along in an area of the front yard. But, no matter what we did, they would not thrive. They didn't die, they just didn't do as well as I knew they could. In fact, some of their siblings were planted at Karen's mom's house where they thrived, growing eight feet tall or more and blooming like crazy in the spring. The original lilacs in Warwick are doing well, also, growing to over 12 feet in height. So today we moved three lilacs to the back of the house. There they will get very warm morning sun and be against a wall that will radiate heat at night. In addition, the wall will help protect the lilacs from the hard winds we get during the cold weather months.

End of the season

Since our beets won't be fully mature before the end of the market season, we are harvesting them as greens. Beet greens are wonderful mixed with lettuce in salads. They are also nice when lightly sauteed in olive oil with salt and garlic. This picture show a new variety we are growing this year called blood red. You can tell from the color of the leaves where it gets its name. The green is some arugula that is also growing in the bed.

This Saturday is the last market of the year at the Richmond Farmers' Market. It has been a great first year and we're already planning to make next year's market bigger and better! If you are a vendor who would like to participate in the market or know someone who has an acoustic style band who like to perform at the market, please send us an email. In the meantime, we hope to see you Saturday for the last market of the year. If you can't make it to the market and need some chili powder as a stocking stuffer, send us an email and we will try to accomodate you. We only have a very limited supply since it takes a lot of chilis to make one jar of powder.

Frost

Zinnias after a frost

We had an early frost at One Love Farm. That shouldn't surprise us, being in Hope Valley, we usually get an early frost in October. As always, the frost was not predicted by the weather forecasters. The frost took out all the basil, tomatoes and flowers. Heartier annuals like peppers, lettuce, arugula, radishes and beets were fine. In fact, beets, radishes and arugula like cool nights which intensify the flavor of the vegetables.




We leave gourds outside during winter attached to their vines. This allows then to dry out and aquire their attractive wood looking finish. We'll pick them in the late winter and prepare them as planters and bird houses

Beets and Arugula love the cold weather. We have been harvesting our second planting or arugula for several weeks. Hopefully, we will get some beets before winter. If not, we will harvest the beet greens for salads. This is a variety called Blood Red.

Chili Powder

I love spicy food. One of the reasons I started growning my own food was to get fresh spicy chilis that are sometimes difficult to find in New England. At One Love Farm, we grow Cayenne, Cherry, Pablano and Ancho chilis. Usually, we grow Jalapeno and Habanero, but this year we gave those varieties and rest.

Several years ago I began experimenting with dried chilis. I tried drying everything from Jalapenos to Sweet Bell Peppers. The most successful types were the chilis with thinner walls that dried more easily. These types included Cayenne, Ancho and Habanero. There are several ways to dry chilis. You can tie them up by their stems and hang them in a closet or shed until they dry (this will take several weeks or months). Just make sure you have good air circulation so they do not mold. You can also put them on a cookie sheet in an oven on a very low setting (under 200 degrees). Watch them carefully so they do not burn. It will take several hours before they dry.

At One Love Farm, we use a dehydrador to dry our herbs and chilis. You put the chilis in a single layer on the tray and stack the trays on the dehydrador. It takes about two days dry and you don't have to constantly monitor the process. A word to the wise, if you use a dehydrador, put it in the basement. The fumes from the chili oil can cause some people to cough or sneeze.

Once the chilis are dry, we put them in a blender and crush them until fine. Crush the seeds (but not the stems) in the blender with the chilis for extra heat. Then we put our dried herbs in the blender and crush them into a powder. You can use a wide variety of herbs, but we use a lot of parsley and orageno in addition to other other herbs on our chili powder. Mix the chilis with the herbs and you have a wonderful fresh chili powder.

Remember to wear a mask when grinding and mixing chilis! The powder will make you cough and sneeze and make breathing seem difficult!

Once the powder is made, we put it in an airtight jar or shaker. It will keep for a 6 months to a year and is so much better than the junk you buy in the grocery store that has fillers and who knows what else in it!

You can use chili powder in all kinds of dishes. Of course, it is wonderful in chili. In just the past week, I have also used chili powder in salsa, soup, pesto, and with herbs and oil as a marinade. People also use it to spice up their eggs in the morning!