Valencia Tomato

The Valencia tomato is an heirloom that can be traced back to Maine. Past that, its origins are in dispute. Some say it comes from Valencia, Spain. This seems unlikely to me since the Valencia likes cool weather, but maybe the farmers of Valencia grew them in late winter or very early spring when the weather is cool. Others say the name comes from the fact that the tomato looks like a Valencia orange.

Either way, this heirloom produces early and has a sweet flavor. In fact many of my friends say it is their favorite of the heirlooms we grow. It has lower acid than many of the red tomatoes, but is well balanced and not so low in acid that you don't get a true tomato flavor.

Few people grow the Valencia and it is considered to be endangered. So, we will definitely be growing more of this tomato in the future.

San Marzano

Generally, plum tomatoes are best for making marinara (or gravy as it is called in Rhode Island). We used to grow Roma tomatoes for our gravy. That is until we discovered San Marzano. San Marzano originated in South America, but get their name from the area near Naples where they were first planted in Italy.

We find the taste of San Marzano to be much better than Roma and they have fewer seeds, which is a plus when you are making gravy. San Marzano are also prolific producers, so if you plant this variety be ready to share with your friends!

San Marzano is considered an heirloom. Heirlooms have two main characteristics. First, they must have been used for at least fifty years. San Marzano certainly qualifies as it was planted in Peru hundreds, and maybe thousands of years ago. Second, the seed must be able to faithfully reproduce year after year. While this may seem obvious, modern hybrid seeds will not do this. If you plant a seed taken from a hybrid plant the following year it will either not produce fruit or produce a fruit that is inedible.

Preserving

My grandmother preserved the bounty of her garden. When she passed away in 1999, the obituary mentioned her famous pickled cucumbers. My father gave me that recipe and when I make pickles I think of her.

I have been pickling and canning fruits and vegetables from the garden for many years. In late July and through the fall you are sure to find me in a steam fill kitchen sterilizing jars and packing them with marinara, salsa, jams, jellies or pickles. Last year, I tried something new. Instead of of canning all my tomatoes, I froze some of them. So much less work and that same fresh taste when you want to make a marina on a cold January day.

The way I figure, I can spend more time outside working on tending plants and less time in a hot kitchen in the middle of the summer. Some might argue that you can't get the same taste, but I used to think the same thing. Then, I tried a frozen tomato that I took fresh from my garden and was amazed. Further, the onions and carrots you use to make your marinara store well, you just need to get some celery. The last ingredient is basil, which we use in the form of a spoonful of pesto which freezes well, too. Give freezing a try and I think you not only will save time and enjoy more of the summer, but have great tasting fruits and veggies when those cold winters blow into New England.

Arugula

I have posted about arugula many times over the past couple of years. And for good reason, too! It's one of my favorite greens and grows well in New England's climate. I've also posted about saving the seeds for arugula. Below are pictures of the seed saving process for arugula. I cut down these plants and saved the seed on Sunday and planted a fall crop of arugula while I was at it!

Arugula after it has bolted and made seed pods. The pods are now dry and ready to harvest.

The arugula stems are cut down and put in a bin. This is less than half the stems I harvested from one row or arugula.

The pile is getting smaller and smaller. I took out the stems so all that is left is the papery pods and seeds. The next step is to sift out the pods and leave just the seeds.

Finally! The finished product. Since I don't use commercial, mechanical seed sifting machinery, my process is not very efficient. It takes a long time and I can't get all the non seed organic matter out of the mix. It doesn't do any harm, but it is still not pure seed. This process also means that I can't get every seed out of every pod. Rather than throw away the waste, I toss it in beds around the house. Arugula is such a hearty seed that it can grow in mulch and I even find it under the stairs on the patio! Wherever it can find a crevice, it will sprout!

I know it doesn't look like much compared to what I started with, but trust me, there is a lot of seed there. So much that we will have enough for a fall planting at One Love Farm plus seeds to plant next spring AND seed packets to sell at the Richmond Farmers' Market. Stop by and get yours and enjoy some spicy arugula this fall!

Frogs

I first posted about the frogs in our water garden back in 2007. I also posted about the peepers that keep us up at night with their mating calls in the spring.

Last weekend Karen's family came over for a party. We enjoyed some great food like squash Parmesan from Karen's sister-in-law and Karen's mom made a cake for Karen's brother's birthday. We had some sangria with our homemade wine, too. Karen's uncle took some pictures of the frogs posted above. As I was looking and them and comparing them to older pictures I was struck by the fact that the frogs has not only grown in size, but population. What started as a couple of frogs has multiplied into maybe a dozen. I imagine the population will continue to grow until nature takes the inevitable turn and a predator finds their habitat in our back yard.

Sage

I've been growing sage ever since I've had a garden. It's one of my favorite culinary herbs. When I first met Karen, one of the first meals I cooked for her was pasta with carrots and scallions in a butter and sage sauce. In the spring of 2009 I decided to plant 50(!) sage plants in my new herb garden. I must have picked a good spot for the sage because they overwintered and all came back stronger than ever this year!

With this abundance of sage, I had to decide what to do with it. I couldn't possibly use it all. In the past I've burned sage leaves as a kind of incense but this year I decided to try my hand at making a smudge. Smudges are made from all kinds of dried herbs and are have been used in Native American ceremonies for hundreds of years. I found my smudges burned very nicely and next year I'm looking forward to trying to make smudges from different kinds of herbs like lavender.

One note of caution. If you use a smudge, make sure you burn it in a ceramic or other non flammable dish. Just like incense or a candle, do not leave your smudge unattended. Finally, tell your family what you are burning and show them the smudge before you burn the sage the first time. Trust me, most people think it smells like pot and will ask you what you are doing!

Brandywine

Brandywine is an heirloom tomato that can trace its roots back to the late 1800's in the United States. If you read seed catalogs, you will often see terms like "Prolific producer" in the description of the hybrid tomato plants. The Brandywine is the opposite of prolific. It only sets a few fruit per plant, but those fruit are to die for.

Brandywine also reward patience as they are one of the longest tomatoes to get to harvest, up to 100 days in some cases. This year, we are getting a bounty of Brandywine early (like everything else at One Love Farm).

The trick with Brandywine is to stake them well. The plants grow tall with lots of branches and the fruit are heavy, over 1.5 pounds each in some cases. So, the weight can snap branches or pull the whole stake over to the ground if it is not pounded well into the ground. The other key with Brandywine is knowing when to harvest. Unlike the tomatoes you buy in the grocery store, Brandywines tend to be pink, not deep red. IF you wait too long, they become overripe or crack. I recommend harvesting when there is still a little green on the top of the fruit (so called "green shoulders").

Brandywine has a wonderful sweet flavor, but still has the acidic tomato taste that fans love. Use them in a green salad or on sandwiches. They are also fantastic in a Caprese Salad or just sliced with some salt and olive oil!