Claire's Top 10 List of Exciting Varieties for 2011

My first round of seeds from High Mowing Organic Seeds arrived yesterday, which means onion, eggplant, and peppers will be seeded tonight! As I sorted through the packets on my coffee table last night, I realized I'm growing an especially exciting array of produce this year! So, I thought I'd highlight some of my favorites here(all pictures and variety descriptions taken from http://www.highmowingseeds.com/).

10. Organic Miyashige White Daikon Radish - Popular Japanese daikon that can average 2-6 lbs each while remaining crisp and tender for pickling, fermenting or storage. Pure white with a pale green shoulders when exposed to sun. Best grown for fall crop.(Raphanus sativus)

I've heard so much about these radishes, but I've never actually tried one! So, I decided I have to figure out what all the fuss is about!

9. Organic Sweet Chocolate Pepper - Early maturing and high yields! Appreciated not only for its unusual color, but also for its remarkable earliness, heavy fruit set, and tolerance of cool nights. Medium sized peppers are uniformly long and slightly tapered with long stems. Developed by Professor Elwyn Meader at UNH.(Capsicum annuum)

Anything with chocolate in the title gets my full attention! That combined with the unusual color and heavy fruit set makes this a must-grow for this season!

8. Organic Lemon Cucumber - HEIRLOOM Specialty variety prized by discriminating salad chefs for its delicate flavor and crunchy bite. Round 3” fruits turn from pale greenish yellow to lemon yellow (the best eating stage) and then bright golden yellow (when it most closely resembles a lemon). Easy to grow and does well in short summers. Fruits perform well in cool conditions. Works well in large containers.(Cucumis sativus)

This variety was recommended by my Grandmother in Oregon. She's been growing these for a long time and told me I wouldn't regret giving them a try... by george that woman was right! If you can find a more tender, beautiful cucumber I dare you to try (thanks Grandma!!)!

7. Organic Musque de Provence Pumpkin - HEIRLOOM - Gorgeous French variety also known as Fairytale. Richly colored green background and orange glow become increasingly buff when ripe. Fruits are large, often weighing 15-25 lbs, flat in shape and deeply ribbed. This edible pumpkin, often enjoyed cooked, is also traditionally eaten fresh. Cut from the middle like a wedge of cheese and slice very thinly. The flavor is exceptionally complex and sweet with a nice light crunch. May sound strange, but it will surprise you!(Cucurbita moschata )

This pumpkin has a Cinderella kind of feel to it, which I love. Anything that sets the fairy-tale mood is fine by me.

6. Organic Arava F1 Hybrid Melon - GALIA - This green-fleshed tropical melon is deliriously aromatic, sweet and crisp. Arava is a reliable producer year after year in High Mowing’s trials and one of our staff favorites. Galia melons were developed by crossing a honeydew to a cantaloupe, resulting in a perfectly round melon with smooth, netted skin that turns yellow when ripe. Medium-size melons average 2-3 lbs.(Cucumis melo)

People have demanded more sweetness, so here I am with a delicious melon to soothe your pallet in the middle of the August heat... it's just one of a handful of varieties I'm trying this year.

5. Organic Beta Mix - A mix of the best baby leaf varieties from our beet and chard groups. This mix will revolutionize the way we think about our beta greens, showcasing them as tender and delicious with the texture of spinach (without the oxalic acid) and the sweetness of Russian kales. The mix includes Bull’s Blood and Early Wonder Tall Top beets and Golden and Silverado chard.(Beta vulgaris)

People rave about beet greens, and I have to admit they are a little foreign to me! I feel like if I am to take myself seriously as a farmer I need to be fluent in the language of the beet... here goes nothing!

4. Organic Hon Tsai Tai - Dark green leaves with purple veins and stems have petite florets that are best harvested right before the bright yellow blossoms open. Similar to broccoli raab in culture and use, with a much sweeter flavor and delicate texture. Young flowering shoots add a sweet, mild mustard flavor to fresh salads, lightly steamed, in stir-fries, or in cream-based pasta dishes. Best grown in mid to late summer when the days are becoming shorter and stems elongate.(Brassica rapa var chinensis)

I love the color combination here as well as the promise of mustard flavor... can't wait to saute this one...

3. Organic Yellowstone Carrot - Something new for the lunch box! Sunflower yellow carrots are long and slender averaging 9” at maturity with strong, feathery tops. Yellowstone is extremely productive and adaptable to many growing conditions. Beautiful when mixed with other specialty varieties for a colorful display. Pick early for a tender, mild flavored treat! (Daucus carota subsp. sativus)

People have seen orange, they've seen purple, but have they seen yellow in their bunch of carrots? I'm gonna go ahead and argue no... so here I am, widening people's definition of "carrot"... you're welcome.

2. Organic Baby Doll F1 Watermelon - Yellow icebox type. Early maturing melons are slightly oval in shape with medium and dark green stripes. Fantastic bright yellow flesh with small brown seeds. It’s sweet, crisp flavor topped our taste tests. Fruits are very uniform and productive, weighing 10-15 lbs each. Harvest promptly as fruit has a tendency to split when ripe in the field. Excellent variety for direct markets or shipping. (Citrullus lanatus)

I was obsessed with watermelon for the better part of my pre-teen years... needless to say when I saw High Mowing offering a yellow watermelon I jumped right on board... can't WAIT to taste this one!

and last but not least...

1. Organic Red Kuri Squash - Also known as Baby Red Hubbard and Orange Hokkaido, these teardrop-shaped, strikingly red-orange squash from Japan have very smooth, sweet, dry flesh with deep orange color. The most reliable yielders even in cool, short seasons. Fruits are 3-4 lb size. Improved HMS strain with greater uniformity than other strains.(Cucurbita maxima)

What can I possibly say about this perfect specimen? The flavor of this squash is perfect... It's my new favorite winter squash and I'm confident you'll love it too.

No Top 10 List is complete without at least one honorable mention... this year's recipient is a favorite from the first year of the farm. I loved the tenderness and presentation of this variety, but didn't grow it last year because I couldn't seem to find organic seed anywhere... When I saw High Mowing offering this gorgeous little head I couldn't resist... So please offer a warm "Welcome Back" to...

Organic Caraflex F1 Cabbage - Green “sweetheart” cabbage for fresh market. Caraflex is well known for its thin, sweet leaves that are delicious eaten raw or in stir fries, slaws or egg rolls. Small heads average 1.5-2 lbs. Plants are extremely uniform and have good wrapper leaves for insect and sun protection. (Brassica oleracea)

Well folks, that about does it for Claire's Pre-Season Top 10 List... However, stay tuned! I'm still waiting on potatoes from FedCo... I ordered over 100lbs of seed potatoes this year, that's more than triple what I ordered last year... I'll have everything from blue potatoes to fingerlings to storage potatoes... more on that when they arrive.

If you haven't ordered your CSA share yet, there's still time! Send me an e-mail, (SundoraFarm@gmail.com) or give me a call(802-522-6877) to reserve yours!

Posters!

Posters are up and brochures are out for Sundora's 2011 CSA!

To pick up a brochure go to Bud & Bella's Bookshop or Three Bean Cafe right in downtown Randolph. You can also email SundoraFarm@gmail.com to get a brochure!

Kittens and Baby Birds

Today has been a reminder that the cycle of life is always working here on the farm... I've had a coup of chickens that I essentially rescued this past winter, that have been pecking open all the eggs that they lay. So, after months of trying to decide whether or not to keep these chickens who are literally eating away at the farm's profits, I finally decided to end their lives in the name of the farm's financial sustainability... my friend Carl came over to help me do the job. It's never an easy decision to end an animal's life, one I took very seriously. And when it came time for followthrough it was done with no lack of respect for the animals. As I tearfully placed each one of them in the compost pile I thanked them for their lives. Being year old hens we didn't feel they would be useful for anything other than broth, and quite frankly we thought they would yield more nutrition if they were returned the soil to help the garden grow next year... I walked away feeling sad at the loss of healthy birds with bad habits all the while knowing we had done the right thing for the farm.

Meanwhile, this morning at 6:45 I picked up the two newest members to our farm family, soon-to-be mouse assassins. This grey kitten is Leeroy, a 6 week old kitten with a gentle little way about him. He is certainly the friendlier of the two...

And this is Roscoe... I can already tell what a serious business man he is going to be, I've been referring to him as a kitten ninja as he seems to have his mousing skills already underway and seems to have less time for canoodling... This dynamic duo will be housed in the barn, keeping the mice population in check while they keep an eye on the overall whereabouts of the rest of the farm critters...

These baby robins included! They were born last Tuesday in the nest their mother has been lovingly laboring over for the past few weeks in the CSA pickup area in the barn... mama is around, feeding them and keeping them warm on these cool nights. I'm sure she's not pleased to have two aspiring snipers camping out in her personal space, but honestly they are so small they probably won't even understand that her children could be food. Today Roscoe had the opportunity to devour a beetle, and after pawing it forcefully for about 2 seconds he ran off having found a piece of hay that looked more promising... mama robin has nothing to worry about...

And finally, this morning I got out to take photos of the pigs!! They are HUGE now, and will continue to become giants for 2 more months with us. George is a sweet brute who loves more and more affection each day. Now when I enter the pen he comes over and leans against my legs immediately, waiting for a good rub down... Gladys is still rowdy and causing constant quarrels, but I'm just happy she's keeping things interesting as none of them seem to be plotting an escape...

and then there's Flossie, who just always seems confused. I think she is torn between being George's girlfriend and Gladys's right hand lady... and rightfully so, those two really do demand a lot from her... I try to give her tummy rubs and good scratches as often as possible.... Pigs are happy, birdies are safe, and kittens are deepening their skill set... everything is as it should be.

Henrietta

So far we've had 4 CSA pickups this season, and things are off to a bit of a rocky start... two plantings of head lettuce bolted before I could get to them, I didn't plant enough broccoli raab at first so not enough of it budded at the same time to make it worth it to give out. Most of my cilantro has bolted too, my snap peas got too heavy and collapsed by trellis... never a dull moment!!Shareholders have been getting a good amount of kale, collard greens, and salad mix though, among whatever other goodies we find ready out in the fields each week.

I am hoping that very soon their baskets will be filling up with more than just greens and snap peas!

And now the tale of Henrietta:

Henrietta was just another nameless chicken among the ranks, a number if you will. And then one day about 3 weeks ago as I went out to her chicken tractor to feed her and her friends, I noticed that something was wrong. All the chickens were crowded in the sun away from the back of the coup making lots of noise. When I crawled into the coup I found little Hen Hen( her new nickname) hanging upside down by her foot from the nesting boxes, who knows how long the poor girl had been like that! I went over to her immediately and eased her little body back up into the nesting boxes... her foot came immediately free. I knew that cocky little Gus Gus would never allow me to crawl out of there with one of his ladies in hand without giving me a good beating, so I quickly exited the coup and snuck around back to pull down the back flap behind the nesting boxes that I usually collect eggs through. She was still sitting there in the nesting boxes, so I grabbed her and secured the flap once more without the slightest retaliation from Gus Gus. Mission accomplished.

Once in the house little Miss Hen, Dad and I washed her little leg that was already swelling, and got her some water and food. After a little bit of relaxation time in the porcelain sink in the house, Hen Hen and I made our way out to the barn where I promptly made her a little hospital hay nest in the front stall with her food and water right next to it so she could eat and drink without having to move...

Since that day Hen Hen has been healing really well. Since she is all by her lonesome in that stall, I open up the doors and let her free range with me during the day while I'm out there. She's still limping, but she moves pretty quickly regardless, getting stronger and stronger everyday. The other day I was out in front of the barn watering the piggies, and here comes Hen Hen down the front steps of the barn, hobbling over to stand next to me as I did my chores. Then she followed me inside to get grain for them, and back out to feed the piggies. She takes her farm tasks very seriously... I'm thinking about making her full time staff... we'll see how her references pan out...

In other news, things are getting really big in the field! We've got baby broccoli coming soon, basil, green beans, cherry tomatoes, the flower garden, and summer squash are also on the way. This heat is causing everything to kick into high gear, and while it's making it harder to keep up with the weeds, the veggies are really taking off... I'm a proud veggie mama.

Activity

Today all the tomatoes got into the ground! This year we've got Pruden's Purple, Green Zebra, Sunkist, Yellow Perfection, and Black Cherry. The cherries will be PYO (pick your own) for the CSA, which is a new addition this year.

We also got all the eggplant into the ground, there are three different varieties of that as well!

The flower garden is also coming together slowly as things are ready to be transplanted out...

I've always heard farmers talk about how they could work from dawn until dusk and still have more work to do and I never quite understood what they were talking about, but this year that's all changed! I feel like there's a never ending list of projects to be done now that the frost-free zone has arrived (we hope!). Piggies need to be moved, tomatoes need to be trellised, winter squash needs to be transplanted, greens need to be seeded, onions need weeding, the winter garden needs mulching, the flower garden needs all kinds of love... the list goes on. But the great thing is things are growing, and well! I tend not to irrigate my fields because I feel like the plants should be able to fend for themselves, so far I've been successful with that approach, I hope that luck continues!

Before I sign off I thought I would leave you with some photos from the garden, the bakery, and one of my good little Abner with his ladies... the farm is a bundle of activity these days...

CSA Season Has Begun

Yesterday was the first CSA pickup of the season! Shareholders got salad turnips, mesclun, radishes, garlic scapes, dill, and kale or collard greens in addition to a little baby basil plant to take home.

This year Sundora farm has close to 40 shares going out every week compared to 25 last year, and so far so good! I've got a fantastic group of volunteers here helping me weekly, and I have to say we're way ahead of where I thought we would be.The fields are getting fuller everyday, and things are really taking off.

Wildflowers are in bloom all around the fields, baby lettuces have turned into teenage lettuces, and the snap peas are flowering!

Meanwhile the pigs have tripled in size since I got them and only continue to get more lovable. George, who was the least interested in me in the beginning and was maybe even a little aggressive, has discovered that right between his eyes is his favorite place to be rubbed and that little tummy of his likes love once in a while too... Flossy is also warming up quite a bit, but Gladys doesn't seem to understand why everyone wants to touch her. I try to give her her space.

In other news, my bread is now being sold at Chef's Market! You can find my french breads there and sometimes even my bread sticks, dinner rolls, and cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting too. I make deliveries on Saturday and Monday mornings by 10am.

Finally, Sundora Farm could use a few things to help out with this season.

#1. Cardboard boxes (medium-sized) and brown paper bags for delivering bread and packing up shares at the end of CSA days.

#2. Old milk crates or big plastic bins that you no longer need(they don't have to have lids).

#3. 5-gallon buckets

I think that's all for now! If you have any of these items to donate, send me an email and we'll figure out a good dropoff time! SundoraFarm@gmail.com Thanks!!

Progress

Using draft animal power on this farm has been a goal of mine from the very beginning. But as a new farmer with already so many balls in the air I don't have the time needed to devote to learning to use horses to work the land. Someday I know I'll be able to integrate them into my farming system but for now I've got plenty on my plate. So, yesterday, on a beautiful cloudless Saturday, I had my friend Carl Russell of Earthwise Farm and Forest bring his team of draft horses, Kate and Ted, over to the farm to ready my fields for the season.

With the use of a walking plow and a good set of harrows, Carl and his team got my fields loosened up and ready for planting into come Monday morning. Carl is very knowledgeable in the field of draft animal power and helps coordinate Animal Power Field Days in Tunbridge, VT every year. I feel so lucky to have him just over the mountain.

In other news, the piggies all have names now. This little girl is Flossie. She's the sassiest out of all of them and also the friendliest. She already flops over to let me rub her tummy.

The other two in the picture with their little house are George and Gladys. George is the most protective of the three. He will probably take the longest to win over. And Gladys is my big sturdy girl who I think aspires to be a professional rugby player. She certainly knows how to stand up for herself.

Overall the farm is coming along nicely so far this season. Peas are in the ground, lettuce, arugula, and spinach are all growing in the green house. The garlic is growing big and strong thanks to my friend Jan helping me weed and re-mulch it last week.The flower garden is getting a make-over as I reform the beds and mulch all the walkways with mulch hay... things really are taking shape!

Just a little look ahead, May 8th is the Fiddlehead Festival up at VTC. The farm will have a booth in addition to lots of other local farms, businesses, and crafters. It's always a lot of fun with great food and good people. I hope to see you there!