A post about this year's menu

A couple of notes I should add regarding this year's menu.

Corn:  I have selected an heirloom variety called "Fishers Earliest".  It is described as having a true corn flavour.  Not as sweet as the modern hybrids.  I have not grown corn before, but it has a history of being grown on the land I work and has done very well.

Potatoes:  I have chosen four varieties as my main crop.  An early variety (about 55-60 days to maturity).  We can expect it around early July, though the first week or two of harvests, the tubers will be smaller.  You will still get the 2.5 to 3 Lbs per week.  The second crop is a mid-season type.  For the fall, I have purchased two types.  Both are suitable for storage, one of them is much better than others in this regard.  One is also capable of withstanding a light frost, so its harvest date can be pushed back.  When harvested, I can store these in sacks and hang them from the rafters of the barn so as not to overwhelm you with too many at once. 

Bulb Onions:  I have started two types of onions.  One yellow (somewhat sweeter), and one red (somewhat spicier).  One of these will be ready by late summer, and I can plant enough in succession to provide a decent crop to be harvested into the fall.  The second type will be ready by mid fall.  It is a red onion that keeps very well, and can be stored in the barn for delivery well into the fall.

November Harvest:  Many of the greens, lettuces, leeks, and green onions are winter hardy varieties.  These can remain in the ground for some time, and continue to until the winter becomes too harsh or the snow finally hinders my access to the fields.  Winter squash can store for a few weeks or more.  As well, the Kidney Beans will be delivered dry, and should store for some time (in good conditions, they can last for up to 6 months).

Broccoli:  Last year's crop of Broccoli was not one I was particularly happy with.  The variety, an heirloom called "Calabrese", was not well adapted to the summer conditions, and even the fall crop was less than satisfactory.  It was not large enough to be a head broccoli, and not quite prolific enough to be a good cut-and-come-again (though it tasted great).  This year, I have chosen two varieties.  Belstar is a heat tolerant variety that yields a 6-8 inch head, and will be available in early to mid summer.  The other is called DiCicco, and is said to perform very well as a cut-and-come-again.  I aim to produce it in the spring and fall, which is the ideal growing period for Broccoli in general.

Broccoli presents some challenges for a small farm in this climate.  Like all brassica family crops (Cabbage, Kale, Bok choi, Brussels Sprouts), it hinders the growth of whatever plant follows it in the rotation schedule.  Only corn and Legumes seem not to mind growing where brassicas were planted in the previous year.  It is not practical or prudent to devote a lot of crop space to Corn and Beans, so I must limit how much brassica crops I can grow. 

As well, most varieties of Broccoli prefer the spring and fall season.  They usually have a fairly long maturity period.  So head broccoli will fill a bed for more than two months, and yield about a few heads per customer over a two-three week period.  The cut and come again broccoli I am growing matures in 45-55 days, and continues to yield spears over several weeks.  In the Spring and fall, full shares will receive between 1/2 and a Lb of spears every second or so week.  Half shares will receive the spears every four weeks or so.

New additions to the menu:  Check out the post "Feb 29th - final seed purchase for the season" for more info on some late additions to the season's menu.

In other news:  The plants continue to germinate and sprout.  Rosemary in particular seems to be growing well, I now have over 20 seedlings.  With some care, a bit of building and a lot of mulch, I might be able to have some of these winter over and provide a larger bed for next year.  In the meantime, we will certainly have some savoury dishes this year.

The tomatoes are growing quickly, almost ready for being moved from their germination trays to their pots.  The sweet peppers are germinating very well, although the Hot Peppers and European frying Peppers are either taking their time or not entirely happy with the conditions I have provided.  I have purchased additional hot pepper seed as an insurance (I am working with last year's seeds), but it may mean a shorter season for me this year.  The hot pepper is called "Hungarian Hotwax", very similar to what grocers call a banana pepper.  William Dam Seeds, the seller, gives it a medium hot rating, and recommends it for pickling - though I have used them in stir fries and a customer last year used some for making tremendous Jamaican Patties.  The fourth pepper is an heirloom called Antohi Romanian, brought to North America by a defecting athlete from the east bloc in Europe in the 8T's.  It is described as a European frying pepper.  It is technically a sweet pepper, though I found the flavour from last year's limited yield to be closer to savoury.

The Green onions and leeks are coming along, though I need to tweak the germinating conditions of the leeks as they are germinating slower than advertised.

Lots to look forward to!!!

B