(early draft, not yet complete)Introducing our 2024 crops
This page details some of the varieties of produce we have planned for the 2024 season.
I have consolidated my "putting food by" notes in here as well.
I have also added preparation tips. These may be found under the general crop type headings, and the individual crop headings. For example, you will find info for carrots under "Roots" and "Carrots".
If there is anything that you think I should add, let me know.
This page is organized in the following way:
Beans and Peas;
Leaves;
Fruits, Tubers, and Bulbs;
Roots;
Flowers;
Herbs.
New 2024: Bean trials: I am looking for heat tolerant beans that have a more dependable performance as our summers continue to get hotter. Aside from dry beans, romanos tend to have more heat tolerance. We are trialing one type of romano (to compare with our Dragon Tongue romano), and a green bean and a colored wax bean to compare with our usual green bean variety.
Tomato trials: Our much liked moskvich tomatoes were bred for the short, cool summers in Siberia. After the past few years- especially last year - I have noticed my yield reducing. The three types we are trialing this year are used to more heat than the moskvich. Prudens Purple, Cherokee Purple, and a hybrid Cherokee Purple/Carbon Black.
Hot peppers: I am trying out three new types. A fairly hot cayenne, and for the first time, Anaheim peppers (like a cayenne but bigger, less heat and suitable for stuffing), and a first for us, a Jalapeno variety with moderate heat.
Other new crops include Parsley, Lebanese zucchini,
Beans and Peas
Shell Peas: We
trialed these last year and will be growing a small amount this season; available as an extra purchase only.
Snap peas: We
have some surplus Cascadia snap peas left from two years ago that I want to use
up. Cascadia is technically a string pea,
though the seed house suggests that if picked early, the string does not have
to be removed.
Green Bean: A much
anticipated crop every year. We grow a
couple of varieties that are suited to different times of the season. Essential source of protein, and an important
crop for building soil fertility.
Cooking requires a minimal amount of steaming or
boiling until tender. Also used in
casseroles and curries.
Easy to put by - just clean, chop, and blanch for about three minutes. Plunge into cold water until the heat is gone, pack into freezer bags and freeze.
Maxibel Green Bean: French sicing green bean - typically more slender than other green beans. exceptional flavour.
Jade: A green bean that tolerates shorter days at the end of summer. New variety for me, not sure how it's flavour compares to other beans.
Gold Rush Wax Bean: A new crop for us, see the note above about our heat stress trials. Wax beans are not a crop I have grown before so I am curious about how they will will compare to the green beans.
Dragon Langerie Romano:
Comparable to wax beans. I
started growing these three years ago by request, and was quite pleased, one of
my best tasting beans. Yellow and
purple, though the color fades with cooking.
Prepare as green beans. I also tried these as a dry bean in 2018 but the
results were not favorable.
New Romano Bean: As part of our summer heat trials, we are growing a new romano bean that should come into production for August.
Light Red Kidney: More versatile in the kitchen than dark red kidney, better for bean salad and good for slow cooking or frying.
I deliver these dry and cured in the pod. They may be left like this until being used, but much more space efficient to shuck for storing.
When shucking, remove beans that are obviously moldy or have started to sprout. Some will have a light dusting of surface mold, this can be rinsed off without compromising the flavour.
Some beans may have a black mottling on the surface, I think this is a bean virus and not of any concern.
Best stored in an opaque jar that is dry or may breathe. Do not expose to moisture, temperature fluctuation, and ideally out of direct sun. Will last up to 6 months, though I have had some last for well over a year.
You will find that using dry beans instead of canned
immeasurably improves flavor. I have had
at least three customers over the past few years who have noted the
extraordinary taste of these light red kidneys.
Leaves
As part of the harvesting and cooling of the crop,
leaves are rinsed at least once at the farm. However, you should give them
another rinse before using. To be
extra-sure your leaves are clean, taste a piece. If it tastes gritty, soak and swish one more
time. Especially important for savoyed
leaves such as some of our chard and kale varieties.
Chard: Cooks similar to Spinach or Beet greens. Can use chard like any other green, as a side
dish by itself or mixed into casseroles, etc.
The beet flavored leaves are much thicker than spinach and take slightly
longer to cook, up to 5 or 10 minutes depending on the leaf size and how you
like it done. The stems are tougher, so
slice or tear the leaves entirely off the central ribs and cook the stems a
little earlier than the leaf.
This crop is available through the season, so I can usually take requests to have some added individually as a free extra for weeks that iit is notincluded in the basket delivery.
Our favorite method for chard is in omelets and frittata’s – a quick and easy to prepare work lunch that I have taken to calling “Chardge!”
Some folks have requested baby leaf. I have tried this and found that it is too time consuming to harvest.
Fordhook Giant: Usually, large chard leaves are tougher than small leaves, but Fordhook is an exception. I trialed this fall 2018 and was impressed by the yield.
Silverado: I was unable to source Fordhook seeds last year and purchased a variety I was quite familiar with to compliment what seeds I had left over. Some folks might prefer the broad, white stem.
Flamingo Pink:
Just to add a little fun to the basket, a bright pink stem to brighten
the day. Not available for 2024.
Spinach:
Variety TBD, probably full size bunches for spring production.
The stems are inedible, so the leaves must be peeled
away.
Black kale: This kale type can be grated fine for eating raw in salads –
not all kales are suitable for this as they are too tough.
Russian kale: This type is more cold tolerant than black
kale. I grow some of this from time to
time just for a change. Some folks
suggest it tastes better than black kale, though it is not as versatile in the kitchen as black kale.
Arugula: Pleasant
salad green, though I find that the types I grow tend to be a bit spicy. Generally used as a salad, though I had a
customer who cleaned their leaves, set them in the bottom of a colander, then
dumped hot pasta into the colander to drain, allowing the arugula leaves to
flash cook in the pasta’s heat. Add
butter and pepper, stir and serve.
Tokyo Bekana: In addition to arugula, I grow another mustard green –Tokyo Bekana, which is a loftier and milder relative arugula. You receive these mixed together for your delivery.
Cabbage: I grow
a hybrid Asian variety called Bilko. It
sets fairly tight hearts with looser outer leaves.
Milder flavour than round cabbage – and easier to grow successfully in
our climate. Very good storage crop.
A previous customer chopped these up and added them to
the filling of somosa's.
Mini Pac Choi: Mei
Quing variety, small heads harvested as they are more tender. Nice addition to stir
fries, also does well when steamed.
Coriander: I
decided to grow this after seeing how customers reacted in the specialty produce store I
used to work at when the fresh product arrived on the shelf. It’s a crop I am less familiar with, though
it is much appreciated by customers when I do grow it.
Like beets, there is a chemical compound in Coriander
that some folks are genetically unable to taste. Those that can taste it describe the flavour
as “like soap”. So if someone in your
family will not eat this, blame their ancestors.
Indispensable with curry, this crop adds a savory flavor to soups, stews, vegetable stuffing and patties. By the way, if you prefer the Italian or French name for this crop, say Cilantro. It is the same thing. If that is not confusing enough, some also call it Chinese Parsley.
Parsley: Most folks seem to consider this crop as dispensable. Parsley is an outstanding addition to soups, stews, and salads. It’s distinct (yet mild) flavor blends well with boiled or mashed potatoes, risotto or pilaf rice dishes, on fish, chicken, lamb or goose, steaks, meat or vegetable stews. It is a primary ingredient in carrot salads, and many middle eastern dishes such as tabbouleh.
Persillade is a mixture of chopped garlic and chopped parsley in French cuisine. Gremolata is a traditional accompaniment to the Italian veal stew, osso buco alla milanese, a mixture of parsley, garlic, and lemon zest. Considering its versatility, I am amazed that there are so few requests for it…I often munch on it while working in the field, and it usually winds up in my lunch salad at the farm.
When cleaning, grab the bunch by the stems and swish the leaves around in a bowl (or sink, or pot) of water, keeping the stems together. Parsley can have a lot of soil on it, so repeat this step as many times as necessary. Dry it in a salad spinner or with a tea towel, and proceed with your recipe. For ease of cleaning, I typically chose a flat leaf variety such as this season's "Giant of Italy".
The aroma of very fresh parsley is excruciatingly good - plan on consuming it soon when it arrives with your delivery.
Fruits, Tubers and Bulbs
Aliums: Another
crop valuable to the farmer in that the plants of this family tend to ward off
a lot of insects (the following crop planted in the same bed benefits from
this).
Green onions, green garlic and scapes are easy to put
by - clean, chop, and freeze. Garlic
bulbs may be stored this way as well, though you have to separate the cloves
and remove the paper. I find that
frozen garlic cloves thaw in under five minutes.
Garlic Scapes:
These arrive in mid June. These
may be eaten raw (in a salad or sprinkled onto soup or casseroles), or cooked.
Green Garlic: These
arrive in early to mid June. The entire
plant should be edible – the leaves, stalk, and mini bulb may be cooked lightly or
eaten raw. Though test first, some portions of stem may be too tough.
After the bulbs are cured in mid august, delivery of
the bulbs commences.
We are growing six varieties this year, with a range of
flavor, oil, and heat. Our new farm in
Lanark is well suited for garlic growing - the previous owners production
peaked at almost 1600 bulbs.
Garlic varieties respond differently to various soil
and climate conditions. So much so, that
two bulbs of the same variety can express very different characteristics when
grown only a few miles apart. Generally,
here is what to expect:
Fish Lake: A variety developed by ‘The
Fish Lake Garlic Farmer’ in Prince Edward County, and is very suited to Eastern
Ontario climate - usually the first to emerge in the spring here.
Yugoslavian: Among our
first garlic’s to trial, it has remained on our menu due to its consistent
yield.
Susan Delafield: A heritage
variety that is known for its intense flavor and heat. It can store for 7-9 months.
Purple Stripe,
Marble Purple Stripe, Glazed Purple Stripe: Considered
the oldest garlic type. It tends to
mature later in the season. Bulbs have
several small cloves, with outstanding flavour, neither too hot nor too oily.
Persian Star: Great appearance
grows well at Whitsend. Fairly hot.
Crème de la Rasa was an offspring from a rocambole type that mutated
into a marbled purple stripe garlic. It
has most of the marbled characteristics with a rich rocambole flavor. It stores for 6-8 mo From one of our seed suppliers, Rasa Creek Farm.
Rocambole Types: This type of
garlic is fussy about growing conditions, and does poorly in wet weather. These tend to have a milder flavour and more
oil, some mild enough to eat raw, and therefore good for salads or light
cooking such as in a milk or cream sauce like alfredo; or roasting whole
cloves. Rocambole garlic stores 4-5
months.
We are growing four varieties this year.
Red Marble: This is a cippolini onion. Best used in salads, fairly long shelf life
as cippolinis go. New this year, a first
attempt at this type of onion. Expect
these mid August or earlier. NEW SEED NOT AVAILABLE 2024 - I am using up what I have left.
Borrettana: A yellow heirloom cippolini that I was able to source for this season.
Blush: Red cooking onion with a pinkish hue inside. Much prized in middle eastern cuisine.
Rossa de Milano:
Red cooking onion with very long storage life and unusual shape.
Fruit
I call
them fruits as that is what they are...the fleshy reproductive organ that
produces and contains seed.
Tomatoes:
The easiest way to put tomatoes by is by freezing. We stew ours in a slow cooker - often with some oregano and a few chopped green and hot peppers. The most efficient way to pack then into the freezer is with freezer bags, I find these take up less space than hard plastic containers.
Moskvich:
Extremely flavourful, short season Siberian heirloom. It is quite seedy and acidic, and tends to
crack easily due to uneven moisture. It
is cold tolerant, allowing harvest to extend into September, though it tends to shut down sooner
than other tomatoes during very high temperatures. Very flavourful.
New 2024 - Prudens Purple, Cherokee Purple and Cherokee Carbon hybrid: These tomatoes are reputed to have more heat tolerance than many varieties. I first experienced Prudens and Cherokee at Elmtree and can assure you that the flavour is outrageously good. Their maturity dates are almost 2 weeks more than moskvich, so I am hoping on a warm spring to give these fruits an extra early head start.
Grightmires Pride: (Cancelled for 2024, we will return to this when there is enough space to do a preserving tomato) Another flavourful, short season heirloom, this one has few seeds, lots
of pulp, and low acidity. An ox heart
shaped tomato variety, something you don't often see anymore. New this year, it is the first tomato variety I grew when I started gardening.
This
is a good choice for folks who have trouble with the acidity of tomatoes.
Flavorful enough
for sandwiches or burgers, the high amount of pulp makes it a good choice for
stewing.
For canning, add ascorbic
acid to ensure pH is high enough.
For genuine tomato
taste in the winter months, cover a lightly oiled baking pan slice with a layer
of these cherry tomatoes sliced in half and roast on light heat about 45
minutes or until moisture has evaporated (if they have a lot of moisture, drain
it off). Bag, freeze, and use as needed.
Carmen: A sweet Italian frying pepper (I think this is what some folks refer to as a ‘Shepherds Pepper’). 2023 1st prize at the McDonalds Corners Fair. These were extraordinary!
King of the North: An heirloom that is well suited to
short, cooler seasons. Standard green to
red bell pepper.
Cayenne, Red Ember: A somewhat hot cayenne that I am trying for the first time.
Jalapeno, : I purchased these after a customer requested them last season. Limited quantity, enough for everyone though
not everyone will receive these each week they are harvested. First harvest date will depend on when they
have turned color.
Anaheim Pepper, Charger: Anaheim's are shaped like cayenne's, except wider. This variety has thick walls, so ideal for stuffing. Mild heat
 |
| Potato plants emerging with leaves. |
FrenchRed Fingerling: Our seed potato supplier suggested we try fingerlings in 2016, and I am so glad he did. This crop rewarded us with terrific per plant yields. These taste so good that kids return for seconds.
Onaway: White potato, more information to be forthcoming.
Red Chieftain: Medium to large red skin, white flesh
potato. Late fall delivery. Excellent shelf life. Best boiled for mashing, salads, or with butter and pepper. Tend to get a bit knobby as they
size up. Very thin skin, don’t bother
peeling.
New type: Either a blue potato or a yellow fleshed variety called German Butterball
Winter Squash
All winter squashes should be stored in a cool, dark place with low
moisture and air movement to prevent mold. Ideally somewhere you will be able
to check on them easily. If any bad
spots appear on the rind, cut off the spots and use as soon as possible.
Another way to store is to cook the squash (steam,
bake, etc.), then puree the pulp and freeze in a zip lock bag.
Squash seeds are very nutritious. Reserve after cleaning the squash, rinse, sprinkle on some oil, and roast in a pan, stirring a couple of times.
Butterscotch Mini Butternut: I grew these starting in 2016 while experimenting with single serving sized fruits. I was quite impressed with both the flavour and the overall size of fruits that developed, larger than what I would call ‘single serving’. These have a very creamy flesh ideal for soups, stews, and pies. Rivals delicata and dumpling squash for flavour.
As our butterscotch seeds start to run out, I'll be
trialing Kabocha squash. Apparently it
tastes very good, though I find it difficult to believe that it will surpass
dumpling and butterscotch squashes.
However, it does store longer.
Sweet Jade: I've been looking for a winter squash with an extremely long shelf life AND a decent flavour. I am trying a kabocha type called Sweet Jade. This crop produces 1-2 Lb fruits.
Celery: This is a crop I have improved over the years. I grow mine fairly close together, so the heads are a little small. Easy to put by - chop and freeze. Although it is a minor ingredient in tomato based sauces, I find some really enhances the flavor.
Fennel: One of my absolute favorite foods; partly for the taste, and partly for the challenge of placing this licorice-like flavor in a suitable dish. Bulbs may be eaten raw in a salad, roasted, baked with fish, or grilled (try it in kebabs!)The other fennel I sometimes grow, an heirloom finocchio type - has a narrow bulb - less quantity and more quality. These taste much better, and have the added attribute that it is open pollinated, one I can save seeds from.
Roots
In most
cases, the best way to prepare roots is by roasting. Boiling tends to leach out flavor and
nutrients. They also work well in
casseroles, soups, and stews. Many of
these roots will make pasta sauces much more interesting. Most will make great salads. And if you are at a loss, throw them all
together in a roasting pot and make ratatouille. Or (pictured below) Root vegetable gratin.
Root crops tend to taste better after exposure to cold, I try to leave the parsnips and the last round of carrots in the ground until they have 'frosted'. The carbohydrates in the roots shorten from exposure to cold, which we sense as sweet.
Pictured is baked Celeriac gratin.
Carrots are relatively easy to put by. Clean and chop, set in boiling water for about 5 minutes, and then plunge into cold water until cool. Drain. Package in a zip lock bag and freeze.
We find it easier to have two stock pots (one boiling water over the stove, and one full of cold water. It also helps to have a metal colander.
Place the carrots in a metal colander and suspend in
the boiling water, and then lift out to place in cold water.
If you have a decent cold cellar, slightly warmed
garage, or very cool corner of the basement, the most cost effective means of storing carrots is in damp sand. The
trick seems to be finding a food safe supply of sand. We were going to try this last fall with our
cold cellar, but Cayley found our sand pile and "used it" before I
could pack the sand into tubs...we now use commercial sand box sand.
I am experimenting next year with storing carrots and other roots in damp wood chips. According to some locals who store root crops that way, it is easier to manage and less expensive.
Parsnip: If I
can get this to germinate, it usually does OK. 2023 produced some of the best parsnips that I have ever grown. Albion is a new variety for us, less prone to scabs and cankers than other types.
Celeriac: Indispensable if you are fortunate enough to have a root cellar; these last for a long time. They will also last for a considerable time in the fridge. Similar to parsnips in flavour.
Both parsnip and celeriac are very nice roasted. I find that dicing them into quarter inch segments, placing one layer deep in a shallow pan, add some oil and seasoning (whatever your cook book suggests for carrots - I like cumin) and roast for about 30 minutes at 350, stirring two or three times.
For those of you trying to avoid complex carbs (starch) celeriac is a good replacement for potatoes.
Beets: A crop I
have struggled with to get a consistent yield with. I’ll try Kestral this year.
One exception to the "don't boil roots" rule is Borsht - soup with beets (ideally with potato as well), with a sprinkling of parsley and a spoonful of sour cream. This soup is equally good served cold or hot.
One traditional recipe calls for the soup to be allowed
to cool and then a hot, boiled potato
plunked into the bowl just before serving.
Two other beet varieties I am trying this season: Touchstone Gold, which was our best producer at the old farm, when I was able to source the seed. Shiraz is another beet variety that I am trying out this year.
Cabbage Family Roots
Farm grown rutabagas are one crop that is easily superior to the agro-factory alternative. Essential for Thanksgiving.
Helenore and Joan were not available, so I purchased a variety called Teviot for 2024.
Turnip: I
typically grow purple top varieties. This
season is a variety called Milano. I harvest them young enough to eat raw, so they tend to be a bit small.
I’ll continue to grow marigolds as well, to help promote the health of the tomatoes, and snip a few flowers for the customers.
Herbs
We have yet to finish building our herb beds, and rehabilitating the herb beds that the previous owners had here. I hope to have some herbs available in the next year or two.
Savoury is one herb that I grew a limited quantity of in the past and found that it readily self seeded. I expect that it will be one of the first perennial herbs we grow when the herb beds are ready...maybe 2025?
Basil is one that I have not grown recently, though as our nursery space expands, this will likely return to the CSA menu. Like the leaf crop parsley, very fresh basil is extraordinary. Note to gardeners out there: I have no idea why gardening books suggest interplanting basil with tomatoes. Try it if you want, but remember that tomatoes have a high water demand and too much water turns basil yellow. Or causes it to become moldy. Another one of my early attempts at interplanting that went straight to the compost.
Purslane: I'm not sure how to categorize this rarely grown crop. Gold Purslane is one of the cultivated varieties of an otherwise common weed.
Purslane has golden stems and large, succulent, light green leaves that are packed with Omega 3 fatty acids. Individual leaves are oval to round and thick, about the size of a teaspoon. Tangy flavor.
I have grown this on a limited basis because I like it, and our summers are usually dry
enough for this crop. Rainy weather and especially cool, rainy weather, will
mold the leaves effortlessly.
Can be eaten as a salad, but works best with other foods. One customer suggested that it's oil content makes purslane good for transporting flavors into other foods. Chop the purslane fine, mix with your favorite seasonings, and spread over fish or other meat to take the flavor into the interior.
Apparently, this (and it's lawn weed
relative) is one of the healthiest foods you can consume.