Five Feet Spacing

Andrea and I were getting ready to plant one of our crops that requires five feet between plants for maximum yield. The fruit averages 50 pounds each.

Can you guess what we were planting...

Petersen's Market Menu October 17, 2015

Time To Plant Garlic, Photo Credit Reed Petersen

Mid-October is the perfect time to plant Garlic in Southern Minnesota. In addition to great eating many of our customers use our garlic to plant for to their own gardens. Garlic is is a close cousin to many of the bulbing flowers like tulips and crocuses and is planted in the fall like those flowers are. The varieties we plant, over winter great here.

Here is is a link to another article on our website for how to pick and plant seed garlic. How to pick seed garlic and plant.


 Don't forget the pumpkin pie, here is a link to 15 different recipes  we have developed for pumpkin pie. From classic to low carb, these are great creative ways to work a little pumpkin into your life


Fall greens are so amazing: wild arugula, baby spinach, lettuce, baby beet greens, baby kale, red russian kale, cilantro. All are at the perfect baby baby size. 

Hot, hot, hot...Reed picked a bushel of habernaro and poblano peppers this week. If you are looking for a nice fall recipe to use some of those poblano peppers is is one. Brian's corn bread and Poblano recipe.

Andrea dried some mints and herbs and is making some Vegetable Freak... Freaky Tea. Sweetened with fresh stevia.

• Andrea's Tropical Tea - Orange Mint, Pinneaple Mint and Stevia
• Jenna's Sweet Chocolate Tea - Chocolate Mint & Stevia
• Lisa's Orange Blossom Tea - Orange Mint, Spearmint & Stevia
• Just Mint - A Blend of Spearmint & Stevia
• Perky Pinapple, Lemon Majito, Minty Sage, Rosemary Lavendar (lots more).

We will have the following items at the Farmers Market for Saturday, October 17, 2015 (New items are in Bold Print)


Cabbage
Broccoli

Tomatillos

Garlic
Carrots
Leeks
Walla Walla Sweet Onions


Fresh Cut Herbs: Mint, Chocolate Mint, Oregano, Cilantro
Arugula - Wild
Mizuna
Mesabi Arugula
Baby Spinach
Spring Mix
Baby Kale- Regular and Red Russian
Beet Greens
Dandelion Greens
Herb Plants - Rosemary,


Pickles: Spicy Dill, Sweet Sandwish, Okra, Dilly Bean, Corn Relish, Pepper Relish.
Salsa

Chipotle Smoked Peppers

Charcoal (home grown, home made)

If you took the time to read clear to the bottom of Market Menu I'm going to include a thoughtful article from our website archives. This week's "thought for the day" is entitled Living Like No One Else.

Sufferin Succotash

Sufferin Succotash is the catch phrase popularized by Sylvester the Cat in the Looney Tunes cartoon series. You didn't know you were going to get a little depression era pop culture in this post.

Succotash on the other hand is a dish made from a mixture of corn, beans and other vegetables.

I use the phrase to describe a new technique for soil building that I have been trying.

 Here is this years version....

First Frost

This morning marks what usually is near the first of fall, it's a month delayed, but has still arrived. The first frost (that damaged produce) came this morning. But, while the frost does damage some things, it makes others altogether sweeter. The frosty grass, pumpkins, and windshields reminded me of a poem that I had to memorize in my early elementary years. The poem is by James Whitcomb Riley...

WHEN the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,
And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens,
And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;
O, it's then the time a feller is a-feelin' at his best,
With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

They's something kindo' harty-like about the atmusfere
When the heat of summer's over and the coolin' fall is here
Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossoms on the trees,
And the mumble of the hummin'-birds and buzzin' of the bees;
But the air's so appetizin'; and the landscape through the haze
Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days
Is a pictur' that no painter has the colorin' to mock— When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn,
And the raspin' of the tangled leaves as golden as the morn;
The stubble in the furries—kindo' lonesome-like, but still
A-preachin' sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill;
The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed;
The hosses in theyr stalls below—the clover overhead!—
O, it sets my hart a-clickin' like the tickin' of a clock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a feller keeps
Is poured around the cellar-floor in red and yaller heaps;
And your cider-makin's over, and your wimmern-folks is through
With theyr mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and sausage too!...
I don't know how to tell it—but ef such a thing could be
As the angels wantin' boardin', and they'd call around on me—
I'd want to 'commodate 'em—all the whole-indurin' flock—
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

Pumpkins and Squash

With the turning of the calendar page we are now in October and our thoughts turn to fall. Pumpkins and squash are one of the treats of fall. Our crop of both pumpkins and squash is one of the best we have had.

Pumpkins

Large 30-40 pound Jack-O-Lantern did very good this year. Excellent shape and mega sized handles. We had such a difficult spring that I started some of the longer season pumpkins in 4 inch pots in early May. They were fully mature by early September.

Medium 10-15 pound Jack-O-Lantern with excellent handles were also mature by early September.

Pie pumpkins - Two tried and true varieties. New England Pie and Winter Luxury Pie.

Cinderella Pumpkins - Beautiful bright orange. Flat oblate shape.

Fairytail Pie Pumpkins - Extremely dense. European pie pumpkins. Deep orange flesh. Green to brown color.

Squash

Acorn - large acorn, honey bear - small personal size

Spaggeti - large standard size, small personal size, both have outstanding flavor

Butternut - medium size and small personal size.

Carnival - large colorful sweet dumpling type

Jester - striped acorn

Delicata - striped, sweet potato squash

Small Orange Hubbard - Hubbard flavor in a small package

Orange and Blue Kabotcha

Buttercup - old standby sweet squash