The Best Things in Life (and soil building) Are Free

Did you know that over 90% of what plants need for growth and fruit development is FREE and can come from the air. Carbon, nitrogen and oxygen are the big three. The other 10% is absorbed through the foilage or roots. These minor nutrients are very important and need to be available in the right proportions. Availability is the key as most soils have been severly unbalanced by poor farming practices. In some cases the soils have literally been mined of organic matter and minerals. Organic matter facilitates the nutrient availability of a healthy soil so it is important to use compost and other sources of organic matter to feed the soil.

The area where our garden was, at our previous home, was one of these abused soils and was almost all clay. I spent 7 years rebuilding these soils before we moved. I was able to accelerate hundreds of years of soil development into just a few seasons. I was also able to triple the soil's aerobic zone (where the biological activity takes place in the soil). The result was yields that are 4-8 times those of conventional growing methods. Using this approach, we can also experience the taste and nutrient content that our foods were intended to have.

The air is 78% nitrogen but is not in a form that is useable by the plants. A good lightning storm will ionize the nitrogen and make some available. Leguminous plants will fix some nitrogen through the bacteria in their roots. Algea and other microbia will fix some nitrogen. Green plant materials is also a good source. These various sources are enough for plants that do not need a lot of nitrogen. Corn and other greedy feeders like to have some supplemental nitrogen from manure or other sources.

Market Menu for Saturday, June 29, 2013

We will have the following items at the market for Saturday, June 29, 2013 (New items are in Bold Print)

Baby Potatoes (mostly red)
Rosemary Skewers (or shish kabob sticks)

Snow Peas

Green Onions (Walla Walla Sweet)

Radishes - Red

Asparagus

Baby Spinach

Baby Spring Mix - Lettuce, Beet Greens, Kale

Baby Red Russian Kale

Baby Regular Kale

Arugual - Good Supply

Baby Cilantro

Cress

Sweet Ruby - a fine frilly mustard green, Mizuna

Fresh Cut Herbs - Mint, Oregano, French Tarragon, Rosemary, Cilantro

Basil

Dandelion Greens

Shallots

Worm Farms - Red Wigglers, Worm Bedding, Worm Castings

Potting Mix

Cipotle Smoked Peppers

Smoked Sun Dried Tomatoes

Sun Dried Tomatoes

Jumbo Pansys - Last Week, Jumbo Plants and Blooms

Herb Plants

- Rosemary

- Basil - Sweet Italian, Tai, Lemon, Holy - Herb of the Week (see Recipes on the VF Blog)

- Mint - Spearmint, Chocolate, Organge, Apple, Mint Mojito, Mint Julip

- Tyme - English, Posey, Lemon

- Sage, Tricolor Sage

- Parsley - Curly, Flat Leaf

- Cumin

- Cilantro

- Hyssop

- Chives, Leeks

- Arugula

- Dill

Cherry Tomato Plants (Great Selection)

Harvest by August 15

- Black Cherry

- Sun Gold

- Red Grape

- Yellow Pear

- Sunshine Yellow

- Sweet 100

Tomato Plants (Large 1 gallon pots and plants, Harvest by August 1)

- Brandwine

- Early Girl

- Big Beef

- Beef Steak

- Roma - Assorted

- Lemon Boy

Pepper Plants

- Red Bell

- Yellow Bell

- Jalapeno, Serrano, Anaheim, Pablano

- Habernaro

Cucumber Plants - Slicer and Mini Slicer

Pumpkin Plants, Squash Plants

Bean Plants, Pea Plants, Sweet Corn Plants

Dried Herbs

Lisa's Soap

NEW NEXT WEEK

- Tender Carrots

- Green Beans (Two Weeks)

How to Make Pesto from Just About Anything

Basil is the Pesto King, How to Make Pesto from Just About Anything

The basic Pesto recipe is to add Basil to garlic, pine nuts (or walnuts) and olive oil. You typically also add Parmesan cheese, but I often omit this if I am going to store the pesto long term. As the cheese would be the first thing to spoil and the other ingredients will keep for a year in the freezer.

We have also made pestos from the following (most of which we have at the farmers market weekly):

1. Basil
2. Sun Dried Tomatoes
3. Arugula - a very bright green pesto that is great for bruschetta
4. Cilantro
5. Cilantro and Pepita's
6. Dandelion Greens - that is a sharp flavor
7. Curly Cress - medium sharp
8. Holy Basil, Cinnamon Basil - subtle differences in flavor
9. Sun Dried Tomatoes and Chipotle - spicy
10. Oregano & Thyme - leaves only, very strong, but great for Italian dishes

How to Plant Jenna's Herbs

How to plant herbs is not a one size fits all so let me break it down into families of similar plant types.

Basil and Mint

Believe it or not these are close cousins. They can be started from root cuttings and are very easy to grow from our large from our large transplants. Typically plant at the level that they were in the pots, though they will tolerate being planted a little deeper. Fertilize with fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer. If you are potting to a larger pot use our organic potting mix or mix in some worm castings to your favorite mix.

Thyme - English, Lemon, Silver, Winter

Easy to grow and should be planted at the same level as grown. Will tolerate a little deeper and will root from any stem that touches the ground. Fertilize with fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer. If you are potting to a larger pot use our organic potting mix or mix in some worm castings to your favorite mix.

Cilantro

Transplant to the garden at the same height and clip regularly. Fertilize with fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer. If you are potting to a larger pot use our organic potting mix or mix in some worm castings to your favorite mix.

Parsley - Curly, Triple Curled, Italian Flat Leaf

Can be left in the pots they were grown in or transplanted to the garden. Do not plant deeper than they were in the pot. They will not root from the stem. Fertilize with fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer. If you are potting to a larger pot use our organic potting mix or mix in some worm castings to your favorite mix.

Rosemary

The woody stem will root if buried a little deeper than grown. Let the plants get about 12 inches tall and then pinch the growing tip. The side shoots will then start to grow and you can harvest them readily. Grows great in pots or in the garden. Is not perennial in Minnesota.

Dill

Plant in the garden for maximum harvest. The plants will get quite tall and become root bound quickly in pots. If you do leave them in pots, water daily. Plant several times for continuous harvest.

Fennel

Separate plants when small and plant in the garden at the level it was grown at in the pots. Fertilize with fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer. 

Hyssop

Plant at the level the plant was grown at. A nice herb and beautiful flower later in the season. The bees love this Fertilize with fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer. If you are potting to a larger pot use our organic potting mix or mix in some worm castings to your favorite mix.. 

Curry

Plant at the level the plant was grown at. Great aroma and flavor. Fertilize with fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer. If you are potting to a larger pot use our organic potting mix or mix in some worm castings to your favorite mix.

Cumin

Plant at the level the plant was grown at. Nice spice and great flavor. Fertilize with fish emulsion or other organic fertilizer. If you are potting to a larger pot use our organic potting mix or mix in some worm castings to your favorite mix.

Shallots

We planted about 30 lbs of shallots this year. We use the same double row method that we do for onions and leeks. Shallots keep phenomenally well compared to onions. We have very little sprouting even through the end of July. We need to get the shallots planted by the end of May or they won't have time to size up properly before fall. We use a good amount of organic fertilizer in the rows as shallot
are essentially a green top plant before the bulbs start to enlarge.

We sort out the jumbo shallots and offer them at  the market through July.  By marketing them through the summer we have shallot coverage through nearly the whole season. This is pretty amazing when you think about it. They store at nominal conditions for nearly 10 months. Wow that is pretty amazing.

We planted some single file rows with a little extra fertilizer to get a few extra jumbo shallots.

Shallots don't compete with weeds very well so we weed them diligently all season long.

We start harvesting around labor day. Let them dry and cure in a shady place. Then sort them into baskets or apple boxes. They keep well in a cool dry place such as a shelf in the garage or basement.

That brings us full circle to the next year. Plant, weed, harvest and repeat.

I bought the shallot seed we are currently using over 10 years ago. The variety does well in our climate and has held up well from year to year. Shallots are a clone of the parent material similar to potatoes. So there are no population requirements to maintain the genetic diversity.

If we get a rain in the next week or so they will start to root and sprout. Somehow they know they are in the soil and not in storage. They will be up in 7 to 10 days.

Onion Leaves Tell Their Own Story

We were out counting the leaves on our onion plants this evening. No, we weren't bored and had nothing better to do. We are approaching the summer solstice when we have the longest days of the year here in Minnesota. This is the time when long day onions start their bulb enlargement. The number and size of the leaves on your onions will indicate the size of the onions bulb. 

This is because each leaf produces one ring on the onion. So the more leaves the onion has the more rings it will have and the larger the leaves, the larger the rings. Woohoo, now we are all going to be out counting our onion leaves, as well you should be.

Typically an onion produces a pair of leaves every two weeks during the growing season after it gets established after transplanting, The onion should be fertilized organically every 2-3 weeks. The largest leaf is generally the ninth leaf and this is the time that you want to do your last fertilization as the onions peak nitrogen needs are then. Also the plant is making the transition from is green leafy stage to being a super storage machine.

The perfect number of leaves is a lucky 13 and if the onion produces this many leaves it is usually a sign that the plant is approaching maturity. Not all onions will produce 13 leaves, sometimes 9 to 12 leaves are produced, depending on the conditions. Not to worry if you don't get 13, you can still have some beautiful onions that will keep well and be delicious to eat.

For jumbo onions that break the records at the fair, strive for the lucky 13.

So what number did we get on our onions?  We found some twelves and a few tens, the onion pictured above has eleven leaves (the first is hidden by the second). So things are looking good.

They haven't started to enlarge yet. In a normal year we would have seen some bulb enlargement by now, I think this is because we had to plant them about three weeks late. They are just getting to the mature stage now and enlargement will follow. We would often be harvesting baseball sized onions by now and be well on the way to the slow pitch size. We might not get those huge sizes this year, but I could be wrong as the season has been very good in all other respects. We have weeded well and fertilized with fish several times. Water has been abundant.

Auxin: The Tipping Point. Why Plants Tip Toward the Sun

Have you ever wondered why your plants grow towards the sun?  The credit for this phenomenon is due to Auxin, a plant hormone that elongates the cells furthest from the light.  Auxin is a hormone that reacts when phototropism (Photo-Light, Tropism-movements that respond to external stimuli) occurs.  Auxin is only found on the apex of the plant, causing the top of the plant to tip towards the sun, but not the base of the stem or anywhere else; this is how you differentiate between the effects of wind and the effects of auxin; the former will knock it over throughout the stem, the latter will slightly tip it at the very top of the stem.  Auxins have many other roles in a plant's development such as healing.  Auxin regenerates vascular tissues, which carry water up from the roots to the rest of the plant and phloem which carry the nutrients down.  Auxins take effect on every plant ever to grow, no matter how little you see the results.  Auxins also induce the lateral buds to synthesize ethylene (another plant hormone which ripens the fruit).  Auxins have a part in many plant processes such as root development and flowering.  Special biosynthesized auxins are used as herbicides (Weed killers), or powders used specifically for inducing root growth.

Maybe my (Reed) freshman High school biology course was good for something after all!

Market Menu for June 22

We will have the following items at the market for Saturday, June 15, 2013 (New items are in Bold Print)

Green Onions
Radishes - Red & Yellow
Asparagus
Baby Spinach
Baby Spring Mix - Lettuce, Beet Greens, Kale
Baby Red Russian Kale - Good Supply
Arugual - Good Supply
Baby Cilantro
Cress
Sweet Ruby - a fine frilly mustard green, Mizuna
Fresh Cut Herbs - Mint, Oregano, French Tarragon, Rosemary, Cilantro
Dandelion Greens
Shallots
Worm Farms - Red Wigglers, Worm Bedding, Worm Castings
Potting Mix - Made a Fresh Batch This Week
Cipotle Smoked Peppers
Smoked Sun Dried Tomatoes
Sun Dried Tomatoes
Jumbo Pansys - Last Week, Jumbo Plants and Blooms
Herb Plants
- Rosemary
- Basil - Sweet Italian, Tai, Lemon, Holy - Herb of the Week (see Recipes on the VF Blog)
- Mint - Spearmint, Chocolate, Organge, Apple, Mint Mojito, Mint Julip
- Tyme - English, Posey, Lemon
- Sage, Tricolor Sage
- Parsley - Curly, Flat Leaf
- Stevia
- Cilantro - Herb of the Week
- Hyssop
- Chives, Leeks
- Arugula
- Dills
Cherry Tomato Plants (Great Selection)
Harvest by August 15
- Black Cherry
- Sun Gold
- Red Grape
- Yellow Pear
- Sunshine Yellow
- Sweet 100
Tomato Plants (Large 1 gallon pots and plants, Harvest by August 1)
- Brandwine
- Early Girl
- Big Beef
- Beef Steak
- Roma - Assorted
- Lemon Boy
Pepper Plants
- Red Bell
- Yellow Bell
- Jalapeno, Serrano, Anaheim, Pablano
- Habernaro
Watermelon Plants - Red, Yellow (Biggest Selection in Rochester, while they last)
Cucumber Plants - Slicer and Mini Slicer
Pumpkin Plants, Squash Plants
Bean Plants, Pea Plants, Sweet Corn Plants
Dried Herbs
Lisa's Soap

Jenna's Herbs

Jenna's Herbs are a big part of our offerings at the farmers market. We have some of the nicest herbs in Rochester. It is our goal to have herbs that will not only grow well, but that you can start harvesting the day you bring them home. We plant our herbs in large jumbo pots so they size up to their maximum potential. We fertilize organically with fish emulsion and compost tea.

The best part of shopping at the farmers market is being able to talk to the grower. Jenna has over 8 years of experience growing and using the herbs we sell. The use of herbs in everyday cooking is nearly a lost art. Sure there are wonderful chefs that can dazzle the senses, but the average shopper didn't get a lot of training from parents or grandparents. Jenna spends most of her time on Saturday morning educating her customers both young and old. She has a unique ability and experience with herbs. In the summer our kitchen becomes a laboratory for the development of any recipes and trials of ideas suggested by some of the chefs and customers we serve.

The secret to the best tasting herbs is to grow them organically. If you use chemical fertilizers, you overstimulate and weaken the plants, which in turn causes them to be susceptible to insect damage. The flavor components of the herbs are not fully developed and at their peak unless the plants can grow steadily with nutrients supplied by a symbiotic relationship with the soil.

Superb quality, Exceptional value, Organic sustainability, Culinary experience..... Priceless.

The June Solstice is This Week

The June Solstice occurs on Friday, June 21 at 12:04 AM. Did you know this is the longest day of the year and the days begin to shorten after this?

This is a very important event in the plant world as many of the garden and wild plants are day length sensitive. Many of the mile markers of the season in terms of plant development are driven by light.

Many of the greens such as lettuce, spinach and mustard greens want to bolt at this point no matter what size the plants are. Bolting is the process of the plants sending up a see head and is usually accompanied by a bitterness in the plant. We avoid this by planting a second or third crop long about now.

The enlargement of the bulb on long day northern onions is triggered by the long days at the end of June (see post on counting onion leaves). The effect is quite striking as the onions go from the size of my index finger to the size of a baseball or softball in a matter of weeks. The cellular replication rate must be off the charts.

The shear length of the days make plants like corn do double time in growth. That is why plants near the Arctic circle, while they have a short growing season often can grow rapidly, and make a crop in the land of the mid night sun. We often notice that the late full season corn for green chopping for the silo would reach phenomenal heights of 10-12 feet because it was planted late and leveraged those long days.

Tell someone you love, that you enjoyed sharing the longest day with them.