Square Potatoes

We had several loyal farmers market customers ask if they could buy some potato plants, so we planted some potato seed pieces in 4 inch pots to get them started. We had a couple of pots left over so we have been diligently watering them.

Andrea noticed the pots were bulging a bit so she popped them out of the pots. 

Petersen's Market Menu for Saturday, August 29

We picked 32 baskets of tomatoes Friday, most of these were Roma tomatoes. These are great for canning, salsas and sauces. We also have lots of slicing tomatoes (shown below) and heirloom tomatoes.

May I be the first to present, Tomato Baskets! Dozens of them! Photo Cred: Reed Petersen

Don't forget the basil to use with your tomatoes. We are harvesting lots and have gallon bags for $5. Basil at the same price as lettuce, now that's crazy!

Carrots are back, Oh Boy, are they back. The candy carrots continue to impress this farmer with their sweetness, flavor and that perfect carrot crunch!

If you didn't get some of our Ambrosia sweet corn last week you missed a treat. See us this week for fresh picked, chemical free, no sprays and no bugs. We have enough corn this week for freezing. We had some for supper Friday night and it is amazing.

Okra production has tripled from several weeks ago. More is merrier when if comes to Okra. I made some Okra pickles this week.

French Fillet beans are the best beans on the planet (tender, pencil thin and no strings). Just started a new fresh row.

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, August 15, 2015 (New items are in Bold Print)

Raspberries (20 pints, picked Friday evening)
Sweet Corn
Tomato
Tomatillos
Cherry Tomatoes
Roma Tomatoes
Heirloom Tomatoes
Garlic
Okra
Green Beans
Baby Zucchini & Patty Pan
Carrots
Leeks
Walla Walla Sweet Onions
Radishes
New Baby Potatoes - Yukon Gold & Red 
Fresh Cut Herbs: Mint, Chocolate Mint, Oregano, Basil, Chive, Cilantro
Baby Spinach
Spring Mix
Baby Kale
Cress
Beet Greens
Dandelion
Mint Plants - Chocolate, Orange, Spearmint
Herb Plants - Chives, Sage, French Tarragon, Rosemary, Basil, Thyme, Epasote, Stevia, Oregano, Dill, Cilantro


Bean Plants
Heirloom Red Okra Plants
Cole Crop Plants: Broccoli, Cabbage

Salsa: an array of different kinds

Chipotle Smoked Peppers

Charcoal (home grown, home made)
Potting Mix with our compost (ask us)

Detours

Summer time travel is full of road work and we found our share on my college visit with Reed to Purdue.

Detours are associated with dirt, delays and danger.

Road Kill

Road kill in Iowa and Minnesota typically means a criter that was killed by a vehicle on the road.

You know road kill. Could be a deer, raccoon, rabbit or skunk (whew). If large and in the wrong place they can be quite hazzardous.

In Illinois on the way to Purdue we hardly ever saw critters.

But we did see lots of Road Kill, but it was mostly...

Road Maintenance

Reed had a good idea when we were traveling a few weeks ago.

He said I don't understand why there isn't a machine they can drive along at highway speed that can sense the need for a patch, crack repair or repainted lines. Use cameras, then apply the needed material as you go. They would be able to fix roads in no time with little or no down time. You wouldn't need all the cones and signs and other trappings of summer contruction.

At first I thought this idea might fit in the catagory of the robot he wanted to design when he was 10 to pull weeds on the farm, so he didn't have to do it. This technology is now available by the way and will likely be implemented as this technology becomes more cost effective.

But in the case of road maintenance I think he might be on to something.

Convocation

We were at Purdue last week visiting the engineering college for Reed.

I noticed they had something call convocation. Convocaation simply defined is a group of people assembled together. They use this often in academic circles.

At Pudue convocation was largely focused on big name entertainment groups (most of which I was not to familiar with, I guess I don't get out much).

I'm used to another focus for convocation...

Pickled Corn Relish

The corn crop has been excellent this year. We had a few ears left over from market last weekend so I made corn relish. Also used a few red sweet peppers and sweet onions.

Here is the recipe...

Corn Salsa

The unique convergence of the sweet corn crop and the start of the tomato crop means  the first salsa I canned this year was a corn salsa.

Here is the recipe...

Market Menu for August 22, 2015

Slicing tomatoes are always a treat, whether used for salsa, sandwiches, or simply savoring, they beckon to be enjoyed thoroughly. It's the most wonderful time of the year.

New Slicing Tomatoes Beckon to be Enjoyed. Photo: Reed Petersen

Don't forget the basil to use with your tomatoes. We are harvesting lots and have gallon bags for $5. Basil at the same price as lettuce, now that's crazy!

If you didn't get some of our Ambrosia sweet corn last week you missed a treat. See us this week for fresh picked, chemical free, no sprays and no bugs. We have enough corn this week for freezing.

Okra production has tripled from several weeks ago. More is merrier when if comes to Okra.

Don't miss the squash blossoms, baby zucchini, or patty pan!

French Fillet beans are the best beans on the planet (tender, pencil thin and no strings).

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 Blossum 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, August 15, 2015 (New items are in Bold Print)

Raspberries
Sweet Corn
Tomato
Tomatillos
Cherry Tomatoes
Garlic
Okra
Green Beans
Baby Zucchini & Patty Pan
Squash Blossoms
Carrots
Leeks
Walla Walla Sweet Onions
Radishes
New Baby Potatoes - Yukon Gold & Red 
Fresh Cut Herbs: Mint, Chocolate Mint, Oregano, Basil, Chive, Cilantro
Baby Spinach
Spring Mix
Baby Kale
Cress
Beet Greens
Dandelion
Mint Plants - Chocolate, Orange, Spearmint
Herb Plants - Chives, Sage, French Tarragon, Rosemary, Basil, Thyme, Epasote, Stevia, Oregano, Dill, Cilantro


Bean Plants
Heirloom Red Okra Plants
Cole Crop Plants: Broccoli, Cabbage

Salsa: an array of different kinds

Chipotle Smoked Peppers

Charcoal (home grown, home made)
Potting Mix with our compost (ask us)

The Magic of Okra

The much awaited okra harvest has started. People often ask how we grow okra this far north. Okra hates cold almost as much as basil, so that is a ligitimate question. 

The secret is to start transplants early so you can get the plants big enough to harvest of several months before frost. We have about six week until frost.