legumaniac

winter and optimism

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:54:00 +0000

It used to be that winter was the time of year where we hunkered down with steaming mugs perusing seed catalogs and planning for the spring. It was a time to get part time jobs and generally rest our work-weary bones for next season. Then we started talking about "winter" markets. At the time it seemed a longshot: people barely came to our later markets in October, why would they want to come to a market in December? So we grew some extra winter squash, figuring that if it didn't sell, at least we'd have plenty of calories to keep us (not to mention friends and family) well fed in case of sudden apocalypse. That was two years ago. The overwhelming success of that first market and the ones that followed has shaped the way we approach farming. Come to find: we're not alone. We just attended the New England Vegetable and Fruit growers' conference. It was awesome to talk to growers out in Vermont and Maine and hear how to grow more food in the winter. It's really happening, and it's totally exciting! For us as well as many farmers, it's drastically changed what being a farmer entails during the cold months: from washing potatoes on the "warm" days to pulling carrots out of the snow, to pulling the van up the frozen barn ramp with the tractor to get ready for yet another market. Which, by the way is this Saturday in Rollinsford. The fun doesn't stop. Next year at this time we hope to be cutting greens out of our (soon to be constructed) unheated hoophouse. Suddenly we are becoming busy. Not that we mind. Shorter days mean there's still plenty of time to come inside and find that steaming mug. As I write this, I am glancing at a disheveled stack of seed catalogs awaiting my perusal. I think to myself, "next year will be better." Some things about farmers never change.

farmer's markets (and our awesome farm crew) in the news

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:30:00 +0000

Bridget and Kate harvesting arugula. Photo from seacoastonline.com

Check out this article about Seacoast Eat Local's Winter Farmers' Markets with a nice little highlight about our farm in Sunday's Portsmouth Herald.

Don't forget...this Saturday we will be at the new Exeter High School from 10-2 and if you haven't make it to the markets yet, check out this fun video of last weeks' market...
Seacoast Eat Local Winter Farmers' Market, Dec 5, 2009 from Seacoast Eat Local on Vimeo.

Winter farmers markets growing on Seacoast | SeacoastOnline.com

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:23:00 +0000

Winter farmers markets growing on Seacoast | SeacoastOnline.com

delicious greens and other treats...

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:56:00 +0000

Tomorrow will be the second of our Winter Farmers' Markets held at the Wentworth greenhouses in Rollinsford. It's been such a mild autumn, and our delicious arugula is still thriving! This outdoor planting will only be around until the snow flies, so now's the time to snag some. We will also have potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and turnips. Other vendors will be bringing seafood, freshly roasted coffee (my personal favorite) yogurt, meats, and more. You name it!!! We had an amazing turnout last time. Everyone loved the new space, and there was nothing but happy faces! See you tomorrow!

Thanksgiving Farmers' Market

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:23:00 +0000

This Saturday will be the first in a whole bunch of indoor winter markets this year hosted by Seacoast Eat local. The market will be from 10-2 at the Wentworth Greenhouses* in Rollinsford. Seacoast Eat Local started up just over two years ago with three markets, now they are up to eleven, all in bigger spaces. And there are farmers' markets sprouting up all over the place. It is exiting to see all the people who have been turning out for these events. They are always surprised at how much food there is! Plus fine music and fun activities for kids of all ages. We have been putting a lot of work into our winter crops. Potatoes, turnips, carrots, and this year...parsnips! The root cellar is stocked, and we aren't done yet - we're still pullin' carrots! We also plan on having greens until snow.

But that's just our contribution; there will be almost 50 vendors at this Saturday's market! That adds up to even more veggies, plus meats, dairy, and baked goodies. Oh, yes, and also locally caught fish and seafood. Farmer's and producers have been ramping up for these winter events, and working to meet consumers' demand for more fresh food all year round. As we have said before about our summer markets: "we're like the freaking grocery store!" It is so exiting to live in this area where so many things grow and thrive, even during the cold months. It's something to be immensely grateful for. Is our system perfect? No. We would love to have more growers and food producers. Also, we want to have more people come to the table, and know that it is harder than ever to afford high quality food, but believe that everyone should have access to it. Fortunately at our markets we will have some folks coming to donate produce to local food pantries. We are making great strides in making local FRESH food available, while keeping it sustainable both economically and environmentally. It's a tough balance, but...as we move forward-

let us give thanks, and let's eat!

*Wentworth Greenhouses, 141 Rollins Rd, Rollinsford, NH
1 mile past Red's Shoe Barn on the Rollinsford/Dover border
for more information visit Seacoast Eat Local's Winter Farmers' Market page

cold roots, warm hands

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:08:00 +0000

We are delighted at our newest piece of equipment: a barrel root washer! Just in time for cold weather, we've got it put together. It makes quick work of washing veggies like turnips, carrots, even potatoes. In the end it will save time, water, and (more importantly) our FINGERS while washing up prior to those cold winter markets. It's like magic: roots go in dirty and come out sparkly-clean and ready for cold-storage in the root cellar. Here is Bridget inspecting the first run of scarlet turnips in the washer (note dry, toasty-warm fingers!)

onion harvest

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:59:00 +0000

On the eve of the fall equinox, one thing is for sure as we begin to close down the season: we've got onions. Lots of 'em. With more than a little help from Kate and Bridget (our intrepid farm crew) we've just brought what will be the most onions we've ever grown! It's very exciting to see all that work really pay off.

Whew! Now we can focus our attention on getting in the rest of the potatoes, fall carrots, turnips, and maybe even some beets & beans!

magazine articles, rain, and growth on the farm...

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:25:00 +0000

It's August....and the harvest is finally in full swing! The rain has slowed things down a bit, but summer squash, cucumbers, beets, carrots, potatoes, and plenty more have finally kicked into full gear. Even peppers and eggplant are beginning to happen, much to our delight. There have been cases of late blight reported in the state, which is disconcerting to say the least. Late blight is the same disease that caused the Irish potato famine, and although it's not dangerous to humans, it can totally wipe out a crop of tomatoes or potatoes. While our plants are showing signs of stress from all the water, none have tested positive for late blight, so we are remaining cautiously optimistic. If the plants stay healthy, we should have tomatoes coming in before the month is out. We are at least a week or two behind schedule thanks to this weather pattern that seems to have us in it's grip. Rain every other day, means the fields are too wet to get the tractor in, but we are getting the fall crops seeded and planted still, though it's slow going.

Big News! We've been featured in New Hampshire Magazine for our work with the Chef's Collaborative NH grow out program. The article is entitled "Josh and the Beanstalk." Catchy. Check it out here.

potato planting

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Thu, 14 May 2009 21:28:00 +0000

We got all of the potatoes (that's right ALL of them) in the ground with the help of a 1930's era potato planter we borrowed from a neighboring farm. It wasn't quite as nifty as this video, but you get the idea. It wasn't no work, but we had some fun, for sure. The best feeling is that of all all those 'taters in the ground!

pulling up the discs

cutting seed potatoes with a seed cutter

they grow up so fast

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:30:00 +0000

April is showering us with some fine weather. It looks like we have some good sunny days ahead, so who can complain? We've been busy getting seedlings going. We needed room in the greenhouse for warm-weather loving crops like peppers and tomatoes, so the onions had to get moved outside. They don't seem to mind it, and we have extra cover to throw on them if it gets too cold at night. Whew. It is certainly THAT time!

Meanwhile out in the field things are beginning to come up too. Here's a peek at the spinach:

Planting the peas back in March

...perky little peas popping up!

Spring is in the air...no seriously.

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:35:00 +0000

If you are living in New Hampshire, or just about anywhere in the Northeast, it might be difficult for you to imagine that spring is, in fact, just around the corner. Old man winter is putting up a pretty good fight, but believe me, it is a battle he won't win. He never does. The seasons just keep coming, and there's no stopping spring's immanent arrival.
So, we figured we best be getting ready. We've got beets, lettuce, and a mini-field of onion sprouts going in the greenhouse. Soon we'll be starting herbs, and tomatoes, and oh yeah, more beets and lettuce!
We just sold the last of the carrots and turnips, (of course we kept a few pounds for ourselves!) but there is still a good amount of potatoes in the root cellar for sale. Everything down there still looks and tastes wonderful! Next year, (I should say THIS year) I hope to have more food down there for restaurants and Winter Markets. I will say, it's been a funny balancing act between marketing Winter produce and planning spring crops...kind of like living in both the past and the future at the same time, but it's all a learning process, and it's been great. We are definitely happy with how well our storage went- and of course, next year we plan do it all even bigger and better.
So stay tuned!

Winter FOOD!

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:42:00 +0000

The most common question I am asked these days is, "are you winding down on the farm?" As much as part of me would like to answer "YES!" to that question, there is simply too much going on to be winding down at all. While the pace has slowed down a bit, we are still harvesting!
Our winter CSA is off to a great start. They received carrots, broccoli, brussels sprouts, turnips, onions, squash, potatoes, and garlic in their first pickup on Monday. Not to mention gorgeous greens from Back River Farm.
We are also working with area restaurants, (check the sidebar to see the restaurants who use our produce) and gearing up for the Holiday and Winter Markets sponsored by Seacoast Eat Local. Plus there's garlic to plant for next year's harvest, and that ever present back-burner project: cleanup! So with the help of a root cellar, and a little luck, we won't be winding down for some time. Cheers, let's eat!

Cruelest month?

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:28:00 +0000

We finally broke into the last of our storage squash. This one wasn't a squash (technically) but a Marina di Chioggia pumpkin. We made delicious baked pumpkin "sandwiches", and they were just as good (or perhaps maybe a little sweeter) than they were back in November. We tend to hoard our storage crops (except onions, we eat them like crazy) which I am sure stems from some sort of primal instinct. I treat them like gold in a vault all winter.

Come April, the sprouts are sprouting full of promise and it's time to eat up our winter stores. So it's down to the freezer to eat up those delicious sunny tomatoes, & sweet berries. And over to the pantry to crack open those mason jars stuffed with salsas and tangy pickles. Really, though it is just an effort to make room for future harvests, so here's to it!

spring thaw

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 23:15:00 +0000

It's been years since I remember having snow like we've had this winter. As much as I hate to, I am going to have to relent: hang those snowshoes back up in the barn, and get back to work (or at least blogging about work.) All good things must come to an end (to make room for more good things, of course.) Each season has something to offer, and while I appreciate snow and the quiet beauty of winter, I do enjoy this extra daylight we now seem to be lavished with. While spring hasn't by any stretch of the imagination "sprung," as the freezing precipitation against the window can attest to, there are a few signs popping up here and there as the earth edges towards calendar spring. We have enough onions started in the greenhouse to feed a small militia. We also have some flowers, lettuce, and a bunch of herbs. It is amazing how fast things grow. In a month or so, we should be overrun with tomato seedlings. And there's always pruning to keep us busy outdoors too, although I must admit, this task is much more enjoyable when it isn't sleeting out.

End of Season

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 23:23:00 +0000

Here are some pictures from the end of the 2007 season:

cinderella pumpkin

green zebra & garden peach tomatoes

Jacob's Cattle beans

Holiday Farmers' Market

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 17:39:00 +0000

Much thanks to Seacoast Eat Local and the McIntosh Atlantic Culinary Institute for putting on the Holiday Farmers' Market. For a first run it was a huge success. It was great to see our regulars as well as some new faces. The music and demos by the chefs really made for a hoppin' good time. I am definitely looking forward to the December market.

jean's (baked) beans

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 21:01:00 +0000

here's my baked bean recipe!

1 lb. beans
1 head garlic, crushed
1/2 lb. salt pork, cut in half
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup molasses
1/2 t ginger
1 t dry mustard
1 t pepper
1 t salt

Soak beans for no more than four hours.
Boil beans with 2 cloves of the garlic until tender. Save the cooking "liquor."
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place half of the salt pork at the bottom of the pot.
Add beans along with their cooking liquor, sugar, molasses, ginger, mustard, pepper and salt. Top with remaining salt pork.
Bake for four- four and a half hours. Let beans rest for at least a half an hour before serving.

first diggins!

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 22:49:00 +0000

They're finally here! Some purple-skinned new potatoes.

Cousa

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 10:57:00 +0000

Audrey from Seacoast Eat Local just shared her secret Cousa (or Kousa) recipe. So promise not to tell anyone, alright? Cousa is a Lebanese zucchini that is traditionally stuffed with seasoned meat and rice, but she shows an easy way of enjoying the same great flavors. You can use the same preparation guideline for any summer squash or zucchini, but it's best with the real-deal light green Cousa variety. Try it!

Poor Man's Crab Cakes (vegetarian)

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 17:44:00 +0000

From Pia's Grandma Esler

2 Cups grated Zucchini (or other summer squash)
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. old Bay Seasoning
---------------------------------------------------

1. Combine ingredients
2. Shape into cakes
3. Saute or fry in small amount of oil until golden brown

Serves 4

The Meadow's Mirth Slideshow

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:23:00 +0000

There are plenty more photos of us on flickr. Some of them are from us, but most of the really good ones were taken by Jennifer Dickert. She's been taking great pictures of us and other vendors at the Portsmouth Farmers' Market.

crazy riot

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:10:00 +0000

I have a love - hate relationship with flower farming. It can be a lot of work, but it's times like this that remind me why I love it. Here are some flowers from back in June. The photo was taken by a friend as I was arranging bouquets Friday night before market.

Trouble in Paradise

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 12:15:00 +0000

CAUTION: the following scenes contain violence and graphic bug sex that may be offensive to some viewers. What can I say? This is organic farming at it's best, folks. Sometimes, it just plain "sucks."Cue the violins!

He was out for a walk alone, when suddenly...

disaster struck!

They thought they found the perfect spot to profess their love, but tragedy loomed from above the protective canopy of the squash forest.

Who is this enemy of cucumber beetles, squash bugs and Colorado potato beetles everywhere?

One man,

12 volts,

a bungee cord,

And a machine so terrifying they call it
"MAX POWER."
Tonight at ten.

summer is upon us

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 11:55:00 +0000

...and the sun is finally shining! Here are some spring highlights:

the garlic is sizing up in the field

a trailer load of tomatoes ready for planting

Our newest addition: Planet Jr. junior-bought as a 'parts' machine, it has more parts than our old one that we used to plant last year's beans. And it comes in tangerine.
It's the only way to plant...

an acre of beans! Wheee!

April...

noreply@blogger.com (Jean) — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 00:13:00 +0000

...come she will!
So maybe last year this time we had peas and garlic coming up. And maybe we've had not one but two icy, Nor'easters come blowing through in the past few weeks. (It looks as though this Sunday should bring us a third!) But that's no reason to get down, right? Hmph. April. Meanwhile the greenhouse is practically bursting- you know with those early things that can handle cold weather. Um, yeah, cold weather is one thing. Multiple feet of heavy spring snow is a completely different scenario. We do have some stuff in the ground like this baby lettuce (note the snow in the foreground.) And if we can keep our hoophouse from collapsing (again) in this next storm, we'll be doing great! In the meantime, all we can do is plant, wait and plant some more. Or maybe I will just try to squeeze in another late-season ski across the field.