Tomatoes

The tomatoes survived the frost last week so I should have them for a couple more weeks.   Nice quality.

I roast some nearly every day to get me through the winter and for the tomato bread.    I'll fill a small chest freezer,  then start roasting squash and fill another 

    

 

Squash

 Saturday;  we'll be there; mill city farmers market 

It's fall; it's time

The days get shorter and busier 

Extracting Honey

We're extracting honey this week;  it's going well;  pretty fair crop.

  Should have some bottled for sale starting September 25th 

    Last of the sweet corn for the season this weekend.   

Tomatoes for 4 more weeks

   Next week we'll start harvesting pumpkins, gourds and maybe some squash too. 

 Baked goods soon 

 

Sweet Corn

We're into the last planting of sweet corn.  Pretty fair germination considering the season 

 Two varieties.  A bicolor and a white 

 Will have it for sale this weekend at the mill city market and maybe maybe the following too 

 Then it'll be over and I'll be back to baking 

Tomatoes a few more weeks 

 Just a few melons this weekend 

 

Melons and Tomatoes

Unfortunately, no sweet corn this weekend.    

  It was so dry that some of the plantings never germinated properly.   It'll be a couple weeks before we have meaningful amounts of corn.   The late plantings look good and we're getting some helpful rains. 

  Plenty of nice tomatoes and the melons are very good.   The red one in particular,  Petra Negra 

 

Sweet corn, melon, tomatoes

Wednesdays and Saturdays 

We got a nice write up in the star tribune! 

 

Wednesdays and Saturdays

 

Tomatoes ripening

Hot hot days   We finally got a little shot of rain the last week    Hoping for more tomorrow.   The plants have suffered.   We had to put a huge shade cloth over the tomato greenhouse and probably going to have to buy more shade covers.   The plants don't photosynthesize well when the temperature get above 90.    Most crop development has been stunted by lack and water hand extreme temps.   Some of the sweet corn plantings never even emerged.      The pumpkins and squash are ok.    Melons are ok.  

 

The tomatoes seemed relieved by the shade cover and are ripening nicely.    I'll have them Saturdays at the mill city market and starting July 14,  I'll have them at Mother Earth gardens down in longfellow,  3-6pm  

Thank you Steve Nodgaard for the nice photos  

 

 

 

 

Tomatoes!

 Tomatoes! 

Not a lot of room for optimism in a drought, however, there is this;  ripe tomatoes!!

  Not enough for market this weekend,  however,  I think by next weekend there will be enough to share.

    I won't be at the market this weekend.   Too much crop management.  

Next weekend I'll be back at it... harvesting and baking 

  I've been thinking about the drought.   Brings back a lot of memories from 1988.

 That year is etched in every farmers mind in this region.  I lost my shirt.   

    Dealing with it, drought, is like trying to solve a puzzle that you know doesn't have a solution.

   Or maybe playing a superior chess player and in your heart and mind, you know you can't win,  so you try to at least avoid blundering the Queen.   

   It's like that 

Busy season

 

Transplanting Tomatoes

We transplanted tomatoes this past week.   A lot of work.  We chisel plow, then rototill, then dig trenches, fill trenches with a layer of alfalfa pellets, then compost, then cover and transplant    The tomatoes benefit greatly from the effort.   

Also, we added a heater and circulating fans this year thanks in part to a grant from the mill city market next stage grant program;  I'm sure glad to have it these cold nights.  Thank you everyone who contribute to the fund and thank you all who buy our tomatoes.   ... I think I found some flower buds forming today.

The rhubarb is progressing nicely and I expect to have a bit of it by Mother's Day weekend.   

This coming weekend,  April 24,  I'll be at the market with honey,  sweet breads and sourdough 

       

                                          

Dutchman's breaches / compost time

Busy time of year, also beautiful and new each day.  I do my best to get out to the woods every day.

There's a market this weekend.  April 10 ... mill city market 

 I'll be there with breads, honey and probably some ginger snap cookies!

 

Feels like spring!!??

March has felt like spring so far ... 

 Tapping trees,  tending young tomato plants 

Working on some greenhouse projects and prep work.   Going to get awful busy soon 

 There's two Mill City markets this month.   The 13th and 27th I believe 

I'll be at both with honey,  squash bread, tomato bread,  sourdough and maybe a few other surprises too 

 Let's hope 

 

February market?

 Yes,  there's a market this weekend,  the 13th ....  I'm sorry,  I won't be there.   It's just too cold.  I've been working outside quite a bit and in seems like an hour or so is the most I can work,  then I have to come in to warm up.    Ive got some projects started.   We're going to put up another hoop house this spring and heat on of the main high tunnels.    The idea is more and earlier tomatoes.    Will seed tomatoes Saturday instead of going to market.

  I'll be there March and April;  honey, sweet breads,  sourdough and maybe some apple galette! 

 

 

Hey, there's a market day coming!!

 January 9th,  mill city farmers market,  10am - noon 

 I've been out skiing and working on seed orders and practically forgot there's a market day coming up.   I'll be there;  squash bread,  sourdough bread,  honey.   I've been working on a honey Apple galette for the market but that will have to wait until February.