While the blog postings have been quiet, the farm has been busy still the last months, or years. The CSA has ended but produce is still grown for the Buffalo Farmers Market and for on farm puck up. The barnyard is full of poultry and goat barn filled with goats for show, milk and soap making. The seed catalogs continue to roll in and thoughts of what 2022 will bring circle through the head. Many changes have taken place over the last few years and while it’s certain that some farming will persist, what that looks like has yet to be determined. For now, here are some of the great soaps being made from our own goat milk, pork lard and some farm grown plants.

While winter has hardly started, on this, the shortest day of the year, we are celebrating the arrival of spring already by thinking about all the wonderful new selections that we will be growing this year. Orange Slice Jalapeños, Purple Lady Bok Choy, Chinese Pink Celery, and San Michele Cabbage are just a few of the elections we are planning on growing this year.

While the long nights do make outdoor chores more difficult, they also provide for some wonderful indoor time to craft, plan and dream.

The long lasting connection to agriculture has and always will be a very strong force in my life.  However, due to a needed increase in my role as an FFA Adviser and personal interests,  the CSA and boilers sales will be suspended for the year and re-evaluated for 2018.  My days will still be spent immersed in agriculture, just in different avenues.  Its going to be difficult to pull in the reins this spring planting as I have always been more of a sower than a grower, but I am looking forward to some new adventures and opportunities. Currently, there is still the plan to attend the Buffalo Farmers Market as a Vendor, but attendance will not be extremely regular.

Thanks you to all have supported this venture off and on over the years.  Each relationship was special, enjoyable and made the efforts all the more worth while.

Thanks

Larry

This week in the box were starting to get a little more fall like.  Time are busy prepping for school and the state fair goat show but we still managed to trow together the box.  You should find some orange carrots, Yellow Fin potatoes, a mix of heirloom tomatoes, yellow and green bell peppers, haralson apples and white parsnips.  

This time of year it always feels like summer has slipped by.  But there is still so much to savor coming from the garden.  The unseasonably wet summer has been great for some, not so great for others.  The beans are producing like they are brand new, the cabbage and broccoli is in overdrive and the beets go on.  For others, the wetness is getting to them.  Digging up rotten potatoes, pulling up stinky rutabagas and climbing through disease laden tomatoes can get pretty frustrating, but with all the loss there is still an excellent crop of most things after a summer of growing.

This weeks box contains the finest tastes of the season. A beautiful mix of heirloom tomatoes, most of the purple viking potatoes and a few bell peppers start it off.  We also have an other installment of the Cylindrica beets, orange and purple carrots, garlic and green beans.  Larger share also has some broccoli and a zucchini.  A new cabbage is ripe for the picking, Verona Savoy.  Savoy cabbage is one of the most eye catching vegetables to grow. The dark green, savoyed (ruffled) leaves are especially tasty sauteed with bacon and garlic.  I personally must have Martha Stewards Rigatoni with Savoy Cabbage every year.  often 2 or 3 times.  It pretty much contains 5 of my favorite foods: cabbage, garlic, bacon, mushrooms and a Parmesan style cheese.  Finally, you have a little clutch of herbs.  Italian Flat Leaf Parsley is awesome with the potatoes or baked with the tomatoes.  If you have anchovies, give the Roasted Tomatoes with Anchovies a try, it’s lovely. Then there is also some sweet basil Red Rubin Basil.  The dryer, yellow lemon tomatoes would be the optimum ones, but all tomatoes would work in this Tomato and Basil Bruschetta.

Tomatoes are here!  The queen of the summer garden is the key vegetable that many gardeners use as the measure of the skill of the gardener.  Disease, pests, climate and a multitude of varietal choices all influence the end result.  This year, had been great for growing tomato plants and tomato fruit.  We have been having  some huge fruits from Nature’s Riddle, Orange Oxheart and Ananas Noire.  Most impressive has been the new hybrid, Cherokee Carbon.  Big, beautiful, perfect shape and sweet taste make these great.
Also in the box are some carrots, beets, fingerling potatoes, broccoli, sweet corn, onions, garlic, beans, arugula, cucumbers, pattypan squash, basil, cilantro and bell peppers.  

Finally there are a few great pears called SummerCrisp.  This Minnesota introduction is crisp, sweet and the perfect size for a snack.  

While summer is far from over according to the calendar, summer is winding down as soon school begins and weather forecasters are predicting some cool Canadian air.  In the garden, the same holds true as some crops like beans and cukes are reaching the end of their time while others like peppers, tomatoes and apples are starting to roll in.  

This week you get to enjoy those late summer flavors like a mixed bag of heirloom tomatoes, jalapenos, haralson apples and even a rutabaga (it might be soup weather this weekend). There are still some consistent goodies like garlic, carrots, broccoli and a beautiful egg plant.  There are some new beans.  The beautiful red beans are called Red Swan and the green ones are an Appalachian heirloom type called greasy cut-short beans. These beans have a little more ‘bean’ to them and when cooked have a little bit of a shiny appearance.  We’re trying them out, maybe they will be great, maybe not so much, you let me know. 

Happy week.

Music and Armenian, Sorted, bundled and ready for Curing!

Usually this heading would have come weeks ago, right after the 4th of July, but this year the consistent moisture and not crazy hot temps must have kept the garlic going longer than usual and so harvest was just completed.  I also was basing harvest on the new idea of lifting it when there are 4 green leaves remaining.  The old way had me lifting garlic when the scapes straighten out.  Digging too soon may lead to smaller heads and the protective outer wrappers to not be formed.  Leaving it in too long can lead to the heads bursting apart.  All those lead to a shorter storage life as well.  Whatever the case, this years garlic crop is hands down, my best ever!  I had great uniformity and size of each head, very few that were small but lots of great nice ones.  This year I grew 10 varieties on a large scale with a couple others are some experiments. While all are good and I really have a hard time discerning the difference once they are cooked up in a dish, they have their different qualities that make some better for canning, others better for baked garlic spread while some are more excellent in sauteed dishes.

Armenian

A hard to find porcelain variety with 4 to 6 very large, plump cloves.  Armenian garlic has a very full-bodied, earthy flavor raw and continues to hold up well while cooking.  

Bogatyr

A long storing purple skinned variety with dark brown cloves.  This rich flavor garlic is pleasing, especially in Italian dishes and has little to no heat.  

Broad Leafed Czech

Sourced from Seed Savers, this softneck variety typically only has between 8 and 12 tan cloves per head.  The smaller number means they are much bigger than typical softnecks.  When raw, it is very hot, but once cooked it becomes mild.  

Buffalo Rose

A locally collected garlic sourced from local garlic guy Gary Klingelhoets.  This hardneck variety boasts 12 to 15 smaller sized, yet strongly flavored purple tinted cloves.

Chesnok Red

Beautiful red cloves on this hardneck variety that keep a good deal of their strong flavor when cooking.  Heads boast 8 to 10 red-skinned cloves that peel easily.

German Extra Hardy

An easy growing hardneck variety with 4-7 huge cloves per head. German Extra hardy has some slight pink striping to the skin of the cloves which have a strong, robust flavor.  

Italian Late Softneck

One of the best for cooking, this softneck variety often carried over 25 cloves per head.  Excellent flavor hold up well to cooking and if properly cured and stored, heads can last 6 to 9 months.

Music

A great, reliable hardneck with tight head of 4-7 large cloves. The flavor is very pungent, yet sweet.  This variety is excellent drizzled with olive oil, baked and spread on a piece of crusty bread.  

Red Russian

Rich, musky, strong garlic  flavor that is very hot raw.  Typically 7 to 14 cloves per head with read streaking on the bulb wrappers.  Very hardy and dependable in our climate of Minnesota.

Shirley Ray

Another variety collected and named by Gary Klingelhoets.  This larger sized hardneck with a large number of  medium sized cloves is quite pungent, yet mellows nicely once cooked.

The Process

Each farmer has slightly different methods on how they do things based on mentors, what they read and their own trial and error.  These are my methods.  Others may be different and work well or even better but this is how my garlic grows with pretty good results overall.  The garlic season actually begins in late fall when individual cloves of garlic are planted in a prepared bed a couple inches deep spaced 6 to 12 inches apart, depending on the variety.  Garlic cloves are modified leaves, to grow well, plants need nitrogen so of all the plant nutrients, soil rich in nitrogen is the most beneficial.  Nitrogen is also the most fleeting nutrient so either supplement the soil at planting or in the spring or plant your garlic in a plot previous occupied by a nitrogen fixer like peas, beans, alfalfa or clover.  This year mine followed a cover crop of sweet clover.   Last year it was planted the last week of October.  2 years ago it was November.  Obviously the ground cannot be froze solid as it needs a couple weeks post planting to send down a few roots and begin a tiny sprout.  Planting too early or a late season warm and wet spell can cause it it to sprout considerably.  But if it sprouts just a little, no fear, it is probably safe for the next year.  At least my brothers was.  Mulch the bed with some organic matter such leaves, straw, old hay or grass clippings.  I typically use some junky hay.  Fluffing it up a bit is good so the garlic doesn’t have to work too hard in the spring shooting up.  I didn’t mulch a portion of the plot all on accident and had no problems this year, in fact, it was some of the nicer crop, but it could have also been due to soil conditions and the fact that there was enough rain during the growing season that mulch wasn’t all that necessary.

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In the spring, garlic is one of the first things up.  It is a welcome site for sore eyes.  Before the weeds come, trees bud or grass greens up, there will be these glorious green garlic shoots popping out of some dreary colored mulch.  At this time I check to make sure all can puncture their way through the mulch.  If a thick clump of hay lands on top of a sprout, it might have difficulty reaching the light.  That little clove only has so much energy and if the sprout has to turn sideways a few inches before breaking forth, it will be set back considerably or may not develop well at all.

Early in the growing season, keep the garlic consistently watered.   It doesn’t appreciate being water logged, but don’t let it dry out.  Also remove any competing weeds.

Come June, the hardnecks will begin the process of sending up their scapes.  This are a great treat to get that hot garlic flavor before the garlic. Too many?  Try making Pickled Garlic Scapes, they go great on Bloody Mary’s, so I been told.   This is also the time that the garlic bulb is gaining weight.  Some say to remove the scapes to help the bulb grow larger and I typically do.  But some are always left and I find mixed results in the size.  I think if soil moisture is adequate, weeds are removed and garlic is spaced properly, garlic with scapes can grow plenty big.  But I like to stay on the safe side and remove them to let the plants put all their energy into the bulb.  Its at this time you can begin to harvest garlic an eat it fresh.  If your supply from last year is out, why not?  Fresh garlic should be use quickly and stored under refrigeration when not used.

In July the garlic harvest begins.  Look to the variety to know if it is an early, mid or late season type and harvest accordingly.  For me, the softnecks are early while the hardnecks are later.  This year, after a windstorm most of the softnecks bent over so I then harvested as I didn’t want them to begin rotting at the soil surface.  The hardnecks waited until the bottom leaves were dry and there were only 4 or 5 leaves still green.

When harvesting, I always dig the garlic as I don’t want to break the stems or damage the bulbs.  Hard soil can scrape or bruise garlic easily, diminishing shelf life.  Garlic is then sorted for size as I pick out my largest, nicest bulbs for planting next years crop.  It is bundled into groups of 8 to 12 heads and hung in an airy, dry place for curing.  Some will just lay their garlic on racks as well.

After 2 or more weeks, depending on how green it was and how dry the air is, curing may be complete.  the stems should be dry, a few outer skins should easily rub off and the garlic should have no smell.  What?  yes no smell.  If it still smells of garlic it is not fully cured or may be damaged.  I usually let mine go longer just be safe.  But don’t go too long as you don’t want a fall rain to raise the humidity and encourage the garlic roots to begin growing.  When ready, cut the stems a couple inches, trim roots, rub off easy to remove wrappers and store in a breathable bag in a dark coolish (55 degree) place with moderate humidity.  Too low of humidity and the garlic will loose moisture and get rubbery.  It is best to check the variety and determine which has the shortest shelf life and use that first.  As a rule of thumb, softnecks last longer, hardnecks not so much.  But we typically have all of our garlic make it to Easter with very little loss.

Overall, garlic is very gratifying to grow and the flavor of some high-quality, homegrown garlic variety trumps that boring Chinese stuff in the little boxes at the grocery store any day.  If you are not going to use it all quickly, you could chop, dry and grind for garlic powder.  Others will pack in oil, although I have seen some questions on the safety of doing so.  If done improperly botulism could be an issue and we don’t want that.

But of course, don’t forget to plant some more for next year!

A Scape in the Sunset

One of the most enjoyable aspects of eating seasonally, is about the time you are sick of something, you get a break.  Now I know there are some things that people can eat all the time, we all have our favorites, but after weeks and weeks of beans and cabbage, there is a brief pause as we are between successions.  This week some of you will be gifted a beautiful eggplant, others still get broccoli.  Corn is full swing as are the cucumbers.  There are a few prized bell peppers and a half dozen patty pan squash.  Before too long we will be swimming in tomatoes and the squash will be coming in.  But as each new crop becomes ready, for some reason my body really craves it.  It is almost as though it is deprived of what ever nutrients they may have and it ready to soak them up.  That first bowl of creamy cucumbers or corn on the cob taste like heaven.

This week the box is heavy with many substantial things.  No greens to mess with, we are getting down to the results of 3 or 4 months of growth finally culminating in the fruits of all the plants labor.  While the beans may be on vacation, the beets are plentiful.  I planted a great heap of beets and so they are still present.  You may find the all red, earthy flavor of the Detroit Dark Red.  The slightly less earthy and pleasantly sweet and beautiful striped Chioggia,  the ever popular, smooth and sweet Touchstone Gold or the bright yellow and mild Yellow Mangel.  Their counter part, carrots are also hanging out in the box.  A few stored onions, a head of Italian Soft Neck garlic. This is mostly cured so it should be fine storing it on the counter.  The funny looking squash are the patty pan.  This delicate summer squash is excellent sauteed, or lightly fried with eggs, or baked with the basil.  There is a bunch of burp-less Marketmore Cucumbers,  a pile of Purple Viking potatoes, a lone leek, a bunch of basil and small pile of parsley, the best tasting Italian Flat Leaf (perfect for some boiled potatoes).  A dozen ears of corn is tagging along and there are 4 crisp, Summer Crisp Pears.  I only have a lone tree of this fantastic U of M Intoduction, but I wish the other 5 were all this variety cause I can eat them like nobody’s business.  Look for more next week.

With the garlic harvest complete and curing underway, the remainder of this week is dedicated to making Sauerkraut!  This time, the green cabbage is ready to go.   I hope to document the process and let it be known how its done.

And next week, I hope to provide you some Tomatoes, that is if we can stop eating all that ripen.