This little guy belongs to our friends, but he was too cute for me not to share him!!
Farming in the winter? In Ohio?
While it may sound crazy, farming in the winter time is definitely possible if you prepare yourself. There are many crops that can tolerate cold temperatures, and with proper storage, you can have veggies long after summer is over. Here are some things we do.
First off, you need to start seeds now for the stuff that needs to be started inside. This includes broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, brusselsprouts, etc. You can either place them in your window or start them outside since it is now summer and warm. If you want to know exactly when you should plant, add ten days to the length stated on the package, and count backwards from our last frost date which will usually be the first weekend in October (e.g. the variety of broccoli that we have takes 58 days, so add 10 to make 68 and count backwards to July 26th).
First off, you need to start seeds now for the stuff that needs to be started inside. This includes broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, brusselsprouts, etc. You can either place them in your window or start them outside since it is now summer and warm. If you want to know exactly when you should plant, add ten days to the length stated on the package, and count backwards from our last frost date which will usually be the first weekend in October (e.g. the variety of broccoli that we have takes 58 days, so add 10 to make 68 and count backwards to July 26th).
There are also things that you can direct seed outside that you need not worry about until a little later in the summer. Things like lettuces, salad greens, radishes, carrots, or other root crops. The trick is to plant them so they have long enough to grow to maturity. Then, the cold weather becomes like free refrigeration for them.
Some crops can just store in the ground while others need to be stored in a root cellar. This is what people did in the olden days to store things like potatoes and onions, although there are other things that tolerate this method of storage. This way, once they are cured, they are stored in a cool, dark place without the moisture that you would get of storing things in the soil.
This idea is not new to farming, but more people are experimenting with it again lately. Eliot Coleman, who is a fabulous farmer, has figured a lot of this stuff out. Any of his books will give you more information on it and he’s easy to read. They are usually available through your local public library.
This idea is not new to farming, but more people are experimenting with it again lately. Eliot Coleman, who is a fabulous farmer, has figured a lot of this stuff out. Any of his books will give you more information on it and he’s easy to read. They are usually available through your local public library.
What’s included this week?
1. Carrots
2. Lemon basil- great in Italian or with chicken
3. Onions- finally, big onions!
4. Green Beans- from Paige’s Produce since ours got devoured by the deer
5. Hybrid tomatoes- your typical red, round tomato
6. Swiss chard- same instructions as previous weeks
1. Carrots
2. Lemon basil- great in Italian or with chicken
3. Onions- finally, big onions!
4. Green Beans- from Paige’s Produce since ours got devoured by the deer
5. Hybrid tomatoes- your typical red, round tomato
6. Swiss chard- same instructions as previous weeks
Recipe of the Week
Simple Tomato Sauce
Tomatoes (the whole quart)
Basil (1/2- whole bunch)
Onions (1-2)
Garlic (1 elephant clove or 2-3 regular cloves)
Salt and Pepper to taste
It is hard for me to give you exact measurements for this recipe because it all depends on your taste buds. You will need at least an hour to make this sauce, and don’t forget about it and let it burn to the bottom of the pan, it needs lots of stirring. If you don’t mind the tomato skins being in your sauce, you can chop the tomatoes up and put them into a large pot. If you want no skins, you have two options. First, you can put the tomatoes in a blender or food processor to mix them in. Or, you can boil water and put the tomatoes into the water until the skin peels off nicely. Doing it the second way makes this sauce not so simple.
The tomatoes will cook down and the mix will look real watery. Then, they will start to boil off that water until it is thick enough to be sauce. You don’t want to add the other veggies and spices until the tomatoes are done cooking down and starting to reabsorb some of their own juices. You can also add any other veggies to this mix if you like peppers or mushrooms in your sauce. How chopped up you make them just depends on how chunky you want your sauce to be. It’s okay if it turns out different every time, so be creative!
Basil (1/2- whole bunch)
Onions (1-2)
Garlic (1 elephant clove or 2-3 regular cloves)
Salt and Pepper to taste
It is hard for me to give you exact measurements for this recipe because it all depends on your taste buds. You will need at least an hour to make this sauce, and don’t forget about it and let it burn to the bottom of the pan, it needs lots of stirring. If you don’t mind the tomato skins being in your sauce, you can chop the tomatoes up and put them into a large pot. If you want no skins, you have two options. First, you can put the tomatoes in a blender or food processor to mix them in. Or, you can boil water and put the tomatoes into the water until the skin peels off nicely. Doing it the second way makes this sauce not so simple.
The tomatoes will cook down and the mix will look real watery. Then, they will start to boil off that water until it is thick enough to be sauce. You don’t want to add the other veggies and spices until the tomatoes are done cooking down and starting to reabsorb some of their own juices. You can also add any other veggies to this mix if you like peppers or mushrooms in your sauce. How chopped up you make them just depends on how chunky you want your sauce to be. It’s okay if it turns out different every time, so be creative!
Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve
Gretel and Steve
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