April showers have provided beautiful May growth on our grape vines, and weather permitting we will have these to sell at the Market at Silver Lake Farms later this year. Next year, we will provide the option to pick them here at our farm.
Enjoy these pictures!
Sommerset Seedless Grape
Concord Grape
Traminette Grape
St. Vincent Grape
Chambourcin Grape Cluster
Wild Grape
Sauvignon Blanc
Snow is still in the forecast, but we are preparing for Spring! In one hoophouse, the Spring garlic has already been planted and little green shoots can be seen.
In the warmer Conservatory, we are watching some banana clusters mature. Hopefully they will be ready to eat soon. Tables and shelves are filled with seed trays with an assortment of vegetables that can withstand colder temperatures. We have been planting mesclun mixes, mizuna (a mustard), kohlrabi, assorted kales, beets, chard and more. With the lengthening days, the plants are eagerly growing.
We are fortunate to be able to sell some of our produce at the Silver Lake Farm in Delray, WV. It may open as early as April this year. They carry quality locally grown fruits and vegetables including from their own farm, as well as many artisan products. Their lamb chops are outstanding.
My tour of the gardens this morning showed this wonderful vine nearing ripeness!
The extra rain this year has had a devastating effect on trees this year, especially the grape vines. The extra moisture has been an ideal breeding ground for fungi such as black spot and powdery mildew.
We grow a wide assortment of wine and eating grapes in our one acre experimental vineyard. We are doing that intentionally in order to see which adapt best to this region’s climate, soil, and our farm’s own micro-climate. Our goal is to have as minimal a spray program as possible.
This year’s winner for adapting to the weather is this Staedler Noir, now almost ready for harvesting. We had this vine on our last farm and literally dug it up and transplanted it here 18 years ago. It is of the Noir grape family that includes Pinot and Baco, but we have been unable to identify it. It reliably produces gorgeous clusters of grapes each year, and this year was no exception. We have named it after my Prussian grandmother Margarete Steadler who was an avid gardener and inspiration for my gardening pursuits.
Staedler Noir – grapes and leaves
This vine’s biggest challenge this year was Japanese beetles. As you can see, there is minimal damage on its leaves despite the incessant rain. I have trimmed many of the leaves in order to let sunlight hit the fruit, and to encourage fresh air under the leaf canopy. They should be fully ripe in a few days.
Staedler Noir Grape Vine
Fortunately, I started about two dozen cuttings this Spring from this vine. Since it has displayed such resilience, it has earned a permanent larger section of the vineyard.
Here it is!
Sustainable Seed Company’s discount code exclusively for Meduseld blog readers!
Use Meduseld0315 at checkout to get TEN percent off your order, not including shipping. Cannot be combined with any other coupons. Good until March 12, 2015. Go to http://www.sustainableseedco.com/
For those of you who do larger scale gardening and farming, Sustainable Seed also has the ability to handle bulk orders. Here’s the link for that: http://sustainableseedco.com/bulk-heirloom-seed/
Please visit their site and see the incredible variety of seeds that they have!
Vegetables Grown at Meduseld
Peppers hidden in the foliage.
Exciting News! Meduseld and Sustainable Seed Company are once again coordinating in order to provide YOU with another discount code for orders placed on their website! This code will be announced in the next few days, so be sure to check back often!
From their website….
Welcome to Sustainable Seed Co. – Your Source for Certified Organic Heirloom Seeds
Since 2008, offering heirloom seeds, garden seeds, and organic heirloom seeds – non-hybrid vegetable, flower, and herb seeds.. America’s best source for for heirloom vegetable seeds, heirloom grain seeds and heirloom herb seeds.
From the beginning, we wanted to only offer heirloom seeds for one reason: they’re not only our history but our security. You can save the organic seed from the open-pollinated seeds we offer, and with the proper methods, reliably get the same plants for generations to come. We’re also a CERTIFIED ORGANIC seed farm – setting us apart from many others who only resell seed. With over 1,800 varieties for you to choose from (over 700 of them bulk seed and 600 of them organic seeds), we’re also the web’s premiere source for backyard gardeners and farmers alike.
http://sustainableseedco.com/
It won’t be winter forever!
A large pot of pasta sauce is simmering on the stove to be canned later. Rows of jars of beans and other vegetables already line up on cellar shelves to be consumed during the winter months. Two of the children have poison ivy – all signs of summer.
It’s only July – the middle of the summer, and we are already thinking about the cold months. It seems strange to not stop and just enjoy the moment, but taking time to pause would be a luxury when there is so much work to do as the harvest starts pouring in!
All the ingredients in the pasts sauce are from our garden – even the oregano, parsley and basil. We use the book Putting Food By (PFB) as our reference for safe canning, but I confess I really call it the Paranoid Food Book, since its author wrote the entire book about canning while constantly talking about how dangerous it is. Her favorite bit of advice seems to be to can a food exactly to her specifications and then throw it away…. 
Indigo Cherry Tomatoes beginning to ripen
As we harvest areas we replant for fall crops. Hopefully, we will harvest beans from these plants until the weather cools. Speaking of cooling weather, today will only be 73 degrees thanks to the second July polar vortex that is dropping cool Canadian air into our area.
Our onion harvest has met challenges. We laid them out on a table to dry and form their outer skin that protects them for storage. Who knew that sheep love onions? I didn’t, at least until I found them devouring the onions as if at a banquet. We saved just enough for the next few batches of pasta sauce.
The garden expansion project continues. We pulled a permit last week for the small tool shed I had proposed. My husband has held contractor licenses in several states and has done projects in some of the most rigorous jurisdictions, including Alexandria, VA. But, up until now he has never had to pull a permit for a tiny tool shed/agricultural building. It is sad that Hampshire County has such excessive reach into the life of its residents. He started the shed yesterday using a window and materials recycled from past jobs, and I look forward to sharing a picture of it when it is done.
I’m off to the kitchen.
As part of our 2014 garden expansion, we added a pond with waterfall. In order to enjoy the beautiful, serene koi and goldfish, we planned a small patio made with pavers so that we can sit and enjoy the surroundings.
Pond with assorted Koi and Goldfish
We cleared an area at the lower end of the pond and have placed rocks at the edges to contain the dirt and “blue stone,” a type of crushed stone dust available at hardward stores. Blue stone, or stone dust, can be leveled and compacted and makes a durable under-surface for pavers and stones.
Stones show future edges. Also note tool called a tamper.
Start backfilling some dirt into the area that will be raised for the patio surface. If you are making your patio flush with the ground, omit this step. If making it flush, you will have to dig down and make a level area. Plan on about two inches of stone dust and add the thickness of your pavers or stones, and this will give the the depth to dig. In our example above, we are building up the level to accommodate the natural slope in the garden.
Whether you have dug down or added, it is important to make sure that your surface is level.
Checking with a level.
Now it’s time to add the blue stone or stone dust. A small two by four can help spread the stone.
Check again with a level. A surface that appears level can still be off.
Tamp your surface again firmly.
We have now prepared a good surface to bedding the pavers. The pavers are going to be set at a random pattern to imitate cobble stone streets in Europe. Even the pavers are in assorted colors in order to give a more historic feel.
If necessary, you can cut pavers with this tool, available to rent at many tool rental places.
Once you have laid the final pavers, pour a bag of stone dust onto the surface of your pavers. Take a stiff broom and push as much stone dust between the stones as possible. This significantly firms up the surface and will stabilize your patio, in addition to giving it a finished look. We do not recommend sand for this step as it will eventually wash out between the stone when it rains.
Here is the finished patio. Small, so that it does not take up valuable garden space, and perfect for intimate dinners and conversation over a glass of wine.
If you ‘d prefer to have one of these installed, please click on the Culver Design Build, Inc. link for more information!
I have been fortunate to meet special people, such as Eva Taylor of Ironwood farm who introduced me to permaculture. Recently, I have gotten to know another amazing person, who has expanded my appreciation of nature and the garden, Leenie Hobbie.
Leenie and I share several mutual friends and I have often heard the statement, “you’ve got to meet Leenie Hobbie!” She is a frequent guide for “Weed Walks” in our area, teaching people about the local flora and showing people how to identify edible plants.
Fortunately, Leenie and I finally connected and we spent some time in my garden, which I admit is not entirely weed free. Perhaps my German heritage makes me more fastidious about it than I need to be, but there were definitely more than enough weed samples to be found. I’ve always felt that their existence in my garden was a source of irritation, taking up precious space for my darling cultivated plants. Until Leenie’s visit.
She quickly identified several edible varieties and even knew their nutrients and historic medicinal use. She described how they could be used in cooking, and those loathsome plants suddenly turned into recipe potential! Lambs quarters in quiche? Sounds delicious!
Invader or Ingredient?
Since her visit, we’ve gathered various types and even made “weed chips” Collecting the leaves of a thorny vine called Greenbriar that Leenie showed me, we fried them in olive oil, producing a delightful crispy treat. And I am willing to tolerate more weeds in my garden, and am even finding some favorite tasting ones, such as Purslane.
Leenie has a delightful and informational blog, 3 Herb Mamas, that I encourage you to follow, and I am placing it on my list of favorite blog links. She is also creating an Etsy store for her herb-based creams and salves, so stay posted for when that is launched!
I had a wonderful day yesterday, planting and foraging in the garden, and enjoying the first substantial harvests for the year. Yes, we’ve picked things here and there, some salads and herbs, but we are finally seeing the fruits of all our March, April and May labors, providing a June feast!
You may remember our post about growing potatoes in stackable boxes…yesterday I pulled the forms and found early spring potatoes. They are crunchier when harvested freshly and become softer and creamier when cooked. Here they are lightly boiled and then fried in Spectrum Organics Palm Oil Shortening.
Red Norland Spring Potatoes
The children enjoyed juice from the first batch of Nanking Bush Cherries. Since the berries are difficult to pit, we boil them in water to release their juices, add a little organic sugar and the children pour this over ice cubes for a refreshing drink. The additional benefit of Nanking Bush Cherries is that they make a wonderful edible shrub or privacy hedge
Picking Nanking Bush Cherries
While we’ve already been enjoying the butter head lettuce Four Seasons, yesterday I harvested our first white Radicchio and they two combined made a delightful and completely non-bitter salad. Four Seasons is showing off with its brilliant red accents.
White Radicchio and Lettuce of Four Seasons
The Chicken is a broiler raised here on our farm. It spent over six hours on the smoker yesterday with fresh herbs – thyme, sage and oregano – placed under its skin and in the cavity. It makes a tender supper and amazing chicken salad.
Smoked Chicken with Herbs
I hope these will encourage those who haven’t yet given gardening at try!
Rose Tree “Charlotte”
Who knew potato blossoms could be so beautiful?
Egyptian Onions
Get the full experience!