Happenings on the Ranch

In my January post I mentioned we are focusing on growing heirloom varities of veggies this year.  But what is an heirloom and why should we grow them?

Most large commercial farms grow varieties that have been crossed with other varieties to produce larger vegetables or those that are more resistent to drought or specific diseases or pests.  This allows them to not only increase their crop yield but also store their crops for longer periods of time without spoilage.  This, along with picking them before they are completely ripe (as in the case of tomatoes), lets their product be shipped farther distances and sit in broker storage warehouses longer before making it to grocery store shelves.  They may still look pretty, but they often lack in true flavor.

Heirloom varieties are the classics.  They are fruits and vegetables that were originally grown years ago and have not been hybridized with other varieties.  They are continued by open pollination rather than through grafts, cuttings or scientific intervention.  They are so tasty and many of them are far more interesting to look at.  There is a wide variety to choose from in each type of vegetable and we are growing many of them this year.

 Green Zebra Tomatoes – an heirloom tomato

The other reason we are growing heirloom varieties is to help preserve some of those types that are rapidly disappearing.  Many traditional varieties have already become extinct and many more are dwindling.  To help combat this, we have become members of Seed Savers Exchange.  As members, we can grow heirlooms, save the seeds, and exchange them with other heirloom growers to continue to strengthen the gene pool of these wonderful fruits and vegetables.  And, typically, heirlooms have adapted over time to whatever climate and soil they have grown in. Due to their genetics, they are often resistant to local pests, diseases, and extremes of weather without the use of any pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers (which we love!).

So what heirlooms are we growing?  Here’s a partial list:

Tomatoes:  Amish Paste, Green Zebra, Yellow Stuffer, Speckled Roman, Soldacki, Brandywine, Beams Yellow Pear
Peppers:  Aurora, Quadrato Asti Giallo, Orange Bell
Radishes:  Early Scarlet, Plum Purple, Philadelphia White
Beans:  Dragon’s Tongue, Lazy Housewife, Empress, Pencil Pod Golden Wax
Peas:  Green Arrow, Amish Snap
Lettuce: Grandpa Admires, Slobolt

There’s so much more, but you get the idea.  We’ll be growing heirloom melons, corn and more.  We anticipate these varieties to be both flavorful and beautiful!

Until next time!

Karin

Spring is definitely in the air … the 40mph air!  The wind has been absolutely howling the past two days.  I really don’t mind the wind, although the geese seem to be a it annoyed with it.  What I find extraordinary is the little amount of precipitation we’ve had throughout the winter and I’m hoping it doesn’t continue into the spring as well.

Our farm is in it’s own little miroclimate.  Those of you that garden, and many of you that don’t, are aware that the U.S. is broken up into planting zones.  Each zone has it’s own climate and set of factors that are taken into account when planning what to plant, when, and where.  Zones 9 and 10 are more tropical climates that can sustain many different types of vegetation that can’t be grown in the much colder northern zones of 1 and 2.  Generally, Missouri is considered zone 5.  However, if you look at the zone maps you’ll see a tiny little pocket that’s considered zone 6.  Our farm is smack dab in the middle of it.  That’s usually a pretty good thing for us.  We can plant some things a bit earlier than the rest of the state and grow them later in the season.  But, so far it seems our little microclimate has been working against us.  All to the north of us and down to the south of us they have seen good amounts of precipitation.  But every time there is snow or rain forecasted for the KC Metro area we get nothing.  We’ve had only two measurable snow falls all winter and what we did get didn’t amount to much.  We’ve had one little smattering of rain.  I’m really hoping some things change a little bit or our microclimate will be in a micro drought!

On the plus side, all the seedlings that we started several weeks ago are going strong.  Many of the tomato varieties have been thinned down to the strongest plants and, lo and behold, the eggplant seedlings are doing well (keep your fingers crossed).  Next week we’ll start planting the early crops directly into the newly prepared soil.  These will include kale, several varieties of swiss chard, many types of lettuce, spinach, peas, beans, green onions, leeks and more.

If the old saying holds true and March goes out like a lamb, our crops will be off to a great start!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and rang in the New Year in style.  Things are hopping around here already and I am so ready for the blahs of winter to be gone.  I really enjoy spring and seeing everything come up green and looking out at the farm when there are no crops growing and all the grasses are yellow is a bit depressing.  We’ve had some strange weather that’s given us some very warm days when we can go outside and spend time enjoying the property, but it’s just not enough!  So, for the time being, I’m stuck inside by the wood burning stove planning for the upcoming season.

 One reason for me to go outside frequently and brave the cold is the birth of our two new goat kids.  They are beautiful babies.  Their mom for some reason didn’t bond well with them and won’t allow them to nurse, so they are being bottle fed.  That means heading outside every two to three hours.  It’s a lot of work, but it’s so satisfying to walk out toward their shelter and have them come running toward you yelling “ma!”  They are both doing well and have been accepted by the herd; it’s just unfortunate that mom didn’t accept them.

We’ve started taking sign ups for our 2009 CSA program and have already received a great response.  Seems that more and more people are interested in buying local, organically and sustainably grown produce and meats grown in a humane manner.  It makes me happy to have many of last year’s customers coming back this year and we’ve got all kinds of plans in the works to be able to provide many more types of fresh fruits and vegetables than last year.  We’ll be focusing a lot this year on heirloom veggies.  These are classic varieties that are not hybrids and most of them will come from certified organic seeds.  I am also going to make an attempt at the elusive eggplant again this year … keep your fingers crossed!

So, while sitting inside by the fire, I am planning out what seeds to buy, how many to plant, and designing our crop layout and rotations.  All the while I am dreaming of warmer and greener days!

Karin