SEEDS

catkins on alders

 The signs are everywhere. The landscape is "waking" up from its' winter sleep. Time to start planting for the upcoming season.

fragrant violets

The first seed order should be arriving in the mail soon.

Seeds are the most amazing things. Each one holding the complete potential of a new living plant.

Each one is an embryo plant. Each has enough food stored within it to feed itself until it has formed a root and seed leaves. It takes about 10 to 30 days to reach that stage. Then the process of manufacturing food begins.  The little plant needs air, warmth, light, moisture and access to nutrients to grow on. Vegetative growth occurs at the tips of roots and stems.

seeded trays of early greens

Utmost care must be taken handling these precious seedlings when transplanting. They each have only ONE stem and ONE root . They can afford to lose a leaf but not the others. The best way to handle the plant is by holding it on one of the leaves and gently placing it into the soil.
This transaction should be done as quickly and efficiently as possible so the plant has the best chance of recovery from this "trans plant" shock.

It is truly amazing to be part of process of watching a plant go from seed to fully matured and ready for harvest. From a small beginning to a plant that is often hundreds times the size of the original seed in a matter of months.

It never ceases to astonish and surprise me.

Spring is Teasing Us

Snowdrops along the creek

The weather has been spectacular and warm and sunny the past three days. We have recorded a high of 12C during the day but it went down to -1C last night with hard frost this morning. It was even colder up in the open fields. The weather in general has been above normal since late January. The propagation greenhouse is bursting with seedlings but they are afforded the warmth and protection of a more controlled environment. We can close the doors and put covers over the heated propagation tables. It is all too tempting to try and plant something out too soon. Our records show that we have received frosts as late as the final week of May. I have a few videos from the last 3 years alone that show all too clearly how quickly a hail storm can wreak havoc here. We always have plastic covers ready to put over plants just in case. More than once we have been found scrambling to get tender, precious seedlings under cover out of the weather. A good guide is to prune your roses when the forsythia bloom. Forsythia are one of our earliest blooming shrubs with their bright yellow flowers. Branches can be cut and brought indoors for a forced bloom. What this tells you is that this plant will only bloom when the temperature is of a reliable warmth. Some plants are genetically predisposed to bloom at a certain time irregardless of temperature and some can gauge when is the right time. Forsythia is of the latter. Roses can still die if they are pruned back too far too early. So as tempting as it is to get started with clearing and cleaning and planting and pruning be wary of what time of year this still is. It is only mid-February folks.Go out, stroll through your gardens and take a peek at all the lovely plants bursting forth to spur on the coming of spring. Turn the compost, clean up the yard, order seeds, plant seeds indoors. There is lots to do. It feels good !

Aconites

Sweet Violets

Taking Care of Produce

Gai Lan

Nappa Cabbages

at the wash station

Comox Valley Farmer's Market

baskets of greens ready for washing

Fridays are one of our busiest days of the week. Produce has to be harvested, picked, sorted, washed,packed and gotten ready for Saturday morning farmer's market. As the season progresses this will take more and more of our time as there is more and more to pick. In peak season we often have to start on Thursday just to keep up with the abundance of produce that is ready.

Yesterdays harvest consists of a salad greens mix, spinach, arugula, Napa cabbages, gai lan, collard greens, leeks, purple mustard greens, mibuna and rhubarb. Everything is washed through a cycle of stainless steel sinks with cold, clear, artesian, well water. Then it is bunched, bundled, bagged, weighed and sorted into containers and put into the cooler for transport on Saturday morning.

At this time of year we are also taking plants to market. This year we have 21 tomato varieties as well as 6 kinds of nasturtiums. Assorted other veggie packs of plants to start your own gardens. Lettuces, broccoli, parsley,chives, leeks, etc. By the end of the day the truck is tightly packed with as much as we can possibly transport. Produce is put in Saturday mornings just before we head out to market.

I like Fridays. I get to put my efficiency and organization skills to work. Often with farm assistants coming and going there has to be time made to instruct them as to how to pick and handle various plants and the vegetables. You would be amazed at how much there is to know. So much of the produce is delicate and requires sensitivity and care in handling. Even how you put it into the basket can make a difference to how the product looks in the end. Things get bruised and beaten looking quite easily. The other major requirement is to keep the produce out of the sun and get it to the wash stand area as soon as possible. Cooling the produce down is really important to its keeping qualities. Sun and heat and sitting in the baskets can dry out, wilt and render the produce to the compost heap in no time if one is not careful. So being quick and efficient are requirements on harvest days.

It is very satisfying at the end of the day to visually tally up the harvest for the upcoming market. It all looks so vibrant and fresh and clean, ready to go. Its the reward for all the work that goes into the production of making the farm work. When we get to market and put the produce out for sale it is so wonderful to hear all the "oohs" and "ahs" from customers as they remark over the quality of the harvest. Those are the strokes on the back that we get for the work we've done. Our customers are wonderful and really appreciate all the efforts we make to offer them such wonderful produce.

Your welcome :-D and thank you for supporting local, organic, agriculture.

p.s. just got home and we had an awesome day at the market, now we're about to sit down and have Fanny Bay oysters for supper. Grown and harvested in the waters of Baynes Sound just outside our door. What a feast ! What a life ! :-D 

`A SPRING TREAT, NETTLE PIE `

Today was a good day to make nettle pie. A gray day, windy but temperate and the nettles ripe for picking. Nettles are absolutely packed with nutrition. Picking nettles is a spring rite for many people. I try to pick enough to dry for teas. They are one of the best remedies for pollen type allergies. Nettles contain histamines. They contain iron and vitamin C and a host of other good nutrients. Dried it can be crumbled and used as a salt substitute.

The reason they sting is the shape of their barbs. If you look at a microscopic photo of one it actually has a hook on it similar in action to when a bee stings. As you instinctively pull away your action pulls the barbs into your skin, locking them in place. I knew one old timer here in the neighbourhood who picked them with is bare hands, BUT he picked the leaves with the grain, so to speak, rather than against the grain which is what most of us do. I've also met a physiotherapist who picks them bare handed to stimulate the blood flow to her hands. Her hands are her most important tool so this keeps them conditioned.

So there you go, some stories about nettles you maybe didn't know. BUT back to the nettle pie. The ingredients are simple and making it is relatively simple.

YOU NEED to pick about half a paper grocery bag full of nettle tops and the first few leaves. I usually wear some latex gloves.You want to pick the nettles when they are not much more than 6 to 8 inches out of the ground. Don't wash them , you are going to steam them anyways. I find that most nettles are really very clean when you pick them young.

You are first going to make a rue with chopped garlic, onion, butter, flour, milk and a fresh bay leaf (if possible). Next you will generously butter a casserole dish ( 9 x 14 ) and spread the steamed nettles into it. Pour the rue over the nettles and then cover with a good amount of grated cheese. I used mozzarella. (today :-D) Use whatever mild cheese you desire.

Next you are going to prepare a batter of 4 eggs, 1 1/3 cups flour, salt and enough water to make a fluid batter. Mix this together and blend well,  pour over the grated cheese nettle mixture and put into a hot, 375F oven. Bake for about 30 minutes.  


Enough for 6 - 8 people.  ENJOY !!!! 

PS. the top photo should be the last one. I am still trying to figure out how to arrange things on the blog site , bear with me ;-) 

After a week or so of rather good, albeit cold temperatures it is raining today as is so typical of our west coast winters. Don't mind the frostier days at least the sun is out or trying to. Gives lots of incentive to get outside and do outdoor chores.

Its the time of year to prune, prune, prune ! I have done the grapes, the roses, working on the perennial herb beds now and then will tackle some of the fruit trees. Still time to plant new trees if thats in your plans for this year.

The rhubarb is definetly starting to make it's appearance and is also a good time to divide them, side dress them with finished compost. Last year the rhubarb was resting so hopefull it will produce in full force. Need to weed the beds too now and cultivate the soil with a rake or fork.

The heated tables in the greenhouse are bursting with seedlings. Lots of transplanting to the second stage has already been done. New seeds being put into flats and onto the heated tables all the time. Good time to start oriental greens, cabbages, peas, some lettuces, spinach, beets. We start them all in flats at this time and transplant them once hardened off after about 6 weeks start to in the ground. Lots of them will go into the hoop houses and some can even go out into the field with remay cloth at the ready if temperatures go too low ( -0 or lower ).

Sorting, cleaning, grooming, tidying after all the storms of winter is an ongoing job. Interesting how glaringly obvious everything is when the green lushness of spring and summer isn't there to distract the eye. This is really the best time of year to get at all these kinds of jobs done or at least started. Gets me motivated, eager for the season to get going and gets my body acclimatized and used to being outside and moving again. Love it !!