TOMATOES IN THE SNOW

GROWER’S LOG, 11.12.13 The addition of a high tunnel to an organic farming operation has innumerable financial benefits ranging from season extension of marketable crops to ease of production and labor costs. Here at The Dahlia Farm however, what we find most exciting is the complete juxtaposition of the normal farming curve. This year’s addition of our passive solar temporary building has enabled us to have summer bouquets of May peonies (hydra-cooled) and August dahlias side by side – a first in 50 years for us! It has also given us spring gladiolas, near-winter lettuce and Halloween dahlias. The coup-de-grâce however is this morning’s harvest: tomatoes in the snow! It is indeed financially beneficial to add at least one of these greenhouse structures to nearly any farming operation, but it is a spiritual trompe to any seasoned grower to finally have a laugh at nature… even if for just an hour.

CSA Week #7

CSA Week #7 Share includes: Fennel, Curly Kale, Zephry Summer Squash, White-Gold Mini Cucumber, Belgian Endive, D’Avignon Radish, Herb: Basil, & Cut-flower Bouquet (glad, echinops, sunflower)

Nomato

Here's a chuckle from our friend and neighbor Michael over at Red Tomato

Quick Peek, May 21

Just a quick peek at what's coming up tonight, May 21. From upper left, clockwise is red leaf lettuce, green lettuce, mustard, snap pea tendrils, baby spinach and baby kale. It won't be long now!

MASSACHUSETTS MUSHROOMS

To be candid, I was initially leary about growing and eating mushrooms. Let's face it, in today's fear-based society we have so many precautions and supersticions we're scarcely able to make a decision at times. And complicating our daily habits with "risky" ventures like eating mushrooms from the backyard is just not a high on most folks to-do lists. I mean what could be more scarey and dangerous than being completely responsible for one's own food...? And therein the teetering scales in my mind weighed in. Time to try something new - and growing shittake from mycelium spours was just the ticket. I have to thank my friend Tim over at the USDA in Wareham for turning me on to this "underground" delicacy. The entire process is actually quite precise and I can whole-heartedly recommend it to any avid gardener who feels they've exhausted the lot of the seasonal challenges, or who yawns at the thought of growing some new variety of zucchini. Shittake culture, and any myceliuum for that, requires a bit more attention, skill, patience and determination than most Massachusetts crops. You will need fresh oak logs - white or red - that are 4" to 10" in diameter, and have been cut live 6 weeks to 4 months prior. You will need to drill 3/8" holes 1" to 1-1/2" deep in a crisscross patern, plug them with mycelium-impregnated plugs and cover each plug with melted parafin, as well as the log ends. This will keep parasites out of the logs. The logs will then need to be stacked garrison-like in a shady, dark, relatively windless, damp area of your yard (think wooded wetland - not TOO wet). If you can place them on clean oak pallets on top of an old tarp or sheet of plastic - even better. Shittakes in particular can be purchased from many online sources. The one I used is www.fungiperfecti.com up in Nirvanarama Puget Sound. They've been at it for a while, offer a free catalog if you're interested and have a great info resource on their website, as well as kid-friendly projects. The Puget Sound Mycological Society up in Seattle is also a good source of info: http://www.psms.org/index.php There is also a central-Mass area website at http://mushroomhunter.net/ if you're more daring and care to venture out into the woods to hunt the wild varieties. Caveat: I'm not there yet and don't endorse it. To get back to the locally-sourced (150 feet from where I type this) shittakes, they are deliciously earthy and richly flavored. They are magnificent reduced in butter at a low temperature with a pinch of kosher salt. Any French chef would be proud to serve them as an appetizer. Enough of them would make a meal, if paired with a petite syrah or bolder red. If you have the space, time, and appreciate a gardening challenge, I would highly recommend attempting to grow mushrooms. April, with its rains, is a perfect time to begin. The autumn is good also. If you are a greenhouse, farm or other agricultural professional, Tim will be speaking in Dartmouth on May 11 through the USDA. Drop me a line and I will forward the details.

CSA Week #7

CSA Week #7 Full-share includes:

Green Beans

Summer Squash (Zephyr)

Chinese Cucumber (“Suyo Long”)

Cucumbers

Kohlrabi (See our video on YouTube: “Funky Kohlrabi” for ideas)

Bok Choi (Joi Choi)

White Radish (Ping-pong) Salad topping, or slice & bake with olive oil, salt, cayenne pepper & garlic powder.

HERB: Parsley plant

ENTERPRISE STORY: As snow falls, summer veggies sprout in Middleboro

By Alice Elwell,
ENTERPRISE CORRESPONDENT

MIDDLEBORO — While others were shoveling snow this week, two local farmers were starting their seedlings of onions, spinach, leeks and broccoli to get a jump on spring and be ready to offer up home-grown vegetables when the weather breaks.

Dave Purpura of Plato’s Harvest Organic Farm has already potted his onions and spinach plants, while James Reynolds of The Dahlia Farm is germinating his broccoli this week...

Reynolds grew more than 4,000 tomatoes plants last year with one German heirloom that weighed in at 3 pounds. There’s also basil, parsley, dill and cilantro for those gourmet cooks who seek the freshest herbs...

Laurie and Dean Rantz tried a half-share in Reynolds farm last year and said they were very happy with the produce. “It was something to look forward to every week,” said Laurie Rantz.

Dean Rantz said Reynolds would fill baskets each week with vegetables, herbs and flowers, sometimes with things the couple had never tried. One week they were given kohlrabi, something Dean Rantz described as looking like an alien, but turned out to be tasty. “Hey, I’ll try anything,” he said.

Rantz said another bonus is supporting local business. He said with all the talk of living green, he decided to do what he can for the environment and invested in a local farmer.

Read the complete story HERE.





Bumpkin says:
I had a half share last season from The Dahlia Farm and was very happy with it. Fresh, no chemicals, and a variety of stuff that you just won't see in the supermarkets. The eggs are 2nd to none with amazing orange yokes and texture. I wrote about the experience several times on my blog - nemasket.net
http://nemasket.net/new-csa/
http://nemasket.net/podcast-csa-middleboro/
http://nemasket.net/csa-update/

WEEK 10

Welcome to WEEK 10 here at The Dahlia Farm. This week features "Washington Cherry" Tomatoes, Golden Beets, New Potatoes, fresh cut Genovese Basil, Blueberries, Cucumbers, "Summer Spinach" (Chard), "Zephyr" Summer Squash and Curly Kale.

Be sure to tell your friends to get their own share - but they don't have to wait until next year. CSA shares (and half-shares) are available now through the remaining second half of the season. Full shares are $25 per week and the generous half-share is only $15 a week.

A half-season share is a great way to test-drive the CSA model, especially if you're not sure the weekly market basket idea is for you. We are so sure you'll be satisifed, we are currently developing an off-season plan to deliver a 12-month-long New England CSA in collaboration with several other farms, bakers & pastry chefs, fishermen & meat producers.

As always, please help us out with your feedback. Email, call us or post here. Your suggestions help us serve you better.

Heres the rundown in video format for Week #10:

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Locally grown food finds niche in Brockton area - Brockton, MA - The Enterprise

Locally grown food finds niche in Brockton area - Brockton, MA - The Enterprise:

By Kyle Alspach
ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
Posted Mar 27, 2009 @ 11:28 PM

MIDDLEBORO —
A new organic farm in Middleboro and a farmers market in Bridgewater are set to debut this year, two signs that locally grown food is a growing commodity in the region.
The Dahlia Farm on Plymouth Street in Middleboro will offer organic vegetables and herbs, eggs from free-range chickens and cut flowers, said farmer Jim Reynolds.
People will be able to buy “shares” of the vegetable crop this summer, entitling them to an assortment of veggies each week starting in June.
Meanwhile in Bridgewater, organizers say a new farmers market will kick off in July at a Bridgewater State College parking lot on Spring Street.
Local farm advocates say it’s all a response to rapidly rising demand for locally produced food, for reasons ranging from health to climate change to food security.
“We’re realizing we can’t rely on the big farms in California or New Jersey anymore, that we’re going to have to think a lot more locally,” said Sarah Cogswell, a coordinator for the Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership in Wareham.
Cogswell was among the nearly 500 people who crowded into a Bridgewater State College hall on Wednesday to hear a talk from Michael Pollan, local food advocate and author of best-sellers “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and “In Defense of Food.”
Pollan’s emphasis on eating “real food” — with little or no processing — is something that resonates with farmers such as Jim Reynolds.
“People are becoming more and more aware of what exactly is in the food they’ve been eating — that just because something has an FDA approval, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for you,” he said.
The Dahlia Farm is located on the property of Reynolds Flowers, a business run by Reynolds’ family since the 1950s.
Reynolds, 46, and his wife, Michele, will be farming the land together this year. One acre is being devoted this year to vegetables, he said.
Another two acres are allotted for the farm’s 50 chickens, which are currently producing organic eggs for the Rockin K Cafe in Bridgewater.
Reynolds joins several dozen other farmers in southeastern Massachusetts growing food mainly for local consumption.
“There’s very much a movement of people becoming educated in what we’re eating,” he said.
Elsewhere in Middleboro, the Golden Rule Farm at Soule Homestead Education Center is planning to double its production of organic veggies this year, said farmer Frank Albani.
Growing demand for local food, Albani said, is behind the boost. Albani plans to sell some of the produce at the new Bridgewater farmers market this summer.
The town hasn’t had a farmers market any time in recent memory, said Arthur Lizie, an associate professor in communications studies at Bridgewater State who had the idea for the market.
“I really saw a lack of access to good local food around here,” he said.
Lizie is hoping five to 10 vendors will take part in the market, selling local foods including vegetables, cheeses and maple syrup.
The market will be held one afternoon a week in a college parking lot for commuter students. The day of the week hasn’t been finalized, but the market is expected to run from July through October, Lizie said.
“I just think it’s going to be a great opportunity to really engage the community,” he said. “We hope to let people know about good eating options that help themselves, help the community and the local economy.”
For more on the Bridgewater farmers market, e-mail organizer Amy Braga at amybraga@hotmail.com.

Kyle Alspach can be reached at kalspach@enterprisenews.com.

STORE WARS

Not long ago in a supermarket not so far away... Help CUKE SKYWALKER and PRINCESS LETTUCE fight the dark side in this funny but poinant video from Free Range Films. May the farm be with you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVrIyEu6h_E

Fresh herbs are more popular than ever!

From the December 2008 Yearbook of Fresh Digest magazine:

"Now, instead of high sodium supplements like salt and garlic powder, more and more consumers are reaching for healthier, fresh herbs and spices at their local grocery store. So much, in fact, that fresh herbs and spices are one of the fastest growing categories amongst vegetables in the produce department.'

Fresh herbs and spices have experienced tremendous growth at the retail level', said Craig Agnew, Gourmet Garden, president for North America. 'The consumer has become increasingly aware of the importance of healthy eating and, at the same time, has developed a more sophisticated pallet that wants a fresher, better flavor'"

CHICKENS FIRST SNOW

These guys just turned 6-months old around Christmas. They are comprised of Plymouth Rock Whites, Plymouth Rock Barreds (speckled black) and New Hampshire Reds (similar to RI Reds). In thieir entire existence they have never seen snow before this moment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1DV4jy12AQ