heirloom seeds: just like grandma used to sow...

(Delicata squash, an heirloom variety we have grown for the past two years)

In the non-horticultural world, there tends to be shared understanding of what the word heirloom means: valued possessions passed on from one generation to the next and usually kept within families.  When we are talking about vegetables, fruits, plants and flowers, the topic of heirlooms can be a little more confusing mostly because there is not a completely universal set of criteria for what constitutes heirloom varieties.

Here is what is agreed upon by seed savers, purveyors, and growers alike when talking about heirlooms:

Heirloom varieties are older varieties. In some cases, you will hear that varieties introduced pre-1940 are heirlooms.  In others, there is the idea that heirlooms need only be at least 50 years old.  You will also find sources that simply apply the more general definition of heirloom: seeds sowed, saved and passed from one gardener or family member to another, from one generation to the next.

Heirloom seeds, when saved and grown again, will produce seedlings with traits similar to the parent plant.  This is not always the case with seeds that come from hybrid varieties (bred by crossing different plants in the interest of producing a new plant variety with a combination of attractive traits from each parent).  To ensure consistency with hybrids, pollination (the first step of plant reproduction) must be controlled, and new seed should be purchased year after year.  Heirloom varieties are pollinated in the open by creatures like bees, birds and butterflies and forces like the wind and rain. Some varieties are even self-pollinating!

By growing, saving and sharing heirloom seeds, we preserve the past and protect biodiversity.  Mass seed production often emphasizes crop characteristics such as consistency in terms of form, durability in terms of transportation, and specific disease or pest resistance.  Heirlooms are typically valued for their flavors, textures, colors, and unique histories and saved over time for their abilities to thrive in particular regions or growing conditions.  This has made them less desirable to large-scale commercial producers and meant losses of varieties long prized for their terrific taste, beauty, and resilience.

This year, we'll be growing twenty-nine heirloom vegetable and fruit varieties.  This is a huge jump from our previous two seasons, when that number was closer to five!  It's an expansion we are very excited about and something we will continue to build upon in the years ahead.

Here's the list: 

• Cabbage: Golden Acre, Premium Late Flat Dutch
  
• Eggplants: Black Beauty, Rosa Bianca
• Greens: Speckled Bibb and Oakleaf lettuces, Fordhook Giant swiss chard, Lacinato kale
  
• Kohlrabi: Early Purple, Gigant Winter
• Root vegetables: Purple Top Globe and Amber globe turnips, Chantenay Red Core carrots, Larges Smooth Prague celeriac, Hollow Crown parsnip
  
• Squash: Costata Romanesca zucchini, Green-Striped Cushaw and Delicata winter squash
  
• Tomatoes: Rose, Cherokee Green, Valencia, Striped German, Amish Paste, Amy's Apricot, Sophie's Choice
• and Kansas musk melon, Mrs. Burns Lemon basil, Burmese okra, and Czechoslovakian Black peppers!

What about you?  Are you a seed saver?  Do you have any favorite heirloom varieties?

As the season gets underway, we look forward to reporting on the progress of our heirloom crops.  If you would like to experience them in a more direct way, reserve a CSA share today!  Just fill out this form and send in your share payment or deposit as soon as possible.

Until next time, all our best.

seeds, seeds, and more seeds...

It's a rainy Tuesday afternoon in the middle of January.  In a few short weeks, we will return to the greenhouse and start the first plants of the year.  In the meantime, the focus here is on our annual seed order.

Throughout the growing season, members often inquire about the seeds we use.  With seeds very much on our minds right now, we thought this would be a great time to answer some of the questions we get most frequently.

Where do the seeds you use come from?  In both 2010 and 2011, the bulk of our seed supply came from Johnny's Selected Seeds, out of Maine.  This year, we will be splitting our order among a handful of providers including Johnny's, High Mowing Organic Seeds, and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. 

In some cases, we are fortunate not to have to order seeds.  We've grown delicious tomatoes from saved seeds, and last year's Okra experiment would not have happened were it not for seeds saved and shared by a good friend.  Garlic seed comes entirely from our own stock, and in time, we hope to expand our own seed saving efforts.

How do you select the seeds that you plant?  Choosing which crops and varieties to plant each year is one of the joys of the winter season.  In our first year, the crop plans we created were largely shaped by the experiences and successes Nate had as an apprentice farmer in the Hudson Valley.  Last year, we modified those plans according to our shared experiences, other growers' insights, and members' suggestions.  We also took a few chances on varieties that we found striking simply based on their catalog images and descriptions, like last year's fantastic Sorbet Swirl watermelons.  This year, our overall list of crops will not change too much, but we will continue to experiment:  We'll be trying our hand at dry beans and adding some new greens to the plans.  We'll also be planting purple scallions, red bok choi, russet potatoes, kabocha squash, and several new varieties of tomatoes!

How many seeds do you order?  The number of seeds we order varies greatly depending on what we are planting.  In the case of a crop like kohlrabi, we'll only need about 1,250 seeds to get through the season.  On the other end of the spectrum, onions will require an order of about 16,000!  Almost across the board, we plan to plant more seeds this year than we did in 2011 in the interest of providing CSA members with more abundant shares.  At the same time, we are using feedback from members who were with us last year to determine which crops to plant less of.  One example: turnips. 

The process of putting together a seed order is an exciting one in our house.  We begin to see the season ahead of us and envision the harvests...  We smile imagining the first tastes of spring and summer...

Next month, the 16,000 onion seeds mentioned earlier will be planted in the greenhouse.  To give the onions the best possible start before transplanting later this spring, we're beginning things about three weeks earlier than usual.  Soon, we will be back in the swing of greenhouse routines, and Open Acres CSA's 2012 season will truly be off and running!  We look forward to sharing it with all of you.

Interested in joining us for 2012?  Please use this form to secure your membership as soon as possible. 

Until next time, all our best.

PS: In case you are wondering what type of seeds are in the photo, they're arugula!

it's that time...

Happy New Year!  2012 has arrived and along with it:  seed catalogs!  It's hard to believe, but a month from now we will be back in the greenhouse once again.  Looking forward...

thank you, thank you, thank you...

When we decided to pursue a life as farmers, we had only one model in mind:  Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).  As we end a second season in this still-new-for-us field, we know that we would not want to farm any other way.

As CSA farmers, thoughts of the members who have invested in the farm and what they will take home from a given pick-up are constants.  Growing with a specific community in mind motivates us.  Having the chance to get to know and build relationships with that community through the food we grow nourishes us.  We are grateful to have made it through the season always with food to give and even more so for our extremely giving members, who shared in our efforts all year long.  Members, thank you for your interest, your enthusiasm, your understanding, and your support.  Thank you for enabling us to do work we believe in, for inspiring us to push through challenges, and for celebrating the big and small successes of the season along with us too.

Thank you also to Craig Schneiderwind and the Schneiderwind Farm family for giving us and Open Acres a place to plant roots and call home over the last two years.  More times than can be counted, we stand in the fields stunned by the beauty of the surrounding landscape and wonder what magic allowed for us to end up just where we are.  We feel extremely fortunate to work the land at Schneiderwind Farm, to have an incredible partner in Craig, to work day in and out with Laura and Fred, and to know everyone else who is involved in making Schneiderwind Farm the truly special place that it is.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will work to prepare the fields for winter and begin transitioning from the intensity of the growing season to the downtime that comes with colder temperatures.  While we are certainly looking forward to some rest, we are also excited to carefully reflect upon this year and begin planning Open Acres' 2012 season.  Throughout the winter, we will continue to share updates here and on our facebook page and hope that you will be in touch through comments and emails as well.

In the meantime, we thank everyone who has encouraged, followed and been part of our journey so far.  Sending our warmest wishes your way for a very Happy Thanksgiving.  Enjoy and eat well!!

news, notes and no-fuss recipes... season 2, newsletter 11

This is it -- our final newsletter of the season!  Click here to read.