St. Johns Farmer Market Cooking Demonstration

I am happy to note that I, along with a friend, will be doing a cooking demonstration at the St. Johns Farmers Market tomorrow Saturday September 10 at noon. This is part of a series of cooking demos focused on healthy eating on a budget. This month we will make two dishes from melons.

Seed Production and Breeding

I have had a lot of fun this month learning more about seed production and breeding. I had the opportunity to take a class at Wild Garden Seed about growing seed for market. This class was a fantastic inspiration for me. Living in the Oregon all my life, I’ve seen grass seed and wheat farmers driving huge expensive machines through their fields. I had previously thought that seed production on an economic scale might mean investment in a combine or other pricey equipment. It was refreshing to see Frank Morton’s ingenious methods for seed cleaning using relatively simple and easily accessible materials. Some of the equipment he uses in seed cleaning are:
a pick-up truck and tarp for threshing,
screens (window and perforated steel of various diameters and slot shapes) for sorting grain sizes,
a box fan with a simple cardboard screen modification, and
some slightly modified tofu tubs.
It was amazing to see uncleaned seed skillfully transformed into a salable product. There was discussion of marketing ideas, germination testing, and other related topics.

I just got back from another exciting class on seed breeding for organic systems. The class was lead by John Navazio of the Organic Seed Alliance, Jim Myers of Oregon State University Department of Horticulture, and Frank Morton of Wild Garden Seed. Several trials and breeding programs were toured and described. These included programs developed through the Novic program, OSU breeding programs, and Wild Garden Seed on-farm breeding programs. It was inspiring to meet committed seed farmers, plant breeders, seed company owners, vegetable farmers, and homesteaders working to improve our biological heritage.

Satellite Image of Farm

Google has uploaded an image of Two Forks from the air. I’m not sure exactly what date it was taken, but I think t is pretty cool to see the work we did from above.

Farm Furlough

We have decided not to grow during the 2011 season. Yesterday, we completed the take-down of the farm infrastructure we had put up on our leased plot on Sauvie Island. We were lucky to see some of the other tenant farmers at the farm, and pleased that the weather was crisp and clear while we moved our gear. Growing for the 2010 season was a wonderful experience, one that we may decide to try again.

Thanks to all of our supporters! You made the farm possible.

Last Montavilla Market 10-31-10

Tomorrow is the last regular season (weekly) Montavilla Farmers Market. We’ll be there (76 X SE Stark) from 10AM-2PM
Here’s what we have harvested for tomorrow:

Chard
Leeks
Daikon Radish
Turnips
Turnip Greens
Carrots
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers (Jalapeno and Czech Black)
Sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes)
Collard Greens
Beets
Salad Mix
Lettuce
Broccoli
Cauliflower

Come see us at market!

Montavilla Market 10-24-10

I’m writing this note as we pack up for the Montavilla Farmers Market (76 X SE Stark). We’ll be there from 10AM to 2PM this morning.

Here’s some of what we harvested for the market:

Chard
Salad Mix
Czech Black Hot Peppers
Jalapenos
Sweet Peppers
Fennel
Turnips
Carrots
Kale
Napa Cabbage
Red Head Cabbage
Daikon Radish
French Breakfast and Plum Purple Radish
Leeks
Broccoli
Cauliflower

Hope to see you there!

Late Blight

I chanced upon this video about Late Blight. I found it interesting, and thought I would share. It is an interview from last year with an East Coast farmer. They had a horrible Late Blight problem last year. This year was our turn. I didn’t spray any fungicides on my tomatoes. I tried foliar feeding them with fish fertilizer, which has some anti-fungal properties. This didn’t prove successful. Here is a photo of my plants after blight took them.