Baby (plants), it's cold outside

Recently we all held our breath on Feb. 2, Ground Hog Day 

waiting to hear our fate. It was good news from 2,608 miles away 

when Punxsutawney Phil, the "weather psychic" did not see his shadow 

which means an early spring! 

Did you know that this was the 127th Groundhog Club event?

AP Photo by Keith Srakocic of Groundhog Club Co-handler
and Punxsutawney Phil on Feb. 2, 2013 

But even as we look ahead to spring 

and enjoy the recent sunny days, it is still very cold at the farm. 

So we continue in our winter farm mode—working and overseeing 

things at both farm locations, knowing that some plants will grow better than others.

 

The garlic at Imagery farm seems to be doing well 

while the onions are struggling a bit more.

garlic beds

onion beds

Bok choy, broccoli and collards are holding their own. 

"The hardiness of plants describes their ability 

to survive adverse growing conditions. 

A plant's ability to tolerate cold, heat, drought, flooding or wind 

are typically considered measurements of hardiness.

Winter-hardy plants grow during the winter, or at least remain healthy and dormant. 

Apart from the obvious evergreens, these include many cultivated plants, 

including some cabbage and broccoli, and all kinds of carrot."

bok choy

calabresse broccoli is the most common variety
tips on how to grow it

collards

carrot photo by Jerry James Stone

All of the plants require careful attention,

so we are out at the farm often and

much of the tending needs to be done by hand.

"Some plants produce special hormones that 

keeps them from freezing and these plants have a lower hardiness rating 

(meaning they can survive colder weather) 

than plants who produce less of this hormone." 

One plant hormone in particular that helps 

keep them from freezing is "Abscistic Acid."

garlic must have the abscistic acid hormone

Wondering about your plants' "hardiness?" 

Here's the Hardiness Rating from USDA planting zone map.  

And here are tips on protecting plants from the cold 

including building a greenhouse and the importance of mulch.

greenhouse and mulched beds
behind  "the fig"

 The cold weather does not deter us from doing our work. 

Encouraging our labors are other natural harbingers of spring at the farm

 closer to us than the 2608 miles that separate us from groundhog Phil.

we think a first year American Robin

still no sightings of our resident Owl
but it's too early in the day!

While the Insectary may not now be as lush as it soon will be, 

the hardier plants that contribute to a healthy farm 

still surround and assist us.

Insectary in the summer

Insectary in December

bit of color at Insectary in January

What's hardy in your garden these days?

How do you protect your plants during the winter?

And do you have any signs of spring yet to cheer you on as you work?

Everyday is a new beginning at the farm

The start of a new year. 

Whether you are someone who makes big resolutions 

or reviews the past year with deep reflection, it is hard 

to escape the feeling of new beginnings that permeates everything around us. 

And certainly following the revelry of the holidays, the pendulum 

seems to naturally swing back to a time of rest and re-setting. 

After the festive feasting, you crave simpler fare. 

And knowing we are on the "other side" of the shorter days, 

we linger just a bit longer outside each afternoon as dusk comes later. 

With this and any bit of sunrise peeking out a moment sooner, 

it's a bit easier to think about those resolutions to exercise and be outside more. 

So, here's to launching new projects, starting a diet or 

just "eating better" and getting more exercise.

 If a new page on the calendar helps propel us forward, 

then that may be reason enough to assign some significance to a new year. 

We are always ready for you, with fresh vegetables 

either grown at our biodynamic farm or procured from a local purveyor. 

Whether it is radishes from seed to table as a regular item 

on the menu at the girl & the fig, or a seasonal entree such as our 

pan-seared sea bass with brown butter spaetzle, winter squash, organic apples, sage, 

our simple mantra of an "ingredient driven" focus 

starts at the farm on our way to your table.

For us at the farm of course, January does not represent a new moment, 

but is rather a part of an ongoing cycle. 

And as we have noted before, while the winter seems like a slower time at the farm, 

there is always something going on, there is always work to do. 

Mixed in with other vegetables in our the winter garden, we are growing garlic. 

Although we do think of garlic as something to grow in early spring, 

there is a long history and tradition of planting garlic on the shortest day of the year 

for harvesting on the longest day of the year. 

So including garlic in our December work at the farm made sense. 

There are two types of garlic: hardneck and softneck. 

Each has its own strengths and each is more suited to certain situations than others. "Hardneck garlic varieties are generally hardier than softneck varieties. 

 They are the best option for northern gardeners. They are also the best option 

if you want to enjoy garlic scapes in early summer, since hardnecks 

are the only type that send up a strong central stalk in spring (this is the scape.) 

Softneck garlic varieties are the best ones to grow if you live in a milder climate. 

They don't form scapes, and generally form several small cloves per head. 

They mature quicker than hardneck variety."

For a great step by step on planting garlic, 

watch this video by Roger Doiron of Kitchen Gardeners International. 

It may be a bit too late for you to do this now, but there are some good tips here. 

And remember, hard as it may be to do, don't use all the garlic 

you harvest—that way you will have some to plant! 

The spot at the farm we chose to plant garlic this winter 

is the same area we had success this spring, so we are hoping for the same luck. 

We won't know for awhile, so we continue our slow incremental labors 

checking the farm daily and paying attention to what it tells us. 

garlic beds just planted in December 

abundant garlic at the farm in March

It may not be as big a fanfare as the "marking a new year," 

but then again one day there may be nothing to see in the bed where seeds are planted, 

and the next day we will be rewarded with a true "start" of something that is sprouting. 

Which is why the farm is really about new beginnings every day. 

tags from the starts we planted 

and soon the plants are thriving

How do you celebrate the new year? 

Is a fresh start that includes growing your own food part of your plan?

"Cold proofing your salad"

Knowing that the rains were coming, we doubled down 

on what needed to be done at the farm. There was emphasis on 

completing the work on the beds so the soil would be nourished 

and well treated prior to the soaking that is sure to come. 

And on this day of toil, as the days were getting shorter, 

heralding winter, we did our first round of planting 

the vegetables that will be our winter garden.

As we labored, we noticed the last hurrah from summer, 

red peppers still ready for picking, reminded us of summer 

while they resemble Christmas ornaments on a tree. 

By the time you are reading this, the peppers have been picked 

and have lent their tangy spice to one last dish this season. 

But this winter, we will still be able to enjoy our peppers 

from the farm–there are no doubt chili flakes in the pantry 

from peppers John dried on the roof at ESTATE this summer!

The other trophy from this summer's garden are the 

last tomatoes that didn't ripen in time for chef magic, but will 

become part of the rich compost we create as the farm 

changes from one season to the next. All part of the ongoing cycle 

of our biodynamic farm, ensuring the most sustainable use of everything at the farm. 

And, so we are now truly in winter garden mode. 

The sunchokes that rose up taller than most of us, are all gone, 

with only a few stubborn tubers still clinging to the ground. 

We've dug those up and cleared away the plants. 

Sunchokes can be obstinate insisting on staying or recurring, 

which is why we planted them at the end of the rows near a path. 

can you believe these "homely" looking tubers would adorn
a dish served at the James Beard house?

But those same deep roots that may be willful about recurring 
bring nutrients far down into the soil benefiting other plants.  

John is still deciding what to plant here. 

While he ponders what to do here in the upper beds,

the plan for the lower beds has been set. We will have 

radishes, chioggia beets, collards, bok choy, Chinese snow peas and broccoli. 

A hearty and diverse winter garden sure to inspire the chefs 

at the girl & the fig and the fig café and winebar. 

lower beds planted with vegetables

all those veggies as starts in the greenhouse prior to planting

Spicing up the vegetables in our winter garden, 

as well as for the chefs in the kitchens, 

we are growing walla walla and Italian torpedo onions, 

which also were nurtured as starts in the greenhouse 

at "the fig" before planting in the ground. 

row of Italian torpedo onions just getting started

You can be inspired by these reliable vegetables 

whether you are growing them in your winter garden or finding them at a farmer's market. Always good to steam or roast, some of these vegetables can become a winter salad, 

so creative and tasty, it just might rival what you do in the lush days of summer. 

Popular food writer, Mark Bittman recently wrote about "cold proofing your salad:" 

"With all due respect to tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and all the other vegetables 

we’ve enjoyed for the last few months, the champions of the moment 

are beets, turnips and radishes. Incredibly — though not surprisingly, 

since there are no surprises here — the beets, turnips and radishes 

give you greens to use in salads or for cooking,

 as well as roots you can eat raw or cooked."  

Mark also has some interesting tidbits to share—did you know that 

"beets are chard grown primarily for their roots; 

chard is beets grown for its greens"—and some great recipes. 

the beet salad at the girl & the fig

will be the product of these beets just beginning at the farm

we are always growing chard and radishes at the farm

It's important to us to keep our farm growing even in the winter.

What are you planting for this season? 

Any recipes to share for winter vegetables?