Fields of Plenty

I have taken the last of the persimmons in to my mother to be turned into persimmon bread. We had a fresh batch of persimmon jam made. And you (and I) had the opportunity to eat wonderful, fresh persimmons. I keep thinking I will do something fancy, but then I pick one up and it’s in my mouth. Maybe next time. I first planted persimmons over 15 years ago, when I found a variety that was supposed to grow in our area. It took about 6 years before we got any persimmons. And now the trees produce reliably well. We have planted additional trees, because, hmmm, many of you decided you like persimmons as well. We are thrilled that we can grow persimmons without any sprays, even organic sprays, which fits with our mission of growing green and clean. My first introduction to a persimmon was a Hachiya-type persimmon. Beware! These are fabulous when fully ripe, but they cause an unpleasant puckery-y sensation around the lips if not ripe,   due to a high tannin content. The tannin dissipat...

We have learned some basic things over the years about our customers. You like to eat regularly. Every day even! And all year! You tell your friends where you get awesome produce. So, we are always looking to grow more efficiently and more productively and to extend our growing seasons. Two years ago this month, we started something new for our farm—hydroponic growing. We did not really know what we were doing but figured, hey, we’re smart! We’ll figure this out. And indeed, we did figure out the basics. Still learning. However, the excitement of trying something new remains with us. I love watching seeds pop up in the germination trays. I love seeing the baby plants transplanted into the nursery channels, And I love seeing the plants growing so well to maturity. And everyone is thrilled at harvest time—quick harvests, clean greens (no bugs, no splash back dirt, no pesticides). The hydro house made it possible for us to increase our productivity without needing more acreage. We sti...