2013 Wrap-Up

2013 was the Year of Mushrooms for us. Our shiitake logs literally went  crazy in the sping and early summer and we were able to sell the majority fresh at farmers markets and restaraunts. 

We also did a lot of foraging for wildcrafted mushrooms in our woodlot forest. We were able to find many edible varieties including black trumpet, hedgehog mushroom, oyster, hen of the woods, yellow chanterelle, and chicken of the woods. Having them available at the farmers markets turned many heads. It blows me away how many people are interested in mushrooms and trying new types. I look forward to expanding our mushroom enterprise in the upcoming years. 

Tomatoes were great this year dispite the crumby wet spring  we had. It did a number on our summer squash and eggplant. But tomatoes were plentiful.  This picture is of the varieties Soldaki, Rose de Berne and Moskovich

Potatoes also loved the wetter conditions this late spring/summer . Here are most of the varieties for this year. Adirondack Blue, French Fingerling, German Butterball, and White Salem.

Turmeric was planted as well, pushing the envelope on what can be grown in the greenhouse at latitutde 44º. We can't wait to start next years crop!

In early November, thanks to our good friend Miles, we began a series of land conversion projects before the snow would hit. We were looking to expand gardens and fields around the house. Using his bulldozer/winch we were able to stump much of the lot for the immediate switch to field crops and the possible construction of an additional hoophouse next growing season. 

Here is Miles with a big rock he dug. We grow Certified Organic Boulders around these parts.  

Freshly Dug Everday.

We want to thank all our loyal customers and friends that support our business every week. Thank you so much and we can't do it without you. We look forward to 2014 and all that it will bring. Happy Holidays from Greenhill Collective Farm!

NHPR Mention

I just heard that we got mentioned on NHPR today! There was a short segment during All Things Considered that featured Chef Ed Aloise from Republic Cafe in Manchester talking about product he buys in NH. We are famous for our spinach and arugula! Have a listen!

http://nhpr.org/post/what-nh-food

A Beginning

Hello All,

I have the honor of being the first to post to our new blog! Before I get down and dirty I just wanted to say a quick something Over the last few weeks I have met a lot of new farmers and heard about just as many new farms in NH. I am sure I don't speak for myself when I say that I finally feel like I am part of something. That something is a beginning. It's a beginning of a community. A community with a clear voice for what they love. And its spreading, slowly but surely. 

While on the topic of beginnings, I have to mention the start of the 2013 growing season! And what a beginning it has been. The two days of endless sunshine (saturday/sunday) recharged my system with outside highs in the upper 40's & even lower 50's! YEEHAW! Sugar Maples were flowing like non-other with the sweetest sap, and the snow was perfect for an afternoon snowball fight.

I happened to be off-farm for the start of sunny Saturday morning, and in the midst of my drive realized that no one was home to open the greehouses...I hastily finished my errands so I could get back and relieve the little plants of their humid sauna-like conditions. I finally made it back to the farm and ran down to the High Tunnel. As I opened the main door, I was swamped by HOT Humid air reminiscent of late August, rushing out. I threw open the rear doors and both vents and let the cool new air rush in...good thing I didn't wait any longer. I read the thermometer and it said 102F. Yikes Thats enough to turn the delicate green inside to liquid while making the spinach bolt. I immediately began hauling water to quench the parched soils. It was nice however to feel that heat again. It means the sun is back on our side again. But it also means we need to water. 

Our watering system is rather improvised at this time of year, as our main gravity fed system is frozen up under the snow pack. For the next few weeks I will continue watering via hauling 5 gallon buckets out of a hole in our frozen pond (to the right of the picture) up to a tub (green) then filling up watering cans. It is a slow process and I am in the midst of researching alternatives, but until I find one or mother nature melts the gravity feed, I will continue hauling by hand. 

Here is a strawbale cold-frame inside our greenhouse using a recycled sliding glass door. This is for the less-hardy varieties. Will be starting tom's, melon, cukes in this in a few weeks. 

Out of all of our overwintered crops, High Mowing Spinach did the best. It showed very little damage from the cold. Extremely hardy. I will definitely be planting the majority of our greenhouse space with spinach next fall.  The cold weather also generates the sweetest tasting spinach I have ever had. The sugary sweet flavors are the plants cold-defenses systems, like an edible antifreeze if you will....

Here is some Sylvetta Wild Arugula, a slow growing, yet cold tolerant variety. Its wild characteristics add a very pungently delicious flavor, perfect for spicy salad mix. My favorite flavor in the greenhouse. 

Here is a section of our hardy salad mix bed. The densely planted salad mix showed much less damage then the head lettuce beds. The closer plantings must thwart off the damaging frosts better.

Not the best picture...but with all these warm temperatures, especially in the greenhouse, there's been some germination of lettuce, kale, onion and spinach seedlings. I have planted a slew of early season crops in 98-cell trays and have been noticing slow but sure germination in most of them. Still dropping below freezing at night, I have been continuing to cover the trays with floating row cover for additional protection.

This wraps up my post for this week. Just think, some of these precious organically grown NH greens could be yours.  We still have plenty of shares available for our 2013 Fair Share Permaculture CSA which includes much more than just greens & vegetables. Be on the lookout in the next few days for more blog posts from our other Fair Share farmers and makers.  If you are on the fence about joining our CSA, please drop us a line. We are more than willing to work with everyone.  

check it out!
www.fairsharepermaculture.blogspot.com

-to a new beginning!

 Ben @ Greenhill Collective Farm