An Important Part of My Beekeeping Toolkit

I went to the doctor the other day and got an important part of my beekeeping toolkit.  

An EpiPen for severe allergic reactions.  

I've been stung a lot of times, but the last time I was stung I broke out in hives all over and since then I've been fearful while working the bees.  I hope I'll never have such a bad reaction that I need to use this, but it sure does give me peace of mind to know I have it.  

Happy Valentines Day!

From The Elk Valley Times

Note:   18 eggs yesterday!  The hens are finally laying.  My local readers can give me a call if they would like to purchase really good eggs.

NOW It Looks Like Maple Season

We've had such an unseasonably warm winter that there wasn't a bit of snow on the ground and it felt strange to be preparing for maple tapping.  This past weekend we had a bit of snow and very cold weather blow through and NOW it looks like maple season.  I'm happy that there's only a tiny amount of white stuff on the ground because in past years we've had to work through knee high snow.  Now, that's hard work!

The sap evaporator is almost ready, the reverse osmosis machine is almost ready, lots and lots of wood has been cut (although I think you can never cut enough), sap lines are being installed and cleaned up, and tapping (with the help of some friends) begins this weekend!   

Right now, I'm putting my camera batteries into the charger and will take lots and lots of photos!

Don't forget to hop over to Homestead Revival!

I'm Not Growing Potatoes

When speaking to my father the other day I asked him if he saw the list of vegetables I'll be growing.  He said it might be a shorter list to write what I'm not growing.  One thing I'm not growing is potatoes.  

My property sits upon what, until about ten or so years ago, was for many, many years a potato farm.  

Now, when I try to grow my organic potatoes, they seem to get every disease a potato can get.  Most commonly, they get potato scab which (I read) doesn't affect yield, but it does affect marketability. 

Potato Scab

Ugly, isn't it?  I believe that so many years of potato production created a soil with organisms inhospitable to organic potatoes. 

 Luckily, there are some local fellow farmers who organically grow the most beautiful heirloom and common potatoes.  They'll sell their potatoes at the Coudersport Farmer' Market.  I'll be buying from them! 

Farmer's Market Nutrition Program and Senior Farmer's Market Nutrition Program (FMNP and SFMNP) Changes

A heavy envelope arrived from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture yesterday and I thought, "uh oh, what do they want now?"

When I opened the envelope and began to read, "Please accept this as formal notice that PDA hereby terminates your current FMNP Farmer Agreement, effective March 15, 2012.

What!!!!!

Reading on, I found that I would be required to fill out new forms and here's why.  

From the Bureau of Food Distribution:

On page 3 under Paragraph No. 5, the definition of "eligible produce" has been revised (at the request of the USDA).  Note that the definition allows vegetables that are "grown in neighboring states" to be considered "eligible produce" until January 1, 2013; and that beyond that date produce must be "grown in Pennsylvania: to be considered "eligible produce."

Produce "grown in Pennsylvania."  This is a good thing.  I have heard of farmers who go to the produce wholesaler in the next state (or south of us) and sell the shipped in produce at Farmer's Markets to their customers on FMNP and SFMP programs as their own.  I'm all for buying local and this tightens that definition - though I fear farmers located right on the state border may be negatively impacted.

Don't be afraid to talk to your Farmer's Market farmer and find out exactly where and how their produce was grown - they should know.   

I filled out the new forms for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and mailed them - and I'll be able to accept FMNP and SFMP checks this summer (please note that Coudersport Farmer's Market hours have been changed to Friday 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. and some Saturdays.  I will be at the Bucktail Farmer's Market in Roulette Mondays from 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.)  

Why I was required to fill out a whole new form (big waste of paper) rather than just receive a notice of the change is beyond me - but so be it. 

  

Garden Planning

The blog has been put aside for the past few days while I happily plan this year's garden.  

I've been using Johnny's Seeds Interactive Tools to help me figure out how many seeds and transplants I'll need for each garden and seed starting dates for transplants.  

The three gardens I'm planning include:  the "Inside the High Tunnel" garden (roughly 26 by 96 feet), the "Outside the High Tunnel" garden (30 by 70 feet), and the "Triangle Garden" (which is 16 feet wide at the narrow end, 70 feet wide at the wide end, and 150 feet long).  My husband is putting strawberries and raspberries in the other high tunnel - with an experimental corner where I would like to try to overwinter rosemary, lavender, and a couple of dwarf fig trees.  

Whew!

Just writing it down makes me realize the size of the operation!  The majority of the work is done by hand!

When I plan my gardens, have to plan for my own use and for the Farmer's Markets.  This means I'm growing a few things I don't like, but I think they'll sell, such as cauliflower and cilantro.  There are a few things I considered growing - like fennel and rutabagas - but I just don't think they'll sell at the Farmer's Market.    

Here's what's going into this year's gardens (it's a looong list!):

Carrots: Danvers 126, Kaleidoscope Mix

Kale: Red Winter, Blue Curled Scotch

Parsnip: Harris

Beets: Early Wonder Tall Top, Bulls Blood

Onions: Bunching, Cipollini, Cortland, Flat of Italy

Tomato: Burpee Big Boy, Roma, Yellow Pear, Super Sweet 100, Green Zebra, Beefsteak, Black Prince

Peppers: California Wonder, Jalapeno, Pepperoncini, Happy Yummy Hot and Sweet

Cucumber: Picklebush, Orient Express, Sweet Burpless Hybrid, Marketmore

Eggplant: Traviata, Rosa Bianca, Japanese White Egg

Watermelon: Sugar Baby, Orangeglo

Cantaloupe: Honeyrock

Beans: Rocdor, Royal Burgandy, Tender Green, Dragon's Tongue, Italian Flat Pod Jumbo

Flowers: Marigold, Court Jester; Zinnia, Bright Jewels Cactus; Sunflower, Zohar, Mammoth

Summer Squash: Crookneck Early Summer, Zapallo del Tronco, Zucchini Black Beauty, Goldy, Lemon Squash, Zucchini Lungo Bianco, Zucchini Rampicante

Corn: Luscious, Red Beauty

Winter Squash: Acorn Ebony, Delicata, Kabocha Black Forest, Buttercup, Butternut Waltham

Pumpkin: Kakai, Charisma, New England Pie

Peas: Lincoln, Sugar Snap

Drying Beans: Vermont Cranberry

Radish: French Breakfast, Watermelon, Cherry Belle

Okra: Clemson Spineless

Broccoli: Di Ciccio

Cauliflower: Snowball

Cabbage: Farao, Red Express

Brussel Sprouts: Long Island

Celery: Tango

Celeriac: Brilliant

Leeks: American Flag

Turnips: Purple Top White Globe

Asian Greens: Pak Choi, Orient Express Cabbage  

Lettuce: Buttercrunch, Black-seeded Simpson, Lollo Rossa

Spinach: Baby's Leaf Hybrid, Bloomsdale Long-standing

Herbs: Italian Dark Green Parsley, Italian Large Leaf Sweet Basil, Long Standing Cilantro, Bouquet Dill

I would love to know if there is anything where other Market Farmers have had particular luck, or if you live in my area and don't see something you'd love to have.

One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides.  

~W.E. Johns, The Passing Show

In the next few weeks we'll be busily getting ready for the maple season.  This will be our first year boiling our own sap!

The Bees Are Poohing

We have had some nice warm weather the last couple of days and the bees from our beehives have been taking advantage of it.  They were flying around the hive and poohing all over the place.   It looks like little smears of mustard all over.  Did you know that bees do not pooh in their hive?  They "hold it" all winter long until the weather is warm enough to go out and relieve themselves.  

We're happy to see so many bees out flying around!  

This is not my picture, but this is what bee pooh looks like in the snow.