We are in the height of summer harvest. We have beautiful squash, tomatoes, beets and beans. All cuts of grass fed beef and free range chicken!
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Archive for the 'Triad Farmers Market' Category
Pink and Purple Varieties of Tomatoe
Sometimes we get so busy around the farm I don’t have time to write a newsletter. That is what happened last week so I am just now writing to keep you up to date.
We have lots of vegetable plants at the market including cucumbers, squash, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, escarole, Swiss chard, cabbage, and broccoli. There are about 25 varieties of tomatoes and over 20 are heirlooms. Heirlooms are Cherokee purple, Brandywine, striped German, mortgage lifter ( radiator Charlie’s), pineapple, Rutgers, June pink, Eva purple ball, Italian tree, yellow pear, red pear, black cherry, red cherry, Tommy toe, large red cherry, jubilee yellow, German, marglobe, Arkansas traveler, and homestead.
I guess it is natural selling plants includes free gardening advice on how to grow them. So here is an important tip. Do not use chlorinated water to water your garden. If you are on city or county water it has chlorine in it. Most vegetable plants are sensitive to chlorine and it will stunt and eventually kill the plants. The best is to use rain or well water. If you must use city water draw it out in an open bucket at least 24 hours before applying to the garden so the chlorine can evaporate.
We still have kale from the garden and a few heads of romaine lettuce from the greenhouse.
Eggs are in good supply and so is Jersey beef. It will be a few more weeks before we have chicken.
After being out for a while we now have organic shiitake mushrooms from our partner farm in Low Gap, NC. These are the highest quality we have ever seen so we are glad to have them for you. Unlike the pale, puny shiitakes usually offered for sale in stores these are a beautiful brown and can grow to 6 or 8 inches wide. The robust regimen comes from traditional oak logs inoculated with certified organic spore at just the right time for the log to contain abundant nutrients. These valuable nutrients are transferred to the mushrooms as they grow so they are packed with nutrition and delicious flavor! We are talking the quality shiitakes sought after by top chefs and fine food connoisseurs. We are indeed fortunate to offer this gourmet item at such a reasonable price. We have them fresh, dehydrated, and in powder form to add flavor to your soups, stews, etc.
Here is a ‘heads up’ for you. On April 24 from 10:00 until 2:00 we will have a shiitake dish sampling at the market along with much more information for you. Our partners, Vilma and Patrick McDougal, will be on hand to help answer any questions you may have about shiitakes.
We are now open everyday at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market ( farmers area #2, booth 74) except Monday. Hours are Tuesday through Friday 10:00 until 4:00; Saturday 8:00 until 4:00; and Sunday 10:00 until 4:00.
We hope to greet you at the market.
Those tender sweet early spring greens are growing out quickly now with the warmer weather. They won’t last very long since they will soon go to seed. So we are planning to bring some to market Thursday and Friday 10:00 until 4:00, Saturday 8:00 until 4:00, and Sunday 10:00 until 4:00. We plan to have turnip and mustard greens, both green and red kale, collards, and upland cress.
Of course we will have our usual beef, chicken, and eggs. We will bring plants as well. It is time to set broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower which we will have. Also, we will offer four kinds of lettuce, Swiss chard, and escarole plants which may be set out as well.
Due to a 50% increase in market rent and additional fees we expect our marketing expense to be almost double from last year. We are trying to keep from raising prices but it may be unavoidable. As with any business, we have to evaluate our expenses to set prices that return a profit or we will soon be out of business. We are trying to increase variety, thus volume, which should help. But it may be necessary to make some price increases.
If you like spring greens now is the time to get them. We hope to see you at the market this week.
We plan to be at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 until 3:00. We have all cuts of beef, whole chickens, whole chicken legs, and fresh eggs. There will be some collards but other greens have not grown yet. >From the greenhouse we will have cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower plants.
With warmer and dryer weather forecast for next week we are going to get real busy very soon. It is time to plant some of the early season vegetables as soon as the ground is dry enough. We have already been busy in the greenhouse planting tomato seeds. So far we have seeded about fourteen varieties, mostly heirlooms.
Our first chicks of the season are arriving tomorrow so that will add another daily chore to our list. And there are still some winter chores to get finished. Looks like we are going to have to hire some help to get everything done.
One thing about it, there is no time to get bored. We enjoy what we are doing so it is rewarding. Example, it was sure nice to see plants growing in the greenhouse with snow just inches away this week. And it is always exciting to see the earth awake from the winter rest to sprout new life everywhere. And we like to grow good healthy food for you to enjoy!
One thing we have decided though, as soon as a few warmer days come I am going fishing!
Hope to see you at the market!
This winter will probably be remembered for a long time. Winter weather just keeps coming. And it is not just in our area. Some cities in the northeast already have record breaking snowfall.
The few warm days this week were too short lived. We did hear and see a mockingbird a couple of days and the spring toads began their chorus. But the return of winter weather and cold wind has temporarily halted spring’s progression.
We have been working in the greenhouse filling trays with soil and planting seeds. We plan to have a large selection of vegetable plants and a few herbs. Many of the varieties are heirlooms. All will be grown without synthetic pesticides or artificial fertilizers. In fact, we plan to have a few cabbage plants for sale this week.
The weekend weather is forecast to be dry but a little on the cool side. So we plan to be at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 until 3:00. We have all cuts of Pasture Finished Jersey Beef. In Pastured Chicken we have whole chickens and leg quarters.
Our hens are real troopers in spite of the adverse weather and are providing us with lots of fresh free range eggs and we will have them for sale. An article we read this week talked about in some areas people are willing to drive for miles to obtain fresh pasture based eggs. Prices ranged from 5 to 8 dollars per dozen. At around $4 per dozen our eggs are a real deal.
Collards have grown a bit so we will have a few for sale. Although the color is still bluish from the cold they are so sweet they taste like you added sugar. The other greens have not yet grown enough to harvest.
We hope you will put on your coat and hat and come visit us at the market!
Peterson Farm is featured in the March issue of Common Ground. Click here to view the article by Gwen Roland about the history of our farm and the benefits of grass fed beef. Or visit http://www.sare.org and search for article OS06-032 to read the research on the grass fed beef project.
The days are getting noticeably longer so it won’t be long until spring arrives again. After the persistent cold and snowy winter I think I will have an acute case of spring fever when warm weather arrives. It won’t last long though because it will be time to plant all the seeds we have been ordering for the past two months.
Something that has been missing for the past few years has returned this year. That is the meadow lark. I saw three today in the south pasture. The past couple of evenings I have heard them making their mating call. They fly high above the field and hover stationary while repeatedly making short shrill sounds often around sunset. Mid February is their mating season. It sure is nice to see and hear them again.
The last few days I have seen bluebirds around our bird feeders. They have probably already picked out their nesting places for the season.
The snow last weekend disrupted our market plans. It is supposed to be dry and a bit warmer this week so we are planning to be at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market both Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 until 3:00. We have plenty of beef, chicken, and eggs. There will probably be nothing yet from the garden except perhaps a bit of Savoy cabbage and collards.
We hope to see you at the market.
Our usual weekend storm is forecast to stay south of us this week so we are making plans to be at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market Saturday from 10:00 until 3:00. If the storm changes course and there is snow our plans will change.
We are restocked with all cuts of Pasture Finished Jersey Beef. Items for sale include beef, Pastured Chicken, free-range eggs from pastured hens, and perhaps a few heads of Savoy cabbage.
Due to the cold temperatures our usual winter greens are not growing. I am sure we are all hoping it will warm up soon.