Fresh From the Farm

Camp Burgess and Hayward Mon 14, 2013

by Tara Laidlaw, Farm Director

So, what’s growing on the farm in the middle of January, you might ask? Well, the kale is still going strong – I harvested from it today, even after it was buried in snow for two weeks. And the chickens are laying about a dozen lovely eggs each day. Other than that, though, there’s not much growing… except in the greenhouse.

The greenhouse is currently home to an array of salad greens that are tender and delicious. Because we eat the leaves of these plants, rather than the energy-intensive fruits, these greens can keep growing through the winter even though the days are short and the light is weak. They just need protection from frost and below-freezing temperatures, which isn’t too hard in a greenhouse.

 Every two weeks or so, I sow new sets of salad greens. They take from four to eight weeks to mature to harvest size, so if I’m always starting new seeds, there are always some ready to harvest. Our collection includes an array of lettuces, mustard greens, baby brassicas, and herbs, which covers a wide variety of textures, flavors, and colors. With such a tasty mix, all it takes to make a fantastic salad is a tiny bit of olive oil and vinegar as dressing.

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