The Weblog
This page contains news, event information, and other items added by the market managers.
Garlic planting and winter hours schedule
Welcome again to the busy swirl of activity that is called Martin Farmstand. This time of the year we are harvesting and washing produce for what seems like most of the time. As a whole the fall harvest is the normal abundance. It is awesome how much food is in the gardens and orchards.
The sweet potatoes are cured and ready for storage now. Sweet potatoes like to be stored warm and dry- above 55 degrees is best. Light does not hurt them like it does other potatoes.
We dug about 25% of the late Irish potato crop so far this week (mostly red). The rest will have to wait longer in the field as they are not dead enough yet to have as thick of a skin as is desirable for good storage. It looks like there is a good chance of frost on Monday. Frost will kill the rest of the potato vines (which is good at this point).
The last day for summer hours is Saturday November 4th (when time changes). After that till Thanksgiving we will be open Tuesday through Saturday from noon till 5 PM. December we will be open Fridays and Saturdays from noon till 5 PM. We are closed between Christmas and New Year. The rest of the winter will be open Saturdays (noon- 5 PM). During the winter call ahead if the weather is very severe. Daniel
Beans, Cauliflower and Peppers
The stand is packed full of good food today. We have over 200 lbs of really nice cauliflower and lots of every sort of peppers both sweet and hot. The last planting of beans got ready this week with the warm weather. They gave abundantly; we have over 100 lbs of beans to sell today. Get them now as this is the last batch of beans for this year. All the winter squash is harvested. Come and get them. Onions and garlic are finished curing and ready for storage. We plan to dig the rest of the sweet potatoes next week. They need to cure for about a week in a heated space and then they will be ready for storage. The big winter harvest of regular potatoes will be later in October when the vines are dead and the skins on the potatoes are thick enough for good storage. Daniel
Cauliflower and Mums
Here is an updated “available now” list from Martins Farm stand. Today we have some really good late sweet corn, lots of eggplant, green and yellow beans, and cauliflower. We also have limited amounts of broccoli. The pepper crop is really abundant and good this year. We are overstocked on lovely red peppers so I just changed the red pepper price to the same as green. This applies both to full boxes or retail amounts. The tomato plants are looking rough in the field which means that even though we have floods of tomatoes now that will change soon. If you want canning tomatoes this year sooner is better than later. We are digging sweet potatoes as needed for the stand for fresh eating. I will dig the whole field later either when we have frost or the soil temp gets too cold for farther growth. If you plan to stock up on storage sweet potatoes for the winter wait till after the main harvest. After digging them there is a 7 day curing process that makes a better storing potato. Daniel
U-Pick Grapes
It is autumn and harvest time. There are so many good things to eat at the farmstand. I have a tub of edamame (green soybeans) today and napa cabbage. Eggplant, tomatoes, onions and peppers (sweet and hot) are in their prime. The grapes on our trellis are ripening with peak quality next week and the following week. I have them by the quart or half bushel box ($20) U-pick grapes are $10 per half bushel. U-pick is available anytime the stand is open- Bring you own clippers. U-pick fall raspberries also are in season- the spotted wing fruit fly is limiting the crop quanity and quality though. The apple crop is really good this year. Yesterday we went over in the evening to the old farm and picked 40 bushels of sweet sixteen apples from just a few trees. We have both first quality and sauce/ cooking apples that are completly organic. Enjoy this season. Daniel
Canning tomatoes
This is the peak season for tomatoes with an abundance of of beautiful heirlooms, red beefsteaks and lots of romas. The warm weather earlier this week was good for maturing the winter squash and ripening tomatoes. This is also the peak season for abundant peppers both green and red, sweet and hot.
The onion harvest is complete. We have over 400 crates of onions stacked in the sheds and curing. They are mostly dry enough for bagging and storage. We will be working at this over the coming weeks as time permits. You can also just fill your own boxes and bags at the bulk price. Storage garlic is also available now and throughout the fall months. Fill your pantry and cellars with the autumn bounty for good eating in the winter. Daniel
Weblog Entry
The farmstand is packed with good food today. I have over 100 dozen sweet corn . This is available by each, dozens or the bagful. The onion harvest is about half finished. Thursday we filled 125 crates of mostly yellow storage onions. Bulk onion prices is the same as last year. Most kinds $20 per 25 lb bag or fill your own box from the display. Storage garlic is dry and ready to purchase ($6 LB for 5 plus lbs). This is the peak of watermelon and cantaloupe season. Enjoy them now as autumn comes quickly and with that another set of good foods to enjoy from the garden. We already have the first winter squash out for sale today. This year we plan to end summer hours (and start late fall hours) in early November when daylight savings time ends rather than at Thanksgiving. Late fall hours will continue till Christmas. You may have heard that I am thinking about retirement and selling this business. It is true. For more details see the letter that is at the farmstand and posted on facebook. At the moment there is no price set and no fixed timeline for this. I am still planting cover crops and preparing ground to plant strawberries and everything else in 2024. I bought lime to lime the fields this fall. If I am not still at the helm next year I hope to have passed it on to a capable successor. We have the full amount of young healthy strawberries planted and anticipate abundant strawberries in June of next year. We plan to keep the old farm over at Southville Corners for the forseeable future. Daniel
Melons and sweet corn
We are all back home and in full swing at the farmstand. Last week most of the family was gone to a camp over at Mooers, New York that we are involved in. Mendy and I were part of the kitchen team cooking 400-500 meals each day. It was fun and refreshing in a healthy way but also a lot of work with about 12 hours a day in the kitchen. I came home needing to rest from my vacation. Today the stand is so packed with good food that it is a challenge to fit everything into the display space. Fall spinach is available by the bushel. The first celery is ready. We have a huge selection of watermelons including yellow, crimsom sweet, and seedless. I also have a bin of big watermelon from Henry. His stand out head and shoulders above the other excellant melons we have. last evening I cut a big cantaloupe that was perfect in its texture, flavor and sweetness. The later cantaloupes, which is now, tend to be better than early melons. Now is the time to enjoy one as seasons move on fast. All our melons are gauranteed- if you ever get a disappointing melon throw it out (or bring it back) and tell us. You can get another melon or your money back or any other produce of simular value. The onion crop is excellant this year. Thursday we pulled about 100 crates of sweet onions off of three rows. There are 28 beds of onions total in my patch. The later storage onions are not ready yet. Field tomatoes are starting to ripen so supply is a lot better. Canning tomatoes should be abundant in about 2 weeks with the peak in early- mid September. We have lots of corn today including by the bag. Daniel
Sweet onions and peppers
The steady warm weather along with abundant moisture makes the gardens grow! The broccoli patch continues to really make lots of broccoli which is what broccoli patches are supposed to do. Sweet onions are big enough that we are starting harvest them. Most of the other red and yellow storage onions are still several weeks out yet from harvest. Yesterday and this morning we are bringing in the main garlic harvest. It has grown well so there should be lots of garlic here throughout the fall months. We are still at the peak part of blueberry season and today we have the first wildcrafted blackberries at the stand. The eggplant and pepper family season has begun. They should normally be present at the farmstand over the next few months. No sweet corn today at the farmstand. Daniel
Abundance at the farmstand
The farmstand is packed with good food today. The bargain table will have an assortment of surplus and seconds bags and boxes at various price points. The beans both green and yellow are in abundance. There is lots of cauliflower and broccoli. Last evening I came home with over 50 cases of really nice “no spray” greenhouse tomatoes, lots of pickler cucumbers, and new red potatoes. The basil is abundant and we will normally have bulk grab bags packed or you can pack your own from the display. Beans are also available bulk. There are still quite a lot of raspberries (mostly black) to be picked. For today I am going to give our large quantity price of $2 pint to all pickers large or small. Come out as we do not have enough help to pick them all ourselves. Blueberries are abundant. I have 40 12 pint flats picked at the moment. For u-pick blueberries you need to go to my Dad (Luke Martin) He picks and offers u-pick on Thursday mornings starting at 8 am till the patch is picked (or into the afternoon till everyone is tired) His phone number is 315 265 0026. His farm is just north of Parishville. The address is 156 Newton Road Potsdam. Daniel
Black raspberries and first sweet corn
Peak season for black raspberries is now. The patches are like a jungle. U-pick raspberry price is $3.75 pint for small amounts and $3 for 10 or more. If you pick a large amount 30+ price is $2 pint. There are also red raspberries to pick today. On the stand we have good stock of picked berries- black and red raspberries, a few gooseberrries, the last few strawberries and the first blueberries. The first 30 dozen local organic sweet corn is here today as supplies last. (90 cents an ear or $9 dozen) We are overstocked on lettuce again as the weather has been good for lettuce. We are going to have a free head of lettuce cart out again today. The u-cut flowers are starting to have a nice amount of flowers ready to cut. They are available free for non commercial purposes again this year. Cut some to make your table beautiful and if you are so inclined also cut some for someone else such as an older shut in person or just to use as an excuse to stop in to someone that you judge could use your friendly face in their lives. If you are doing something with the flowers that makes you money then we would appreciate a donation. It is cucumber season and there is is a good selection of cucumbers and pickles here today ranging from cheap seconds to high end little picklers. I also have $7 boxes of zucchini again today. Daniel