Tons of sweet carrots and beets

The dominate farm job now is the late root crop harvest. In the last few days we harvested lots of carrots, beets and turnips. The coolers are getting really full with winter storage crops that are for sale through out the winter.

I had two rows of carrots that were planted a little later than than the rest that we dug on Wednesday. They were by far the nicest carrots of the year and those two rows gave 90 bushels of mostly #1 grade. Another carrot planting that was located a few hundred yards away (same sandy loam soil) and planted a little earlier gave a fairly rough looking batch of carrots that only graded as juicers and cull. When us farmers and gardeners plant seeds we have hope that the crop will do well. We often plant many different plantings in various areas of the farm and on different days as one never knows whether one will grow better then another or if they all end up alike.

We as a people have a heritage that has been past to us down through the generations of various garden seeds and plants that produce food that can be stored for us to eat over the winter. As you eat this food this winter thank God and think of past generations that developed these seeds that we still use. They had nothing else for the winter in cold climates. They could not just go to the store. Growing and storing winter food was a serious business for them. Daniel

Fall/ winter hours

Hello on this very rainy afternoon. We are still open and there is a large selection of the finest fall produce available. There are lots of different crops frost does not affect and the harvest goes on till the snow comes. Leeks, celery, turnips, carrots, beets, and spinach, cabbage, winter squash, storage onions, sweet potatoes, Brussel sprouts, kale, apples, our own raw honey, lettuce and so much more- see the list below. Before the frost we picked all the peppers and there is an enormous amount of both sweet and hot peppers here. Does anyone want a deal? They can be frozen, pickled or dried.
We are open 6 days a week (10 am-6pm) till thanksgiving and then will drop to being open on Thursday, Friday, Saturday 12-5 pm. between thanksgiving and Christmas. After the new year we plan to be open one day a week through the rest of the winter. Daniel

Apple and sweet potato stories

Hello everyone. Today I have some stories for you to enjoy. About 30 years ago when we we bought the farm that my Dad lives at there was an old orchard (estimated that it was planted in the late 1800s) in the pasture. It was all grown up with brush. We cleared it out and pruned the trees and also planted a few acres of new orchard with a mix of heirloom and modern kinds of apples. In time they started giving apples. The old heirloom apples as a whole give reasonably nice apples with no chemicals. That can not be said for most of the other trees we planted. Over time Grandpa has been grafting and has changed most of the trees to better kinds. The original old Blue Pearman tree is a pretty big tree. This year it give 44 bushels (1800 lbs.) of nice big apples off of that one tree. The dry weather this spring held back the development of scab and our apple crop this year is the nicest as far as quality that we have ever grown. There are over 200 bushels of apples in storage and for sale at the stand both now and into the winter as supplies last. We have nice organically grown apples at reasonable prices for eating, pies, sauce etc. Come and get them!. We have been growing sweet potatoes for many years. They are a very long season, heat loving crop. It takes into September before there is much there for potatoes. Each year when we dig them it feels like they would give so much more if the season would just be few weeks longer before the frost or cold rain comes. This year I dug the first few rows in the third week of September to sell at the stand as I normally do. The yield was about 1.5 to 2 lbs. per plant as is normal in the north. This year it has stayed warm late so I waited to dig the rest. We dug 3 rows yesterday and little potatoes had become big and what is normally little tails are useful potatoes. The yield has almost tripled in the last three weeks and we have more sweet potatoes than I have ever had before. To store sweet potatoes we first wash and cure them by keeping them in a warm place (80-90 degrees) for a week or 10 days. After that they store in a warm dry space (50-70 degrees) Come and get them! Daniel

All cabbage big or small, green or red is on sale at $.49 per lb

Yes we are open on Columbus day weekend (not Sunday) and yes the stand is still packed full of lots of good food. We still have tomatoes and beans. We are overstocked on red sweet peepers so that price has been dropped to the same as the green bells. ($2.50 per lb.) There is a glorious selection of all sorts of winter squash (bulk price $.65 per lb.) and lots of sweet lettuce. There is an abundance of big and smaller cabbage. All cabbage big or small, green or red is on sale at $.49 per lb. Onions carrots, rutabaga, celery, sweet potatoes and a rainbow of beets colors along with so much more.. Come and get it! Daniel

The fall spinach and cilantro has grown very nice like a seed catalogue picture.

Below is an updated product list from Martins Farmstand. Mosie Keim’s beautiful cauliflower is abundant again here at the stand and there are lots of green and yellow beans from my patch. The fall spinach and cilantro has grown very nice like a seed catalogue picture with hundreds of pounds ready for harvest both now and through October. We have an abundance of red sweet peppers- for the time being they are on sale at green peppers prices and by the half bushel box for $15. I bought 300 lbs. of certified Organic Concord grapes from over by lake Champlain. They taste really good. ( $15 per half bushel or by the quart). I am digging sweet potatoes as needed. The crop is normal. We have smaller sweet potatoes ( small does not store as long] for $15 per box 1/2 bushel. Now is the time to stock up on bags of storage onions and winter squash. Daniel

Beans, storage onions, homemade grape juice and apples

Hello everyone again. This is September and there is much good food to choose from our farms and gardens. If you are ever going to eat local food this is a good time to start. I planted a big patch of beans in late July after we returned from the trip. They have grown beautifully and are ready now. We have bulk amounts available @ $15 per 1/2 bushel. We also have about 50 boxes of canner tomatoes for today and lots of peppers and cabbage. The fruit set on my Dad’s apples was fairly light this spring (they usually set too many). What did set grew big and nice. The dry weather in June kept the scab away. We have a big crop of very nice organic apples. They are available now and we will store them with the plan to have them at the stand into the winter as supplies last. The storage onions are dry and ready to go. As we have time we will be bagging them to sell. You can also fill your own bag/box from the display at bag prices 25lbs for $18.75 or 75 cents per lb. I have not dug any sweet potatoes yet however I plan to dig some today so they can be at the stand. We picked all the grapes yesterday and I am making juice out of them this morning. There is way too much juice for us to use as a family so this will be for sale at the stand. We are packing this as it comes out of the steamer without adding any sweetener. For drinking juice you can sweeten it if you wish and dilute with water to taste. At some point I plan to also make some into jelly for the stand. Daniel.

Sweet tender lettuce and homegrown grapes

This is September and the farmstand is full of the late summer/early fall bounty. We are overstocked on lettuce at the moment as two plantings are ready at once. Today we are offering one free head of lettuce to each person that comes out. (as supplies last) The watermelons are also very plentiful and on sale. Our grapes vines have yielded nicely this year. We are picking them as needed for the stand. (also u-pick) There are various kinds to chose from. (All seeded slip skin juice type). Canning tomatoes are abundant. Sooner is better than later to get your canning tomatoes as the season goes by quicker than one may think. We encourage our customers to cut a free bouquet of flowers (u-cut) to enjoy as well as take a bouquet to a person whose spirits could use n uplift. Daniel

Open Labor day Weekend

Yes the farm stand is open this weekend. The farm stand is open Monday- Saturday from 10 am to 6 Pm. We are always closed on Sundays. Summer hours are planned to continue till Thanksgiving time. This time of the year the selection of local homegrown produce is at its full glory. Watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, and so much more. Onion harvest is about 3/4ths of the way done. There are still several kinds with green tops that need to mature a bit more. The crop looks to be about normal in both quality and volume. Get your storage onions Mid September- October. Fall raspberries are ripening. Let me know if you wish to u-pick. Also the grapes are almost ripe. I would prefer to sell at least some of them u-pick also. Daniel

Weblog Entry Do not let California feed New York

We have an abundance of really good watermelon and cantaloupe right now and too many nice tomatoes. There are a lot of good number one tomatoes that are going into canners today just because there are so many. No need to order ahead on canners, just come and get them! Beans are abundant now. We also have lots of lettuces and a long row of spinach that is ready to cut and so much more. Do not let California feed New York in the summer. Please support your local farmers. We need you and the time may come that you need us. Did you know that seeded watermelons have a much better flavor (most of the time) than seedless melons? Did you know that we have soils and a climate at spots here in northern New York that can grow a very good watermelon? We have watermelons here today that I am very happy with. They are not just good. They are excellent and we guarantee them to be so. Daniel

Sweet Carrots, beans and lots of tomatoes

The carrots are getting big and nice. There are hundreds of beautiful red ripe tomatoes and peppers including sweet bells and hot peppers of assorted kinds by the of peck bushel or lb. The garden has given lots red and golden beets. This is the peak of bean season. On Thursday and Friday we picked about 40 bushels from our patch which feels like too many beans. Come and get a box full of some of this bounty if you wish. We are coming in the prime part of melon season. Our melons (and all our produce for that matter) is guaranteed to be good. If you ever get a melon of other product that is not satisfactory throw it out and tell us about it. You have the choice of getting another similar melon or other produce of similar value or your money back. I normally do not wish to have the disappointing product back unless it is something strange that you judge we should see in finding out what went wrong. On onions we have an abundance of sweet onions now. Most of the onions are taking there time in maturing and are still not even ready to be pulled yet with lots of strong greens tops on them. It is at least a few weeks yet before the storage onions will be dry and ready to go. Daniel