DISPATCHES FROM THE FARM

You can see above some striped Romans, red and yellow pears, cherry and a few small Black Russians.

They always start off slowly but at least we get to enjoy an early season preview in home meals after our months of 

tender loving care. 

Within the next few weeks there'll be a bounty of these as well as other heirloom types we're growing this season, soon followed by the usual suspects we all love, Roma, Grosse Lisse and such like.

On another subject, Tim saw a baby rabbit closely followed by what was probably a sizable deadly Brown snake this afternoon (these dudes move a little too fast for Kodak moments!). We are hoping it's just the cycle of life...mainly that the rabbit was snake dinner and the only one in such close vicinity to the farm crops. Hopefully there's not a whole bunch of snakes hanging around either! We know they're there but we are both (us & them) happy to avoid each other. It's another aspect to life on the land and we personally subscribe to live and let live and sincerely hope the Glenlyon snakes do too :) in regards to us humans and Billy the farm dog.

Have a lovely weekend all!

Yesterday we got a wee mention in Melbourne's Sunday Herald Sun "Sunday Food" section where Wendy Hargreaves wrote a small feature on heirloom tomatoes, accompanied by a yummy recipe from acclaimed chef Guy Grossi. 

 

Actually, the tomatoes are more than 2 weeks away from being ready to harvest. 

We anticipate some to be ready in about 4 weeks time - so approx. mid February, then increasing in numbers and variety from there. 

You'll definitely be able to purchase them at all our farmers' market stalls (Daylesford & Melbourne).

Last Friday I snapped these gorgeous pics. of my two favourite boys harvesting sunflowers for market...

  

Apologies for my shortage of blog posts this week, but I haven't been slacking off.  I've actually been working hard at the farm with Tim, particularly getting the tomato and zucchini seedlings planted out in the field. These tomato plants will increase in size by many times their current size over the coming weeks, under the summer sun. We anticipate starting to pick zucchs in about a month and tomatoes by the end of February. 

As previously mentioned, we grow a wide variety of tomatoes but specialise in heirloom or heritage varieties, which allow us to help keep centuries of plant history and diversity alive and available into the future. Heirloom tomatoes are tender, rich and juicy and what's more they come in pretty much all colours of the rainbow and then some and can include contrasting coloured stripes and speckles on their skins. They make very 'sexy' summer salads!  These tomatoes are so opposite to the often flavourless and tough-skinned field and Roma tomatoes commonly available in the supermarkets and most other shops, which are 'factory' grown on broad acreage farms. We do grow Romas and a couple of other 'typical' red tomatoes but again they are open pollinated seeds from organically grown tomatoes, so they too are tender and super tasty.

       

Each year we have varied how we've planted (raised or flat beds, mulching or not) and/or 'supported' our growing tomato plants (e.g. stakes as above or strings or wire...). This year we're going with raised beds and stakes as you can see. We have found that although labour intensive to install, tomato stakes are the most reliable, sturdy form of tomato support (accompanied by regular ties)  for field grown tomatoes, especially as gale-force winds are not uncommon at the farm.

Like for most of our veg., we use drip irrigation, which is not only water efficient but allows the water to get to exactly where it's needed, the root zone.

Although a real scorcher weather-wise, it was really fantastic to be back at markets last Saturday. Collingwood Children's Farm is such a bucolic setting and there's always a lively collection of stalls and shoppers.

See you soon with more farm happenings...

Yesterday Tim and I spent a whole day sowing tomato seeds...hundreds and hundreds of the little beauties. So, when all of those bare fruit, we'll have tomatoes from "A... to breakfast" as they say! Tomato season is pretty short here and a little unpredictable, also varying in success quite often from year to year. So, excellent, natural, home grown tomatoes are a highly prized harvest when we get them. We have had good fortune with producing tomatoes so far 'touch wood'! 

    

Now we will be checking on the seeds with great anticipation over the coming weeks for the gleeful arrival of our first tomato plants poking their little stalks through the seed raising mix. It's true we get quite excited about this annual event, more so for some reason than with most of our other seedlings (oh except when the garlic plantings begin to sprout!) and once they start, we race each other into the poly tunnels (greenhouses) to do a daily count of new arrivals. That first showing of a wee seedling's 'neck' through the soil (any seedling), even before leaflets appear still 'floats our boats' every year without fail :). 

Last years early tomato seedlings.

Every year we try to master an early season tomato harvest (like by Christmas) but mostly, the variable temperatures and delayed summer conspire to thwart that ambition. The first sign of fruit is just as thrilling for us as the new seedlings! Our first tomato harvest usually starts in February.

We always grow a variety of tomatoes, including the well known Roma and Grosse Lisse but have a penchant for growing (and eating!) the age old heirloom (open pollinated, non-hybrid) varieties. We grow striped, 'black', 'purple', green, yellow & cherry varieties to name some main ones.  

Fortunately a lot of folk share the love of heirloom tomatoes which makes it fun at farmers' markets during tomato season. It's great to be able to put on an abundant, colourful display and we have loads of lovely conversations with all kinds of people about our tomatoes and their tomatoes, sharing recipes, growing experiences and tips. A lot of people, of all ages have fond family memories of growing and sharing tomatoes. It seems tomatoes are a true love of Aussies from all cultural backgrounds and everyone agrees there's nothing better than a proper tomato with real, rich tomato flavour and texture, unlike the tough, tasteless commercially grown varieties most commonly available in shops these days!