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Mayflower Dry Bean   What a gorgeous little dry bean! The burgundy color on one side fading to cream on the other is at once rustic and cosmic. Named such because it arrived in the Americas on the Mayflower in the 1620s, this bean also goes by the names 'Red Nightfall', 'Cutshort', and 'Cornfield'.   This pole bean did well in my field and was quite productive. The main downside to this variety is its lateness; the 110 days I had this in the ground were not enough for the whole crop to dry down. We have dry enough falls...

Why are my tomatoes burning in the dehydrator? When cherry tomatoes are on, they are abundant! It can be hard to get them all used, but when its winter we know we will miss them! My favorite way to preserve cherry tomatoes is to dry them. They dry more evenly and quickly than sliced larger tomatoes in the dehydrator, and the skin makes them into tiny delicious morsels of concentrated flavor that rival any dried fruit. If you use overrripe tomatoes, it is likely they will burn. This is because the acid content of overripe tomatoes, or even tomatoes harvested...

Temperatures at which to harvest: 35 Basil, Basil Seeds 32 Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant, Zucchini, Cucumber, Winter Squashes, Sunflowers, Non-hardy flowers, Storage Onions, Beans 28 Potatoes ~20 Cabbage, Celery, Celeriac ~15 Carrots, Bunching/green onions, Turnips, Collards, Kale, Beets, Most Lettuces, Spinach 0 Leeks Ripening fruits such as tomatoes and peppers may appear unharmed after a freeze but the flavor will be compromised. The flavor is not as strong, maybe even bitter, and the texture is pithy. Tomatoes harvested from dead vines also lack much of their natural acidity and are therefore not recommended for canning or drying. For storage and biennial...

Pictured above are pansies and pansy babies coming up all around them in the mess of spring, seeds which I did not have to buy, plant, or water! As every green thumb knows, growing a successful garden is relentless business.  Especially this busy time of year, I am always looking for clever ways to get myself more free time.  Though springtime in the garden is amazing, I want to break away and catch it in the mountains too!  One way I am finding myself more time is by growing self-sowing annuals.  These are crops whose life-cycles are one year long...

Do you find yourself looking out at grass where you would love to see fresh tomatoes and lettuce growing, pollinators flying, and your children picking peas?  Clueless as to where to begin in achieving that dream though?  Turning sod or neglected soil into a thriving vegetable garden can seem intimidating, but with one weekend's work you can be well on your way to that garden of your dreams! Before we bought our farm, we cut our teeth in part by gardening in yards and on vacant lots- really anywhere we were allowed.  I have transitioned lawns, weed patches, and super-compacted-clay-dust-bowls...