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Drying corn for storage If you live in a dry climate like mine, corn can be air-dried for use as popcorn, flour corn, or seed. Allow the corn to dry down on the stock for as long as possible. I usually harvest mine before the first fall rain. The corn itself can be dried on the ear, but the husk can hold and attract moisture so much be removed before drying or risk the corn molding. Place on a wire or slatted table in a ventilated, preferably sunny area with enough space between the ears to allow about airflow. Check...

Two New Turkish VarietiesThis past season we were so excited to team up with Two Seeds in a Pod to grow two exciting Turkish cucurbits:Badem MelonKilis CucumberTwo Seeds in a Pod is a unique seed company specializing in both Turkish/Anatolian and Appalachain seed varieties. Many of the Turkish varieties they grow, including these two,were commercially introduced to the U.S. by them!  'Badem' melon is a stuffing/pickling melon from Turkey, and we just loved it growing it! It's not a sweet melon, but has a lovely, fresh cucumber taste.  It's very juicy and produces early in the season.  When pickling, pick them young.  When...

Bee WatchingReady to do some bee watching this year?  One reason we love growing seed crops is that you get to see a plant through it's whole lifecycle- from seed through to flower and fruit and back to seed.  Having lots of plants flowering affords lots of opportunities for pollinator and bee watching.  One of our favorite insects to watch is bumble bees- and it's probably yours too!Did you know you can turn your bumble bee watching into data that can be used to help track and conserve bumble bee populations?  The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation has an ongoing citizen science project called...

We love growing dry peas!  Dry peas are such a great staple food for the winter months, they're relatively easy to grow and clean, and many varieties- such a 'Wild Pea of Umbria' - don't require much in the way of fertilizer.  Eat them split or whole, cooked in soups or stews.   One of the few difficulties with growing a successful dry pea crop is pea weevils.  Adult pea weevils feed on pollen in the pea flowers. They mate and lay their eggs on the developing pea pod.  Larva emerge from the eggs and bore into the pod and feed on the...

Mice and voles eat seeds and newly germinated seedlings.  The especially love those meaty seeds like peas, beans, corn, and squash.  If you've planted seeds that just aren't coming up in the timeframe you expect, dig around where you planted them to see if they're even still there.  If they're not there, or if new seedlings have been nipped off as if cut by scissors, the culprit could be mice or voles. Rodents are so tricky!  Farms across the country have been reporting larger mice and vole populations than usual.  We've had a lot more vole damage at our farm too,...