The living room stove is radiating pleasant warmth, and no matter what’s swirling outside the window, spring is undeniably on its way.
This weekend, we’ll put in our first true gardening hours since autumn. We’ll clean out the high tunnels, prepping for spring farmers markets and the CSA, which starts in early June.
However, we haven’t been entirely out of the farming game these past few months. For the first time in the farm’s history, we grew and sold produce year-around. Our last farmers market was in Meadville, Dec. 7. We took a holiday break, and then we were back at it Jan. 15, selling to Core Goods, in Oil City.
In February, we added Titusville Market Square and Edinboro Market to our winter sales.
In 2019, we had 70 CSA members. This number brought in the revenue needed to support the farm season, and, it felt comfortable. So, this season, we’ll hold the line at 70 households. We have plenty of CSA spots open at all drop-off locations (Erie, Meadville, Titusville, Guys Mills, and Troy Township), and we’d love to be your farmers.
With our winter crops nearly sold out, we’re itching for spring. Jason fills seed trays nightly to keep up with a non-stop planting schedule. His careful planning, and timely seeding let us hit our mark every CSA week.
It’s Season 6 for this little farm, and we can’t wait to share the harvest with you.
Here’s a sneak peek at some of the zero-spray eats we’ll be growing this year.
*** Lettuce
If you love having fresh-cut greens ready in your fridge every week, you’ll certainly appreciate this season’s boxes. Last year, we included lettuce in almost every box, and that’s the goal again. You can look forward to an abundance of tender, homegrown greens.
Silas shows off Plot Twist lettuce. We aim to have lettuce in every weekly CSA box.
*** Blacktail Mountain Watermelons
Last summer, we took a step closer to mass watermelon production. Timing watermelons for the entire CSA is tricky. We had several waves of melons, but never quite enough to supply the whole CSA at once. That’s our goal this year. If you tried Blacktail Mountain watermelons from one of our market stands, you know it has a bright, sweet flavor that’s uniquely delicious.
Jason and Silas enjoyed monitoring the watermelons for ripeness. At first, it was a guessing game, then we got the hang of it. Blacktail Mountain watermelons grow well in our climate. They have a unique, sweet taste, with citrus notes.
*** Violet Sparkle Pepper
This is an heirloom sweet pepper from Russian. It’s noted for its beauty and flavor. These heart-shaped peppers have a shiny, purple flesh. We’ve read that the compact plants are so full of pretty fruits that they’re like ornaments on a tree.
Aren’t they beautiful? We love the wonderful crunch of fresh sweet peppers. PHOTO by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
*** Orange and Pink Jazz Tomatoes
We like experimenting with tomatoes, and this beefsteak is new to us. These babies get big! They often weigh in at a full pound. They’re full of flavor, and even have peach notes.
We’re excited to try Jazz heirlooms. We make a meal out of fresh tomatoes in the summer, with our favorite dressings and feta cheese. PHOTO by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
*** Cherokee Purple Tomatoes
These heirlooms we love! As the name states, they originated with the Cherokee Indians. They have a dusky, purple-pink hue, like a summer sunset. We can’t keep these on our market stands.
Cherokee Purple is one of our favorite heirloom tomatoes. We like broiling sliced tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, and salt, and serving them over pasta. PHOTO by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
*** Toronjina Tomatoes
These orange cherry tomatoes grow well in high tunnels. We tested out (and loved) its red sister tomato last season. This seed produces a nice, plump golden-orange fruit. Don’t worry, Sungold fans – we’ll grow those, too!
We’ll plant Toronjina this year in our big high tunnel. We tested its red sister tomato, and were pleased with the results. PHOTO by Johnny Seeds
*** Ground Cherries
How do we describe these magical little fruits? We sold them last year at our market stands. If someone came along and recognized them, they scooped up a pint container immediately. Some remembered the taste of ground cherries from childhood. It’s a flavor you don’t forget. Ground cherries are wrapped in a papery husk. Inside, there’s a golden jewel of a fruit – sweet and citrus, with a dynamite crunch. It’s like a combination of a cherry tomato and a pineapple. One of my favorite memories of the summer was taking a break from farm work, sitting in the summer sun with Silas, and eating ground cherries until we were full.
Ground cherries are ripe when they fall to the earth. They’re protected from the elements by a papery husk. Inside, there’s a juicy, crunchy fruit that is best described as cherry tomato meets pineapple.
These are just a few highlights. So many delicious eats will spring from Plot Twist soil this season. We’re excited to watch the garden wonder unfold, and we’d love to have you along for the fun again.
Enjoy these last days of winter, and have a wonderful spring. Hope to see you in June!
Stella
Plot Twist Farm
See you soon!