Winter Market II: Observations by Devorah Ketai, Our Winter Farmer

Growing produce for the winter market has been a cold-weather treat. Like any grower, I've become super alert to the temperatures and conditions outdoors. They determine the temperatures in the hoophouses and whether the plants need to be protected from the elements. On the other hand, that beautiful, protective layer of hoophouse plastic makes the increasingly cold temperatures seem much less daunting. I arrive at the farm knowing the high is only 45 degrees for the day, but I immediately shed my winter coat as I walk into the sun-warmed hoophouse--already 80 degrees by 10:00 a.m.!

Luscious and bountiful

I'm not the only one spoiled by this warm microclimate in the middle of December. The plants might not take off like they would in July, but they are certainly noticeably alive and active. Their obvious growth blows my mind right now, during the shortest days of the year. I take off for the weekend, wishing the little green babies well. When I return on Monday and make my rounds, all I can think is, "They've grown up so fast!" The arugula is a noticeable inch taller, and the radishes have obviously been eating well and increased their diameter a good quarter-inch. These are big steps when there are only nine hours of sunlight in the day!

Broccoli

I am so appreciative of these hoophouse microclimates for encouraging a bountiful winter harvest. They aren't heated or lit artificially, so all of the extra boosts are coming from the sun. The sun warms up the air and soil, speeding up cellular processes and growth. The sunlight, however short, is obviously enough to aid in their photosynthesis. It's great to think about these biological processes in the approaching dead-of-winter, when so much around us is becoming dormant. My trips to the hoophouses also keep me from becoming dormant. Rather than bundling up and fearing the cold, I say "I think I'll go outside and play today!"

See you Saturday, December 15th, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for the second winter market!

Winter Market II: Lessons Learned, by Devorah Ketai

What a bounty of the most local goodness!

On a practical note, it's been interesting to see the pace at which plants grow, and how much we're able to produce and harvest week by week. Speed of growth during this period is greatly affected by sunlight hours and temperature. According to Eliot Coleman's The Winter Harvest Handbook, we are in the Persephone period, when sunlight is less than ten hours per day. [See here for the myth of the vegetation goddess, Persephone.] Plants grow extremely slowly during this period of time. With regard to temperature, while the plants benefit from a warm day, they are mostly affected by average temperatures. Hence, if the hoophouses reach 80 degrees during the day but drop to 30 degrees at night, they are only experiencing an average temperature of 55 degrees, meaning they won't grow as fast as one would think with 80-degree days!

Burgeoning arugula!

One helpful aspect of winter growing, though (as Eliot Coleman notes), is that once plants have established root systems, they'll grow back quickly after harvesting, even during this period of short days and cold temperatures. This explains why, even though I cut the arugula and braising mix for the first market, it's already almost fully grown for the second! I just seeded some new spinach, however, and what I have learned from Eliot Coleman is that it might take a long time to reach maturity, as it didn't have an established root system before the days shortened. My hope is that we have enough different kinds of plants, with already developed root systems, that we'll have plenty of food to last us through these winter months!

Endings and Beginnings

We ended our normal, May-through-November season on Friday, November 16th: several lovely greens (that red butterhead lettuce is to die for), beets, and a LOT of fresh cilantro and dill in the U-Pick herbs--also still some hot peppers, despite the frost.  We used everything up, thanks to forethought on the part of our Farm Manager, Angela.  

Angela did a fabulous job in the most difficult of summers--drought, sporadic flooding rains, early frosts, hurricanes, unexpected critters--and yet the goodies kept coming, and Angela's wonderful, cheery optimism didn't flag, bless her heart.  We had our vintage honey again this year--many thanks to Brendan for his excellent article about "connoisseuring" honeys--and other bonuses, like some hoophouse potatoes at the start of the season, our own scrumptious corn, and other surprises.  

Next year there are new foods in the offing--several kinds of potatoes, more corn, asparagus, and even blueberries are in the planning.

Devorah and her Hoophouse Creations

But our new beginning at the moment--even as we end our "normal" season--is the start of our Winter Market, our own mini-farmers' market based on what we grow in our two hoophouses.  This endeavor is headed up by the estimable Devorah (see her with seedlings she's planted, left and below).   The idea of a winter market, even in very cold weather, is that we can grow certain crops if they get double-protection:  the larger protection of the hoophouse itself, and the smaller shelter of row covers on especially tender plants (the white curved coverings in the photo above) within the hoophouse.  The system is based on experiments done over the years by Maine farmers Eliot Coleman and his wife Barbara Damrosch.   For articles by and about Coleman and Damrosch, see here.

Hoophouse Winterbor Kale

The first Winter Market is scheduled for December 1st; we plan on Toscano and Winterbor kale, chard, radishes, carrots, Pac Choi, and cilantro.  Depending on how quickly they grow, we also hope for lettuce mixes, spinach, arugula, and scallions.  The next Winter Market is planned for December 15th (unless  the Farmers' Almanac is correct in its prediction of a mid-December blizzard, in which case it will be rescheduled!).

Red Hill Farm gives us so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, 2012.  We are blessed to have a four-season farm running smoothly despite the vagaries of the weather.    We're also grateful for the opportunity not just to bring you wonderful food but to try out our new blog format, with many thanks to Sister Ann Marie Slavin for her tutorial in getting it up and running.  (Sister Ann Marie authors the blog Franciscan Life.)  Here at Red Hill, blog-wise, we're still in the learning stages though:  "Baby steps, baby steps!"  Have a very happy and peaceful holiday, hopefully with friends and loved ones.