It's dahlia season and here at my Bedford, New York farm we have lots of gorgeous, bright, and colorful dahlia blooms indoors and out.
Dahlia is a genus of tuberous plants that are members of the Asteraceae family and are related to the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, and zinnia. They grow from small tubers planted in the spring. And from late June until the first autumn frost, these flowers give off a stunning show with blooms ranging from small to giant dinner-plate size. Earlier this week, we cut some of them to make bright summer arrangements for my home.
Enjoy these photos.
Here at my farm, we all love seeing the gorgeous dahlia flowers every summer. This year, we have many, many blooms – new ones open every day.
My dahlias grow in a bed behind my vegetable greenhouse. This location gets great sun. Dahlias grow more blooms when they get at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day. And because this spot is behind this large structure, it is also protected from strong winds. In addition, these dahlias are planted in well-draining soil, which is crucial to keeping the tubers in good condition.
The array of flower colors, sizes, and shapes is astounding. Dahlias come in white, shades of pink, red, yellow, orange, shades of purple, and various combinations of these colors – every color but true blue. In the 19th century, a London newspaper offered a pound, or a little more than a dollar, to the first breeder to create a blue dahlia—the reward was never claimed, but there have been many attempts that are near-blue. Like many flower varieties, there is also no pure black variety—only dark red and dark purple. Here is one in pink with a cream center and one in off-white.
Dahlias are named after 18th-century Swedish botanist Anders Dahl. He actually categorized dahlias as a vegetable because of their edible tubers. The tubers are said to taste like a mix between potatoes and radishes.
The genus Dahlia is native to the high plains of Mexico. Some species can be found in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador & Costa Rica as well as parts of South America where it was introduced.
Currently, there are about 42 species of dahlia, with hybrids commonly grown as garden plants. It is a member of the Asteraceae family of dicotyledonous plants.
Dahlias produce an abundance of wonderful flowers throughout early summer and again in late summer until the first freeze. This large bloom is another beautiful creamy white with a hint of yellow and pink in the center.
These tuberous plants have slender erect stems which are not always capable of supporting the large flowers, so they must be well-supported. We use strong metal and wood stakes to keep them up through the season.
The various forms range from charming single, daisy-like flowers to the popular double varieties which can range from the two-inch-pompons to 12-inch dinner plate size. They are divided into 10 groups: single, anemone, collarette, waterlily, decorative, fall, pompon, cactus, semi-cactus, and miscellaneous.
Dahlias are classified according to flower shape and petal arrangement. This single dahlia has purple and pink petals with a bold yellow center.
This is a big favorite here at the farm with its striking pink and white colored petals.
The majority of dahlia species do not produce scented flowers or cultivars, but they are brightly colored to attract pollinating insects. When cutting, to prevent wilting, cut only in the early morning or late afternoon. And only cut them after they open to mature size – dahlias will not open after cutting.
Enma picks enough dahlia blooms for several arrangements. Experiment with the varieties – dahlias look great arranged in different colors.
Once the dahlias are indoors, Enma carefully pours water into the vase as quickly as possible.
For the first arrangement, Enma chooses shades of pink.
And then adds a few cream flowers – the color combinations look so pretty in these glass vessels. When arranging, always strip off all the leaves that would be below the water line in the vase. This is true for all flower arrangements, not just dahlias. When leaves stay underwater, they decay and release bacteria that shorten the vase life of the flowers. And change the water daily so they look fresh and last longer.
Here is another arrangement all complete. I love displaying arrangements on my servery counter, where I can enjoy them every day.
Here is one in all dark burgundy and purple – so many different kinds of dahlias and every one of them pretty.
And this arrangement is on another counter in my servery – just a handful of light pink dahlias in a vase. Flower arrangements do not have to be elaborate to be stunning.
These dahlias are on my kitchen counter, which like yours is the hub of my home, where I often take calls, have meetings, and gather with guests – everyone can enjoy them as soon as they come inside.
I also display flowers in my entrance hall just inside my enclosed front porch.
This arrangement is placed on a side table in my sitting room under an arrangement of beautiful Wedgewood drabware.
And nearby is this arrangement on a coffee table tray in the same room. At the end of the growing season, dig and store dahlia tubers for the winter to replant next year. If you don’t already, I hope this inspires you to grow your own dahlias. You’ll love every one.
Recycling felled trees into valuable, usable lumber is always a big priority here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Over the years, I've planted thousands and thousands of trees. Unfortunately, I've also lost many trees - they've fallen during storms, or had to be cut down because of damage or disease. I always save the logs and have them milled into usable boards. Some time ago, I decided to gift myself with a portable sawmill, so I could cut the lumber right here at the farm when needed. Last week, my property manager, Doug White, and Pete Sherpa from my crew, got a lesson on how to use it - our new Hud-Son H360 Hydraulic Portable Sawmill.
Enjoy these photos.
This is our new Hud-Son H360 Hydraulic Portable Sawmill. It can turn any log into usable lumber within minutes, and any wooden board to the exact size needed for a project.
This piece of equipment comes with a 23-horsepower engine, an adjustable power feed, a power throttle, power height adjustment, a hydraulic log loader, hydraulic log turner, and a heavy-duty 24-foot trailer.
The sawmill is controlled from a stationary position at the front of the mill where all the mechanicals and functions of the mill can be closely and safely monitored.
Here, one can see the carbon steel blade on the sawmill. If used properly, one blade can cut hundreds of board feet before it needs replacing.
And here is the hydraulic motor which makes the sawing fast, accurate, and nearly effortless.
The sawing mechanicals and blade are well guarded. The machine moves up and down the sawmill as it cuts the logs into dimensional lumber.
Here is where the wood is placed for cutting. The bed is equipped with clamps to hold the wood in place.
Right now, Pete is working with ash tree wood, Fraxinus – deciduous, dense hardwoods. The logs were already cut into boards, but they need to be cut to more exact sizes. Ash trees are very strong trees, but also quite elastic, and popular for making instrument parts, tool handles, and baseball bats. We lost a lot of ash trees at the farm due to the emerald ash borer larvae which kill ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves water and sugars up and down its trunk. I am happy we can still recycle and repurpose the lumber.
We also have some hemlock boards, Tsuga. Hemlock is a softwood native to North America. It produces a lustrous pale timber that is an attractive choice for carving.
The board is placed on the bed where the machine’s hydraulic arms can hold it tightly. Most mills are designed to hold pieces at least eight feet long.
The board is then secured by the hydraulic loading arms and clamps with a scrap piece of wood to protect it as it moves.
Here, the blade is adjusted to the desired position and measurement and checked several times before it cuts. Remember the old adage, “measure twice (or multiple times) and cut once.”
Pete positions himself at the head of the machine with the proper safety equipment ready to go. The machine can be loud, so it is best to use some ear protection as well as eye protection to shield his eyes from any sawdust.
The guides for the blade are checked to make sure they are level and true. The blade must be parallel to the sawmill’s guides.
The saw is turned on and it works its way down the entire length of the board.
Pete watches the movement of the saw very carefully to be sure everything works properly.
The boards are perfectly cut to the proper thickness.
It took exactly one minute to cut this lumber to the desired thickness.
Here, Pete uses the sawmill to cut three boards width-wise. He secures the wood on the sawmill and tightens the clamps once again. It is amazing to see how technology has allowed us to create these pieces so easily.
One can see the line where the blade has cut through very straight and smooth. I am so glad to be able to cut usable lumber whenever we need it right here at the farm. I already have so many projects in mind.
And here is a short video showing the sawmill in action.
My large half-acre vegetable garden that I just designed and planted earlier this year is definitely a garden that keeps on giving.
We've been picking lots of wonderful and nutritious vegetables here at my Bedford, New York farm - string beans, edamame, Swiss chard, eggplants, peppers, beets, shallots, and more. While all the rain we've had has affected our tomato crop, others are thriving.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
There has been so much growth in this vegetable garden in the last few weeks. Many of you ask what I do with all these vegetables. I share most of them with my daughter, Alexis, and her children, Jude and Truman – they love all vegetables. I also serve them at my dinner parties and share them with my friends and staff here at Bedford. And, I use them for various media shoots whenever needed, or when we test recipes here at the farm. Nothing is ever wasted – whatever isn’t used goes to my beloved chickens, geese, and peafowl.
One can harvest any time of day, but when possible, the best picking time is early morning, when the sun is just clearing the eastern horizon and greens are still cool and dew-covered from the previous night.
On this day, Elvira picked many string beans or bush beans. Beans grow best in full sun and moist soil. Bush beans are second only to tomatoes as the most popular vegetables in home gardens. Bush beans are eaten when the seeds are small. They are also called string beans because of a fibrous string running the length of the pod. Purple beans are so pretty – violet-purple outside and bright green inside with great flavor.
These yellow beans are also pretty. Bush beans grow on shrubby plants and are very prolific producers. They can continually produce throughout the season with the proper care. In general, bush beans should be ready in 50 to 55 days.
And here are the more familiar green colored beans which are also ready for picking.
There are so many beans under the big leaves. Elvira moves the leaves aside and finds lots and lots of these delicious beans.
The blooms on bush beans are self-pollinating, meaning they do not need to be pollinated by insects in order for their seeds to grow.
Growing in another bed are the edamame beans – whole, immature soybeans, sometimes referred to as vegetable-type soybeans. They are green and differ in color from regular soybeans, which are typically light brown, tan, or beige.
And look at the Swiss chard. The leaves are perfect. Swiss chard is a leafy green vegetable often used in Mediterranean cooking. The leaf stalks are large and vary in color, usually white, yellow, or red. The leaf blade can be green or reddish in color. Harvest Swiss chard when the leaves are tender and big enough to eat.
Here is the yellow Swiss chard. Swiss chard is actually a beet but without a bulbous root. It’s referred to as a member of the “goosefoot” family due to the shape of its leaves. And always cut chard leaf by leaf, so the plant can continue to grow new leaves during the rest of the season.
Beets are sweet and tender – and one of the healthiest foods. Beets contain a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains, which provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support.
Although typically a reddish-purple hue, beets also come in varieties that are white or golden orange-yellow.
Our shallots are also so pretty. Shallots, Allium ascalonicum, are a member of the allium family, closely related to onions, garlic, and chives.
Ryan picked some gorgeous onions. Look how big they are.
And here’s just one of many potatoes still to be harvested. The potato is a starchy tuber of the perennial nightshade plant Solanum tuberosum. As the world’s fourth-largest food crop, following maize, wheat, and rice, potatoes are grown from “seed potatoes”, which are certified disease-free and specially grown in nurseries for planting purposes.
This is our best year for cucumbers. We have harvested buckets of cucumbers. Cucumbers require a long growing season, and most are ready for harvest in 50 to 70 days from planting. The fruits ripen at different times on the vine, but it is essential to pick them when they are ready. If they are left on the vine too long, they tend to taste bitter.
And look what else is growing – fresh bird’s beak peppers, also known as Pimenta Biquinhos. These little Brazilian peppers have a fantastic floral flavor and a medium heat. My daughter, Alexis, and I love them. I pickle jars of them every year.
Ryan also harvested several eggplants. Pick eggplants when they are young and tender. Try to pick a little early, which will encourage the plant to grow more, and will help to extend the growing season.
And do you know why it is called “eggplant?” In the 1700s, early European versions of eggplant were smaller and yellow or white. They looked like goose or chicken eggs, which led to the name “eggplant.” See Ryan’s fun video on his Instagram page @RyanMcCallister1.
Sweet bell peppers are popular in the garden – all grassy in flavor and super-crunchy in texture. I love making stuffed peppers – so easy and so delicious. After picking, just wipe them down and put in the fridge. One can wash them just before using.
We grow more than 100 tomato varieties every year. Most tomato plant varieties need between 50 and 90 days to mature, but this year, they seem to be taking longer because of all the wet weather we’ve had. Are your tomatoes still green?
Tomatoes are heat loving plants, so they need the hot weather to mature, but ours are getting there – some of our cherry tomatoes are red enough to pick.
Everything is loaded in trug buckets and brought up to my flower room, where they are washed if needed, then bagged and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. How was your harvest this weekend?
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