There are so many vegetables thriving inside my vegetable greenhouse at different stages of growth.
Here at my farm, I practice succession planting - a process that involves following one crop with another in order to maximize a garden's yield. Yesterday, my gardeners Ryan and Josh checked on the mature vegetables ready to harvest as well as the seedlings now poking through the soil. They also transplanted a collection of healthy, established greens from Bonnie Plants. It's gratifying to have these pure, flavorful crops growing at the farm. I'm always so happy to share the bounties with my family and friends.
Here are some photos.
This time of year it’s nice to go inside my vegetable greenhouse to see what’s thriving. This large structure has 16 raised flower beds. Right now, some vegetables are ready to harvest, some plants have just recently germinated and are in the beginning stages of growth, and some beds are freshly planted with young, but already established plants.
In succession planting, crops are planted at different times. This is our bed of arugula, directly planted from seed a couple of weeks ago. Arugula leaves, also known as rocket or roquette, are tender and bite-sized with a tangy flavor.
I also have a young bed of cilantro, Coriandrum sativum, growing nicely. Cilantro is also known commonly as coriander or Chinese parsley. Coriander is actually the dried seed of cilantro. Cilantro is a popular micro-green garnish that complements meat, fish, poultry, noodle dishes, and soups. Everyone here at the farm loves the cilantro, but some don’t. Do you know… some even say it tastes like soap? For those, the issue is genetic. These people have a variation in a group of olfactory-receptor genes that allows them to strongly perceive the soapy-flavored aldehydes in cilantro leaves. Among those who strongly dislike cilantro – the late Chef Julia Child.
And here is a carrot plant also recently planted from seed earlier this month. I like to make sure we keep track of what varieties grow well, so I know what to use again.
The ideal temperature inside the greenhouse is around 80-degrees Fahrenheit to keep all the vegetables and herbs growing their best. Rosemary is a fragrant evergreen herb in the mint family Lamiaceae. It has needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers.
These are mature bold red beet stalks. Beetroot stalks are edible and can be eaten raw or cooked. I harvest the bulbous red or orange root vegetables that appear just above the soil when ready to pick. Beets are sweet and tender – and one of the healthiest foods. They contain a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains, which provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support.
All my plants are grown organically and have no chemical taste at all. This is celery, part of the Apiaceae family, which includes carrots, parsnips, parsley, and celeriac.
Also mature and ready to harvest is the Swiss Chard. One cannot miss the gorgeous Swiss chard stalk colors. They are so vibrant with stems of yellow, red, rose, gold, and white.
On one side of a bed is a mature crop of kale. Kale is related to cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, and Brussels sprouts. There are many different types of kale – the leaves can be green or purple in color, and have either smooth or curly shapes.
New Zealand spinach is a trailing plant that forms a mat of triangular soft fleshy foliage. It is not the same as true spinach, in fact the two plants are not related, but can be used fresh or cooked in the same way. I like to add this to my green juice.
Lettuce always grows so well in this greenhouse. It’s a real treat to have lettuce like this all year long. Some of these lettuces will be picked very soon.
Around this bed, Ryan and Josh plant thyme from Bonnie Plants, a leading provider of plants for the vegetable garden, herb garden, and flower garden. These potted plants are a bit older than the seedlings and ready to be put into the ground to establish strong root systems for the growing leaves.
Josh digs a hole about six inches deep.
He uses a Right Angle Trowel designed for ergonomic planting from Johnny’s Selected Seeds.
Josh removes the plant from its pot and teases the roots to stimulate growth.
Then he inserts it into the hole…
… and lightly presses the soil down around the plant. The plants are equally spaced about a foot apart.
Nearby in another bed, Ryan uses a Bed Preparation Rake from Johnny’s Selected Seeds to make the marked rows for the broccoli plants.
Broccoli does so wonderfully in this greenhouse. To grow broccoli successfully, it must get at least six hours of direct sunlight per day or grow lights timed to provide the same amount of direct exposure. And they need room – each broccoli plant should be allowed at least a foot of overall space and six to 12 inches of soil depth.
Ryan and Josh plant more parsley in another bed, this from Bonnie Plants. It will be some time before this crop is ready to harvest, but it will be great in my daily green juice. There’s nothing like the taste of fresh organic vegetables from one’s own garden.
There's no time like the present to start a new organizing project.
Here at my busy Bedford, New York farm, I try very hard to keep things clean and well-organized - in my kitchens, my offices, my craft room, my large Equipment Barn, my greenhouses, etc. Staying organized saves time, boosts productivity, and helps minimize stress. Recently, I decided the prep kitchen in my studio/guest house needed cleaning and re-organizing from top to bottom. It's a big task, but it can be done in stages. On day-one my housekeepers tackled all the many cooking utensils.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Ever walk into the kitchen, see all those kitchen tools and supplies on the counter or in the drawers, and wonder whether they’re all necessary?
Does one need all these sifters, colanders, and strainers? And how can they be better organized?
And what about all the wooden spoons and spatulas? Which ones are the most important?
Or all those rubber kitchen scrapers? These rubber spatula scrapers are used for scraping the sides and bottom of bowls, folding ingredients together, or moving foods from one vessel to another. They are typically made from flexible rubber or silicone that is gentle on surfaces and can withstand high temperatures.
When organizing kitchen utensils, the first thing to do is place everything on a table and group like items together, discarding any that are broken or too worn.
I do a lot of cooking for television and photo shoots, so I have multiples of everything, Here, Enma puts together all my soup ladles – round, square, those that are slotted, and those that are not, etc. You can find my useful kitchen tool sets @marthastewartshop on Instagram.
Pick up my latest organizing special issue magazine. It’s on newsstands and on Amazon until March 21st.
All my kitchen tools are designed for preparing all my delicious recipes such as the ones in my 100th book, MARTHA: The Cookbook – hope you have a copy.
She goes through every piece, assessing condition and usefulness.
These are fish spatulas. A good one should be sturdy enough to lift and flip fish, meat, and other foods, easily.
These are whisks. I have all kinds of whisks – big, small, classic, balloon, and flat whisks. Each kind is designed for a different function, but all are generally used for blending, beating, and whipping ingredients together.
I also have a large assortment of basting brushes – some made with animal hair, some synthetic. I have wide ones and narrow ones. I also have silicone bristle brushes that are easier to clean and suitable for basic basting tasks.
The process of organizing kitchen tools is a good way to declutter and condense one’s collection and make room for other necessary items.
And these small organizing chores can be done in batches, whenever a busy schedule allows. Enma also makes sure every piece is clean and ready to use.
Vintage and antique crocks can be used to hold utensils on the counter. These strong, large jars are durable and easy to keep clean. They can be found at tag sales and consignment shops, or new in stores and online.
Metal spatulas first. Enma returns them in size order, so everything is easy to see.
This crock is filled with tongs of all sizes – again in size order.
The wooden spoons are arranged in a nesting display to save space.
And all like tools are kept together, so there’s no question where to find what.
Here is a vessel of nesting sifters and strainers, now within arm’s reach.
And here are all the whisks. Any unused pieces in good condition can be given away or donated.
In my Winter House, I keep frequently used utensils on a movable cart, but crocks of tools on the counter is also very helpful. In just a few minutes, all these supplies are neatly organized in clean, containers close at hand. What’s next?
Do you know... a group of pheasants is called a nye or nide? More specifically, this word describes several pheasants on the ground. A family group of pheasants with chicks is called a brood, and a group of pheasants in flight is called a bouquet.
Last year, I adopted several Golden pheasants from the Animal Nation Farm Sanctuary in nearby South Salem, New York, a caring organization and go-to resource for at-risk animals from New York City and the surrounding areas. Earlier this month, I purchased a pair of peach Golden pheasants from the Northeastern Poultry Congress in Massachusetts. These latest additions took a few days to acclimate to my farm, but they're now venturing outside their coop and enjoying time with their new friends.
Enjoy these photos.
This coop just outside my stable is currently designated for birds that are new to my farm as well as my Golden pheasants. It is heated and has doors on both the front and back for easy access to the outdoors.
Last year, I got these Golden Pheasants – one red and one yellow. These are both males and get along very well.
The red male has a golden-yellow crest with a hint of red at the tip. The face, throat, chin, and the sides of neck are rusty tan. The red Golden pheasant also has a layered cape of golden feathers – each layer edged in black.
The upper back is green, its body is largely scarlet red, and the rest of the back and rump is golden-yellow.
This summer, I acquired two female Golden pheasants. Their colors are more subdued showing a mottled brown all over the body.
These females are smaller and lighter than the males, and have shorter tails.
But my latest pair is this one – peach Golden pheasants, strikingly rare in their coloration. The one on the left is the male, or cock, and the one on the right is a female, or hen.
Males have a lot of white set off by a light, shiny golden breast and body and a full peachy ruff.
Females are more toned down in coloring and are mostly white with some tan splotches.
Both the male and female have only been at my farm for a little more than a week, but they’re already outside exploring their enclosure.
All Golden pheasants communicate with a variety of calls used in different situations.
They also prefer to run rather than fly and can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour if necessary to escape danger.
Pheasants are very curious and alert.
They are also hardy, very intelligent, and friendly.
Golden Pheasants also have excellent vision because of additional cone cells in their retinas. While humans have three types of cones enabling the recognition of reds, blues, and greens, Golden pheasants have four – they are sensitive to ultraviolet light, a range invisible to the human eye.
The pheasants enjoy watching the farm activity. Being near my stable, they get lots of visitors.
They enjoy perching on their ladders, which are made right here from felled trees.
They also like to go into their natural made shelters. This is one of two in the enclosure, made out of branches and twigs.
All my outdoor birds get a good supply of seeds. Pheasants also eat insects, berries, and plant matter.
And of course, there is always fresh water – checked and changed often to ensure it is always clean and free-flowing. This time of year, it is not unusual to see the troughs frozen.
Golden pheasants are small, but stunning, weighing up to two pounds when fully mature. I know they’ll be very happy here with the rest of their nye.
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