The weather has been very erratic this winter. Today we're expecting a mix of sun and clouds with gusty winds developing in the afternoon. Yesterday, we had almost no wind, temperatures in the high 40s, and a fresh three-inch coating of light, fluffy snow.
After this latest snowfall, I was out early, before 6am, to plow the four miles of carriage road that meander through my property. The snow stuck to everything - the tree branches, the fences, and all the burlap-covered urns and boxwood shrubs. By afternoon, some of it had melted as temperatures climbed into the high 40s. We're expecting more precipitation in a couple of days and cold, freezing temperatures next week - winter is not going anywhere just yet.
Here are some of the latest snow shots, enjoy.
It was cloudy most of the day, but the sun was there peeking through the clouds.
This snow was quite light and fluffy. This type of snow is caused by colder temperatures leading to less moisture in the air.
Here’s the front of my stable before equine hooves walked through the courtyard.
The snow outlined the drainage grates perfectly.
Here is one of three Blue Atlas Cedars sent by a devotee this summer. It is planted in the north end of my living maze.
And look at this mature azalea. In spring, it is filled with bright pink blooms – now, its branch tips are white with snow.
Azaleas go dormant during winter, allowing them to tolerate the colder temperatures more easily.
Here is the sunken garden behind my Summer House – it looks so different in winter. This snow system covered the burlap almost completely. I’m thankful the snow was light and did not weigh anything down on my precious boxwood underneath.
These apple trees are original to the farm. I call them my “ancient” apples. They still produce an abundance of fruit in the fall.
And here is my half-acre vegetable garden now in slumber.
The privets are holding strong this winter. They do not need any added protection. In fact, they serve as a strong windbreak for other more sensitive evergreens in my maze.
All the evergreens in this maze are doing well. I am looking forward to planting more rows come spring.
Watching all the activity – my handsome peacock. This is one of my “blue boys” perched on the fence top – he has quite a view.
After it snows, my crew sweeps the snow off the burlap that covers most of the boxwood here at the farm. This time of year, I am very relieved the hedges and shrubs are protected. Heavy snow could splay the branches.
Tracks in the snow – I wonder what kind of feathered friend made these.
This corn crib has been here since I purchased the farm. Located near my Winter House and long pergola, it’s become a favorite photo for guests. The allée of lindens runs perpendicular to the Boxwood Allée that leads to my stable. The snow also piled on the 100-year old white spruce fencing I purchased in Canada.
My donkeys, Truman “TJ” Junior and Jude “JJ” Junior don’t seem to mind the winter weather at all. Here they are snacking on hay at the manger.
And here are my big gorgeous Friesians, Hylke and Geert. They would always choose time in the great outdoors regardless of the season.
This is my snow-covered stone yard, a place where extra inventory of the many types of stones used at the farm are kept – slate shingles, marble flooring, granite posts, etc.
The snow clearly marks the rooftops of all my chicken coops.
Nearby are the young boxwood shrubs in what I call the “nursery.” These small shrubs were planted as bare root cuttings. Now they are about a foot tall and just as wide. I will nurture them for several years before transplanting them to their more permanent locations.
Hard to miss the stand of eastern white pine trees, Pinus strobus. They can be seen from many vantage points at the farm. A lot of snow had melted by afternoon. Let’s see what the next storm brings.
Here in the Northeast, citrus season is just about over, but I still have an abundance of delicious fruits growing here at my farm.
Citrus fruits come in a variety of flavors - sour, tangy, and refreshingly sweet. Among the most recognizable are oranges, grapefruits, and lemons. Less known are the smaller members of the citrus family, the calamondin and the kumquat. I love them all and find it so satisfying to walk into my citrus hoop house and see them thriving.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Less that two weeks ago, I harvested a bucket full of delicious citrus fruits. Citrus season in this region typically peaks from November to January, but I still have lots of fruits growing so nicely in my hoop house.
My citrus hoop house is located along the carriage road not far from my chickens. The citrus will stay in this structure for about seven months until the temperatures outside reach about 60-degrees Fahrenheit.
Citrus plants dislike abrupt temperature shifts and need to be protected from chilly drafts and blazing heaters. Dwarf citrus trees require at least eight to 12 hours of full sunshine and good air circulation to thrive.
I have many lemon trees. The Meyer lemon was first introduced to the United States in 1908 by the agricultural explorer, Frank Nicholas Meyer, an employee of the United States Department of Agriculture who collected a sample of the plant on a trip to China. Citrus limon ‘Meyer’ is my favorite lemon because this thin-skinned fruit is much more flavorful than the ordinary store-bought. I love to use them for baking and cooking.
And this dark green familiar citrus fruit is the lime, often used to accent flavors in various Mexican, Vietnamese, and Thai dishes. Limes are also rich in vitamin C and antioxidants.
The navel orange is a variety of orange with a characteristic second fruit at the apex. This variety developed by a mutation in an orange tree, and first appeared in the early 19th century.
These are Minneola tangelos. These fruits are a cross between a grapefruit and tangerine. The skin of the tangelo is typically bright orange and juicy, with a sweet-tart taste.
And these are ruby grapefruits, known for their vibrant color and high lycopene content.
Citrus flowers are either solitary or clustered – and one can practically smell their beautiful aroma.
But watch out for any thorns. Some of the most common citrus trees to sport thorns are Meyer lemons, most grapefruits and key limes. Thorns provide protection from predators, specifically hungry animals that want to nibble away at the tender leaves and fruit.
It’s important to store the plants so none of them touch. This prevents a lot of diseases from being transferred from specimen to specimen.
In my hoop house, I am able to take advantage of vertical space, propping up some specimens on tree stumps to maximize storage while also keep trees from touching.
Citrus trees also prefer to be kept in humid environments.
Blood oranges are known for the deep blood-red color of their segments. The fruit gets its pigment from the antioxidant anthocyanin, which is also found in raspberries and cherries. Depending on the variety, the blood orange can be sweet or tart.
The Valencia orange is a sweet orange variety named after the well-known oranges in Valencia, Spain. They are juicy and have a sweet and tangy flavor.
Calamondin, Citrus mitis, is an acid citrus fruit originating in China. Calamondin is called by many names, including calamondin orange, calamansi, calamandarin, golden lime, and musk orange. The fruits of the calamondin are small and thin skinned. Its juice can be used like lemon or lime to make refreshing beverages, or to flavor fish and various soups.
Also small is the Nagami kumquat, Fortunella margarita – the most commonly grown type of kumquat. The tree is small to medium in size with a dense and somewhat fine texture. These trees are quite cold-hardy because of their tendency to go semi-dormant from late fall to early spring. Unlike other citrus fruits, which have thick, pithy rinds, kumquat peel is thin and soft, and perfectly edible.
And this is a beautiful Citrus limon ‘Ponderosa’ or ‘American Wonder Lemon.’ The plant produces a thick mass of highly fragrant flowers, which become tiny lemons. The lemons get bigger and bigger, often up to five pounds and bigger than the palm of one’s hand.
My gardeners check the citrus house every day to look at the condition of the plants, water or feed them if needed, and pick any fruits when they’re ready.
It is actually quite easy to grow citrus indoors as long as it can be kept in a sunny windowsill or in a bright corner of a room. Hope this inspires you to try it and enjoy your own juicy, nutritious citrus fruits.
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.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
