Tomato Sale Update

10. May 2010 by admin.

Thank you to all who bought plants at our seedling sale last week. A great turnout, I thank you all! Still stocking your garden? Its not too late to buy plants, just let me know and we can set up a time for you to come by.

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Heirloom Seedling Sale is here!

28. April 2010 by admin.

House in the Woods Organic Heirloom Plant Sale

 

One of the most delicious tastes of summer is the heirloom tomato. These old-time varieties are bred for their taste and unique characteristics, unlike hybrids developed for a thick skin to withstand shipment to the grocery store. They are also indeterminate plants which means they flower continuously so you get a longer harvest. Heirloom varieties are bred for backyard gardens with a priority on taste–find out for yourself in your garden.

 

Sale Hours —

MAY 2-8:

Sunday May 2, 10am-5pm

Tuesday-Thursday (May 4th-6th) from 4-7pm

Friday May 7th, 10am-5pm

Saturday May 8th, 10am-5pm

2104 Mt Ephraim Rd, Adamstown, MD 21710
Contact ilene@houseinthewoods.com or 301-607-4048 for directions and appointments off-hours.

 

 

$4 per tomato plant, $3.50 for others, plus 6% sales tax. Ask about other plants for sale. We have another dozen heirloom tomato varieties beyond this list!

 

Bring a box for your plants. Return pots to our mailbox, we’ll re-use them!

May 2-8, 2010. More info–ilene@houseinthewoods.com    301-607-4048

 

REDS AND PINKS————————————

 

 

____ Black Krim–Dark red beefsteak with rich sweet taste from Black Sea of Russia

____ Brandywine–Pinkish red, most popular heirloom originated in 1889. 

____ Cherokee Purple—A favorite, from Tennessee cultivated by the Cherokee Tribe.        Plants loaded with beefsteak tomatoes. Deep red interior flesh, rich, complex flavor.

____ Arkansas Traveler—flavorful perfect rose-pink heirloom, 100 years old from the south. Tolerant of high heat, humidity, drought. Resistant to splitting.

 

UNIQUE COLORS————————————-

 

 

____ Old German—a mild sweet tomato, with red-yellow streaks to skin and flesh.  Low acid, as are most yellow, orange and green tomatoes.

____ Persimmon–Rose-orange like a persimmon, big, sweet. Fruit up to 2 pounds!

Vigorous and prolific plants.

____ Green Zebra–A magic tomato, green with dark green stripes, skin blushes

yellow when ripe. Green salsa or even green sauce! A hit for contrast on a potluck platter. Also have some Cherokee Green.

 

 

PASTES for cooking and saucing————————————————

____ Speckled Roma–Paste tomato, Red with a hint of orange and wavy yellow

streaks, a beauty! And sweet, you’ll want to cut some for the salad too.

____ Purple Calabash—rich red tomato good for saucing. Squatty shape.

____ Orange Banana –another unique paste, this one is orange!

 

CHERRIES————————————————

 

 

____ Matt’s Wild Cherry–Mini red wild cherry tomatoes, prolific. Cute little stems

with six bite-size tomatoes on each. Kids love ‘em!

____ Sungold Cherry–Orange, super sweet mini tomato. A rare exception to our

heirloom rule in our tomato collection, this hybrid is worth it. Our CSA members

eat them all up on the car-ride home.

 

 

PEPPERS and EGGPLANT——————————————————

____ Marconi—heirloom long green bell pepper that ripens to red

____ Purple Beauty—beautiful purple skin, green inside like a regular bell pepper

____ Pimento—Ripens to red quickly, tangy but mild, ideal for cooking or roasting

____ New Ace—a boxy hybrid green bell pepper that ripens quickly to red

____ Jalapeno—the medium-hot salsa pepper, prolific

____ Nadia Italian Eggplant—beautiful shiny standard Italian eggplant

____ Japanese Eggplant—long skinny Asian eggplant, great sliced for cooking.

 

PERENNIAL HERBS—————————————————-

____ Chamomile—beautiful little daisy-like flowers, dry them for tea

____ Sage, Thyme, Oregano—great culinary herbs for any herb garden.

____ Basil and Parsley too–most popular herbs in the garden

Posted in Greenhouse, Heirloom Tomatoes | 1 Comment »

Blizzard 2010 on the farm

11. February 2010 by ilene.

Farm news from Blizzard Peak. The snow sure is beautiful, but there is definitely too much of a good thing here. I am tickled by how many people wrote and asked “How are the cows managing the snow?” They appreciate your concern. If they could speak our language, they would surely complain. But they have an electric heater keeping their water melted, and they have a haybale to eat. They are hardy animals, for sure. The chickens are, well, “cooped up”. I’m sure they miss the fresh air and compost snacks, but they don’t like froze toes, so they stay in mostly. They will come out soon. If you are still worrying about the cows, here is a photo for reassurance:

Now, they would be tucked into the woods during the snow if they wanted extra cover, don’t you think? Still, its not cozy being a cow.

Here is the blizzard casualty for us. Our sweet, ol seedling greenhouse got squished. Here is a photo. Its bent up and ripped down. I am glad Phil did not take my advice to replace the plastic this year. He was repairing it for one more year, before the new plastic treatment. Good move.

So, if you are thinking ahead, you might wonder what our plans are for the seedlings we need to start in a couple weeks. Yikes. Never fear, move on to the next photo.

This is our new hoophouse, right in the garden. It is 30X100 feet, a big thing for us. It was an adventure putting the plastic on this baby, and a hundred thank yous for all their help putting up the plastic go to the Horst Family from Jehovah Jireh Farm

Phil has spent a couple days keeping this big plastic and pipe thing from collapsing too. The plastic is stretched but it is doing OK. We will be able to grow our seedlings in the hoophouse this year.

Enjoy the snow! Eat soup. Be glad you don’t walk on all fours like Sitka here. And may you dig out without much circumstance.

Posted in Greenhouse, Hoophouse, On the Farm | 2 Comments »

Heirloom Tomatoes “Not too late” Sale

20. May 2009 by ilene.

Due to popular demand, we have more heirloom tomato plants ready for sale, in many interesting varieties. And plenty of peppers! Here is your chance to add a magic heirloom tomato to your garden collection, sneak in one more, or start that late garden. You are not too late! Tomatoes will be happy to go in the ground now that it is warming up more consistently, and they may give you tomatoes farther into the fall than earlier plantings.  That’s why we grow a second set.

I will update this list of varieties each evening this week.

ORGANIC HEIRLOOM TOMATO SEEDLING SALE–this weekend!
at House in the Woods Farm

Friday May 22–10am-2pm
Saturday May 23–10am-2pm
Sunday May 24–10am-2pm
Other times and days available, just email or call to set up a visit.

 

Go to http://www.houseinthewoods.com for more information about the sale.

 

THANK YOU–Thank you all for a sell-out tomato sale in early May with our first planting of tomatoes. Bring the 4-inch pots back to the sale, or put a bag of them by our mailbox if you are in the neighborhood. We’ll re-use them.  Happy Gardening!

$4 per tomato plant, plus 6% sales tax. Ask about other plants for sale. Return pots to our mailbox and we’ll re-use them!

 
REDS AND PINKS————————————

Black Krim–Dark red beefsteak with rich sweet taste from Black Sea of Russia

Brandywine–Pinkish red, most popular heirloom originated in 1889. 

Purple Calabash—rich red tomato good for saucing. Squatty shape.

 
UNIQUE COLORS————————————-

Valencia-Beautiful round bright orange tomato, mild, fruity sweet like a Valencia orange. From Maine.

Persimmon–Rose-orange like a persimmon, big, sweet. Fruit up to 2 pounds! Vigorous and prolific plants.

Green Zebra–A magic tomato, green with dark green stripes, skin blushes yellow when ripe. Green salsa or even green sauce! A hit for contrast on a potluck platter.

 
PASTES————————————————–

Long Tom–Especially long red paste tomatoes with few seeds and thick walls. Great sauces, good in salads.

Speckled Roma–Paste tomato, Red with a hint of orange and wavy yellow streaks, a beauty!

Black Plum–Russian plum variety, Two-inch elongated plum-shaped dark red fruit. Close to a paste but thinner walls. Sweet and tangy.

 
CHERRIES————————————————

Matt’s Wild Cherry–Mini red wild cherry tomatoes, prolific. Cute little stems with six bite-size tomatoes on each. Kids love ‘em!

Sungold Cherry–Orange, super sweet mini tomato. A rare exception to our heirloom rule in our tomato collection, this hybrid is worth it. Our CSA members eat them all up on the car-ride home.

 
PEPPERS————————————————

Marconi—heirloom long green bell pepper that ripens to red

Purple Beauty—beautiful purple skin, green inside like a regular bell pepper

Biscayne—Mild yellow banana pepper. Prolific

Pimento—Ripens to red faster than bells, tangy but mild, ideal for cooking or           

roasting

Ace—a boxy hybrid green bell pepper that ripens quickly to red

 
PERENNIAL HERBS—————————————————-

Chamomile—beautiful little daisy-like flowers, dry them for tea

Sage and Thyme—great culinary herbs for any herb garden.

 

--

Ilene Freedman

ilene@houseinthewoods.com

www.houseinthewoods.com

Posted in Greenhouse, Heirloom Tomatoes, On the Farm | 2 Comments »

Heirloom Tomato Varieties

4. May 2009 by ilene.

Thanks everyone, for a fabulous tomato sale! We cleared out the first planting of tomato plants, I still have a few Brandywine and that’s it. I have a second planting of lots of varieties for sale, ready around Memorial Day weekend. All these varieties are available again for the second planting. For sale by appointment.

ORGANIC HEIRLOOM TOMATO VARIETIES FOR SALE. $4/each

REDS AND PINKS————————————

Black Krim–Dark red beefsteak with rich sweet taste from Black Sea of Russia

Arkansas Traveler–One hundred year old heirloom from the south, Arkansas to North Carolina. A lovely round tomato, resistant to cracking and disease. A favorite of ours.

Brandywine–Pinkish red, most popular heirloom originated in 1889.  One pounders! I have tons of Brandywine plants!

Carmello–The French Carmello is popular in Europe for its exceptionally fine flavor. Very productive plants. The grower “de-hybridized” this seed from the original hybrid.

Cherokee Purple–Deep red beefsteak with dark shoulders, originated in Tennessee by the Cherokee tribe. Rich flavor.

Prudens Purple–Beautiful deep pink-red and rich taste like Brandywine. A mainstay slicer on our farm.

Giant Belgium–The name may warn you—this tomato averages 2 pounds but can reach 5 pounds! Great for cooking, canning, or showing off.

UNIQUE COLORS————————————-

Valencia-Beautiful round bright orange tomato, mild, fruity sweet like a Valencia orange. From Maine.

Persimmon–Rose-orange like a persimmon, big, sweet. Fruit up to 2 pounds! Vigorous and prolific plants.

Striped German–A fruity sweet treat! This tomato will show you what heirlooms have to offer—a big sweet tomato with red-yellow stripes with streaked red and yellow juicy flesh.

Pineapple—Just like a Striped German. Pineapple fruity sweet, streaky red-yellow, yummy tomato.

Green Zebra–A magic tomato, green with dark green stripes, skin blushes yellow when ripe. Green salsa or even green sauce! A hit for contrast on a potluck platter.

PASTES————————————————–

Long Tom–Especially long red paste tomatoes with few seeds and thick walls. Great sauces, good in salads.

Speckled Roma–Paste tomato, Red with a hint of orange and wavy yellow streaks, a beauty!

Amish Gold—Paste cross between Amish Paste and the beloved Sungold, a sweet idea.

Black Plum–Russian plum variety, Two-inch elongated plum-shaped dark red fruit. Close to a paste but thinner walls. Sweet and tangy.

CHERRIES————————————————

Matt’s Wild Cherry–Mini red wild cherry tomatoes, prolific. Cute little stems with six bite-size tomatoes on each.

Sungold Cherry–Orange, super sweet mini tomato. A rare exception to our heirloom rule in our tomato collection, this hybrid is worth it. Our CSA members eat them all up on the car-ride home. Kids love ‘em!

We have a few kinds of peppers and eggplant. We have thyme, sage, and chamomile. Sold out of basil.

Posted in Greenhouse, Heirloom Tomatoes | 2 Comments »

It’s Tomato Seedling Sale Week!

3. May 2009 by ilene.

Six weeks in the greenhouse and these plants are beauties. Over 20 varieties of heirloom tomato plants, for our garden and those of our plant customers. You can come by the farm this week on Friday May 8 or Saturday May 9, 10am-5pm, for tomato plants. Email me for directions.

We had a good Pre-sale day today, with some of the regulars stopping by for their tomatoes.  Shannon came for her tomatoes, she has been a customer for years. She keeps a blog called Grown in Frederick. She went home and wrote this post about the sale, read all about it at her blog.

I have the greenhouse set up for the sale, with photos of the tomatoes whole and sliced, above each type of tomato plant. A few years ago we had a Tomato Tasting Festival, and took photos of each type of tomato on the tasting table. The event was fun, and I am still enjoying the ongoing benefit of it– helpful photos I get to use for the sale.

 

 

Perennial Chamomile plants for sale:

 By early August, this will be our treat, we can hardly wait:

Posted in Greenhouse, Heirloom Tomatoes | 2 Comments »

Greenhouse Thinnings Salad

14. April 2009 by ilene.

I thin the plants in the greenhouse trays. Here is my Greenhouse Thinnings Salad, a greenhouse by-product gourmet treat. When we are out in the garden, the kids know to come running in the greenhouse for “snacks”. I give them little handfuls of treats from the greenhouse–delicate micro-greens including cabbage, chard, spinach, beets, kale, tiny onions. I have also taken to planting a couple flats of lettuce and chard, designated as “greenhouse snack trays”.

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Spring on the farm

18. March 2009 by ilene.

I start to feel the approach of springtime on the farm in late February when we begin planting seedlings in the greenhouse. We start onions and scallions and slow-to-germinate parsley in February. In March we begin cool weather crops like cabbage and turnips and beets first. I just started planting tomato seeds and peppers and eggplant. The greenhouse is starting to feel busy. Starting up the greenhouse gives me spring fever, I get all itchy to play in the dirt again. It is the perfect place to play in the dirt in March, a pleasure to be under the protection of the plastic on blustery days.

Cabbage seedlings

I like to plant a tray of lettuce right away, to cut and eat straight from the greenhouse tray.

Onion seedlings grow into much tastier onions than onions grown from onion sets.

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