2015 Baker Creek Seed Order

Here is our 2015 Planting Season seed order for Baker Creek! I will be ordering additional herbs from Richter's in a few weeks.

*Denotes new type of crop we've never grown before

Amaranth, Golden Giant*
Bean, Blue Lake Bush
Bean, Golden Wax
Bean, Henderson Bush Lima*
Carrot, Little Finger
Carrot, Parisienne
Cucumber, Mexican Sour Gherkin
Grain, White Sonora Wheat*
Lettuce Mix, Rocky Top
Lettuce Mix, Siamese Dragon
Leek, Bulgarian Giant
Onion, Heshiko Bunching
Pepper, Hot, Scorpion
Pepper, Sweet, CA Wonder
Pepper, Sweet, Italian Pepperoncini
Pepper, Sweet, Mini Yellow Bell
Squash, Fordhook Zucchini
Pumpkin, CT Field (pepo)
Tomato, Amish Paste
Tomato, Bonny Best

Basil, Genovese
Bee Balm, Lemon*
Chamomile, German*
Feverfew*
Lavendar*
Marjoram
Spearmint*
Summer Savory*
Valerian*

DEHYDRATING: Frozen Fruits and Veggies

Dehydrating frozen produce is an extremely simple way to take advantage of sales, or to make room in your freezer. Very handy for soups and stews.

I posted a photo of some frozen mixed vege with a brief explanation of how easy it is to dehydrate frozen produce yesterday, but I wanted to expand on that a little more. Today, I'm doing the rest of the mixed vege, a bag of corn, and a bag of broccoli florets!

What makes frozen produce so convenient for dehydrating is that items needing to be blanched before dehydration have already been done so before freezing. Also, in some cases, like the mixed vege or potatoes, the produce has already been peeled and diced into small pieces. Depending on the size of your batch, you could be saving hours of prep time!

Small items like corn, peas, blueberries, potato dices or chopped mixed fruits and vege can be put into the dehydrator as is in a single layer. However, rough chopped things like broccoli and cauliflower florets or halved strawberries should be cut into smaller bite sized pieces for shorter and  more even drying.

In general, frozen fruits and vegetables take about 10-12 hours to dry in a 135 degree dehydrator. Some a little shorter, some a little longer, depending on the wattage of your machine and what temperature you have them set on. Around the 8 hour mark, start checking for doneness. They will be "crispy". Small dices will be hard like plastic beads.

Store your dehydrated goods in a clean, completely dry glass jar in a cool, dry, dark place. If you wish to store them long-term, put an oxygen absorber in the jar, or vacuum seal it. Without an oxygen absorber or seal they should last a minimum of one year. I've got green peppers, jalapenos and mixed vege over a year old now that are still good,

Well, that's all I have for now. With these subzero temps, I've been busy running outside to change out frozen waterers several times a day. Spring can't come fast enough!!!

SEED SAVING: Decorative Gourds and Squash

Right about now, I bet those cute little decorative gourds and squash you purchased around Halloween are starting to become moldy. It's the perfect time to save their seeds!

Saving seed from decorative squash, gourds and miniature pumpkins is simple, and since they're simply for looks, cross pollination isn't as much of a worry. In fact, can lead to something new and interesting! It's actually easier to save seed from fruits that are starting to dry out on their own. Fair warning, however- once you cut into them, there could be a foul stench and off colored, gross textured pulp!

You will need:  

Sharp Butcher Knife

Spoon

Colander

Sheet of Wax Paper

Simply cut the fruit in half and scoop seeds into colander, with as little pulp as possible. Rinse seeds thoroughly. You may have to manually remove large chunks of pulp that will not fit through the colander. Spread drained seeds out on a sheet of wax paper in a well ventilated area and allow to dry for several days. When seeds are completely dry, place them in an envelope and label with the name of the variety of fruit (or a description of it, if you don't know what variety it is).

HARVEST: Air Drying Herbs

You can easily dry your herbs using materials found around your home. I recommend this method of drying for large batches, especially for woody stemmed plants. 

I have found that it's much easier to process large batches of herbs by air drying than by dehydrating, especially woody stemmed plants with small leaves like Thyme. Be advised though, air drying can take several weeks as opposed to a day in the dehydrator.

MATERIALS:

Coat Hanger

String (Thread/Yarn/Twine, etc)

Fresh Herbs, washed and dried

PROCEDURE:

Gather herbs together in small bunches  by the stems and tie together with string, leaving ends 5-6" long. Tie ends of string to the coat hanger, letting the bunches dangle freely. Hang the coathanger in a dry, ventilated place away from direct sunlight. Allow herbs to hang until leaves are completely dry and crumble easily. Strip leaves from stems and store whole in a glass jar in a cool, dark, dry place. They store well for at least a year, after which they will begin to lose some potency.

When you need to refill your pantry shaker, pour your dried herbs into a small blender or mortar/pestle and grind as needed.

HOW TO GROW: Tomatoes (Lycopersicon Esculentum)

We've saved the best for last! All week long, we've been discussing how to process and preserve our tomato harvests. If you enjoy the idea of making your own delicious "from scratch" meals from homegrown tomatoes, why not try growing your own? It's a lot easier than you might think! Here is a beginner's guide to starting, growing, and saving seed from your own plants!

Tomatoes are annual plants all over the United States, meaning they do not over winter and grow back the next year. They are usually started indoors and planted out a week  after the last frost date in your USDA Hardiness Zone.

Most home gardeners these days purchase started plants from a local nursery or home improvement chain store. But, did you know there is a huge variety of tomatoes available out there that may be easily grown from seed! From yellow cherry tomatoes, to pink paste tomatoes, to white slicing tomatoes, there is a plethora of choices out there!

HOW TO  START SEED:

Starting tomatoes from seed is actually relatively easy. They should be started indoors about 8 weeks before the last frost date in your USDA Hardiness Zone. For example, here in South East Michigan, ours is around May 10th. Click HERE to find yours by zip code.

First and foremost, start with quality seeds. A good packet of seeds should have at least an 80% germination rate, or perhaps even higher depending on what type of vegetable it is. That is, 4 of 5 seeds you plant should begin to grow. Lil Raisin Acres grows open pollinated heirloom varieties only, from which we can reliably save seed and expect a similar tomato plant to come up next year. We recommend purchasing seed from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. They have an impressive catalog of interesting choices.

After purchasing your seeds, you will need a container with a transparent lid and some type of "soil" to grow them in. Any plastic container with a transparent lid will do. For a first time seed starter, or someone starting only a few dozen seeds or so, I would recommend a seed starting kit. We often use Jiffy Seed Starter kits, readily available at home improvement or chain department stores like Lowes or Meijer for around $7. They consist of a tray with transparent lid and "peat pellets" made from Canadian sphagnum peat moss , which expand upon contact with water. You can purchase replacement pellets or mix your own seed starting medium and reuse them year after year!

Various seed starting containers including Jiffy kits,
Dollar Tree Mini Greenhouses and Instant Soup Containers

Once we have our containers prepared as directed, it's time to plant seeds! For tomatoes, we generally put 2-3 seeds in each pellet/cell to be sure we get at least 1 viable plant in each one. Plant the seeds about 1/4" deep and cover well with soil. After dispersing your seeds, immediately put the lid on and tape it shut.

Place your seed containers in a sunny, south-facing window. They should get all the sunlight they need there. If you do not have a sunny south-facing window, you can put them in an eastern window, but they may not fare as well long-term. Another solution would be to hang "grow lights" above the mini greenhouses. There's a great tutorial HERE. 

Optimal germination temperatures for tomato seeds is around 80 degrees. Somewhere between 7 to 10 days later, you should see tiny tomato plants start coming up. The mini greenhouse lids should NOT be removed until several of the seeds have sprouted to keep in moisture and warmth. Once the majority of your seeds have sprouted, remove the lid. The soil should be kept slightly damp, but NOT wet. We use a spray bottle to lightly mist the soil surfaces each morning. Over watering leads to unwanted fungi growth that can kill your seedlings. 

Once the first true leaves appear (the second set of leaves the plant gets after emerging) you may begin to fertilize your seedlings with diluted fish emulsion fertilizer. 1 part fish emulsion to 20 parts water, once per week. (Be warned! It has a stench worse than death, but is the best there is out there for use on organically grown seedlings in my opinion.) Over fertilizing may result in "burning" and killing the seedlings.

After your plants have gained their second set of true leaves, you will need to thin them down to one plant per pellet/cell. Choose the seedling with the strongest looking stem, not necessarily the tallest one. Use a pair of scissors to carefully clip them at the soil line. Do NOT pull them up, as it may damage the root system of the seedling you've chosen to keep!

HOW TO GROW:

As your seedlings mature, they will require more water. If your plants look a little "droopy" it's a sure sign they're not getting enough. You may also begin to fertilize them with a little stronger blend of  1 part fish emulsion to 10 parts water. As the plants get taller, raise your grow lights if you're using them. For optimum growth, you will need to transplant them into larger containers, such as recycled cottage cheese containers, cut off milk jugs, or even red solo cups!

About 2 weeks before your last frost date, begin setting your young plants outdoors for "hardening off". Start with only one hour per day and work your way up by adding an hour per day to 10 hours. Bring them in at night, as there is still danger of frost which will definitely kill off tender tomato plants. Also, bring them indoors in case of high winds or heavy rain. Continue to fertilize them weekly.

A week past your last frost date, it's time to plant them outdoors. We always wait an extra week to be absolutely sure there's ZERO chance of a freak frost (although with recent obscure weather patterns, it's anyone's guess...). The soil where you will plant them should be well worked, and may be dressed with well aged manure for fertilization.

Plant the tomatoes in FULL SUN, 36" apart in rows 36" apart. If  you live in a dry area, plant them in a shallow depression so that rain may pool near the roots. Water heavily after transplanting. You may also wish to mulch around your plants to prevent weed growth and retain moisture. Tomatoes grow best if they are secured to a stake or caged. As they begin to grow taller and set fruit, the stems can potentially break, killing the plant or at least severely limiting your tomato harvest.

Continue watering your plants as needed. A good soaking twice a week is a good rule of thumb, whether by rain or by watering can. You will want to remove any "suckers", which are secondary branches that begin growing in the crotches of the main branches and the stem. About 8 weeks after you plant them out, you will notice tiny yellow flowers growing on your plants. Each of these buds, assuming they are all pollinated, will become a tomato! Don't remove or otherwise disturb them!

As buds begin to develop into tiny tomatoes, you will want to begin watering them more often, as tomatoes are about 95% water! If you see a heavily laden branch beginning to bend as though it will break, you can secure it to the cage or an additional stake.

HOW TO HARVEST:

Anywhere between 65 and 90 days, depending on the varieties of tomato you planted, you will have ripening tomatoes on your plants. Use heavy duty scissors or pruning shears to cut the tomatoes from the plants, as you do not want to damage the plant if there are other tomatoes still growing on it. Store your tomatoes at room temperature. They should keep for about a week or so, depending on variety. Paste and cherry tomatoes last longest in my experience. For optimum flavor, they should be processed as soon as possible after harvesting if you intend to can, freeze or dehydrate your harvest.

Tomatoes are interesting in that you can harvest them a few days before full maturity, and they will continue to mature indoors! I recommend this method if you're in an area where varmints or nuisance insects are a problem (we harvest early here due to rabbits and grasshoppers).


HARVESTING SEED:

Only save seed from fully mature fruits of healthy plants. You should choose the best tasting and nice sized tomatoes for seed saving. In order to save tomato seed, you must first "wet-process" ferment them to remove the gelatinous sac surrounding them.

Simply slice in half and squeeze/seeds into a transparent glass mason jar. Add a enough water to just cover them. Use a piece of cheese cloth or other light, breathable fabric and fasten it in place with a jar lid ring or rubber band. Place the jar of seeds in a sunny window. Each evening, remove the cloth and stir the contents. It will admittedly gain a "funky" odor as part of the fermentation process. The process is complete when you see a good layer of "scum" on the surface of the water.

Carefully remove the layer of scum from the surface. There may be a few seeds, too. Discard those, they are "dead" and will not reproduce. Pour remaining contents in a fine mesh strainer and thoroughly rinse the seeds of all debris.

Spread seeds out on a piece of wax paper in a single layer in a well ventilated area for roughly a week, stirring them up every couple days to ensure even drying. They should slide across the wax paper easily when they are completely dry.

Store your dry seeds in a labeled envelope in an air-tight container (I use a Rubbermaid shoe box) in a dark, cool, dry place. They should remain viable for several years under proper storage conditions.



And that is all there is to it! If you have any questions, feel free to comment below! 

How to Harvest Dill and Cilantro Seed

Dill and Cilantro are both annual herbs that are easy to grow, harvest, and can be used in a number of dishes. Dill is probably most known for pickling, Cilantro for salsas.







I made this video last year, before we had this blog. Since it's that time of the year, I thought I'd re-share.



One change I have made in harvesting is choosing to gently roll the dried heads between 2 sheets of paper to dislodge the seeds from the stems, rather than using the back-and-forth cups method for the seed I'm saving just for re-planting.