SAVING TOMATO SEED.
If you bust open a tomato and examine the juices you'll notice thousands of tiny seeds floating around. All those seeds have a small, visible sack around them which prevents each from germinating inside the tomato. What's required to render the seed viable and remove the sack, and what makes Hannah and I particularly fond of saving tomato seed, is a little bit of fermentation.You see, in order to save seed on almost any plant, all that's necessary is to imitate what nature does. How, you must ask yourself, would this plant reproduce in nature? For tomatoes, they rely on the fruit to mature, fall from the plant, rot on the ground and re-seed. That, in essence, is what you have to replicate!So here's how we do it:Take two very ripe heirloom tomatoes of the same variety and crush the seeds and juices into a jar (basic red tomatoes are generally hybrids and will not give you seeds true-to-type––you will get plants...but they will be a mystery). Use two tomatoes for a little diversity, but choose healthy tomatoes from the most productive plants. If you like the shape or size or color of a certain tomato....choose that one!Add a tablespoon or two of water to the cup with the seeds. Stir a couple times a day for a few days. It will smell, be prepared! After three days or so––don't go much over four days––remove seeds by using a strainer or cloth and rinse them. Lay seeds on a lid or plate––not paper, as it will stick––and let them dry. Then? Place them in a baggie and freeze them. Et Voila!Every one of our heirloom tomatoes plants this year are from seed we saved last year. That's an exciting feeling, not only knowing you chose what kind of tomato to grow, but everything about it!- Jesse.
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| (some of last year's heirlooms....that are currently growing in the garden!) |
THE DROUGHT AND YOU.
We're hearing a lot in the news lately about the price of food: because of low soybean and corn yields this year, the price of food is going to rise. But it's not actually. Cheap, processed food is definitely going to start costing more––most of it being made with corn, corn syrup, and soybeans––which it should. But you, our dear CSA shareholders, other farmer's market supporters, and grass-fed meat buyers, will likely not have to spend an extra penny on your food. The drought hurt us and our garden, most definitely, but it did not devastate our supply. We have food and will continue to have food and your price will not change. In fact, with rising prices in the supermarket and fast food restaurants, the greatest effect supporters of small farms will see is probably more value in the food they already buy. Without changing anything, in comparison to prices in supermarkets, you will be getting an even better deal on better food than you already do! People often have a hard time justifying the price of local meat and produce, but if the local food is not much more expensive than the imported stuff you find in supermarkets––which I just heard a reporter on NPR say the price of corn-fed beef and lamb could rise as much as 5%––then perhaps more people will begin to transition over. Just a thought, but a pleasant, promising silver lining to this year's harsh (still ongoing for many) drought.- Jesse.
SUSTAINABLE KENTUCKY.
We wanted to share that we are featured in Sustainable Kentucky's Young Farmer Series today! We LOVE Sustainable Kentucky - it is an invaluable source of information for Kentuckians - whether you are looking for a farmer near you, want to learn about keeping chickens in the city, or just need a recipe for strawberry salsa. We got to meet with Jamie of Sustainable Kentucky a few weeks back, and she has truly become a good friend who we seem to bump into every few days! She is a busy woman, and her website is so well organized and put together - I am jealous! Anyway, she has been interviewing several different young Kentucky farmers for her Young Farmer Series, so check it out! Also, make sure to see the first article about Jacob and Carolyn at SWEETGRASS!
Thank you Sustainable Kentucky!
