WHERE THE HEART IS.
This weekend Hannah and I took a quick trip to Bugtussle––again aided by my lovely mother's willingness to watch the animals––to see our mentors, our second home, and our adopted family. We had been able to visit in January before the season started, but since March everybody has been rather tethered to their land––such is farming. So it was nice to get a chance to break away and see the Smith Family, to play with the kids, hear the stories of their crazy season and to unload a few of our troubles, graciously gaining some much needed perspective in return.There's so much to say about that family, that farm: it's our ideal lifestyle and thus an inspiring place for us to return to. But instead of writing a book here about how much we love it, just enjoy some pictures from our trip, and know that many of the hard decisions we'll be facing in the (possibly very) near future were refined over the good food, wine and conversation shared between us.- Jesse.
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!) |
WENDELL WEDNESDAY.
Wendell's been working on some new looks lately. He calls this one his Elvis.
