Redlands, February 2, sunny in the low 60′s with birds galore!

By any chance, are you feeling the urge to forgo cleaning house, work, life just to  browse local garden centers looking for fresh plants to add to your garden? Are you disappearing for hours only to be found in the garden, totally covered in dirt and absolutely loving it?

 I think this  is  called “spring fever” by some and yes, despite the groundhog seeing his shadow this morning [more winter ], the fever is only getting stronger.

So, what are we to do?  We all know it is far too early to plant our tomato and pepper plants [yes, we have seen them on the racks of the box store already but we all know how dismal plants forcably grown in manipulated and synthesised environment do in the real world gardens - TERRIBLE!!!].  

Relax, dear garden friend, there is a cure for this uncontrollable urge to commune with the dirt – come join us as we show you how to “Grow Great Food.” [this is a link to the event on Facebook. If you are attending, won't you let us know?]

Our partners at Cherry Valley Nursery along with the City of San Bernardino Public Library have extended us the opportunity of  presenting this workshop  as part of the ”Free San Bernardino Beautification Series”, educational outreaches offered at the Norman F. Feldheym  Central Library in San Bernardino. The workshop is to be held this coming Tuesday evening @ 6:00 p.m -  555 W. 6th Street, San Bernardino. We sure hope to see you there!

So, what will we be doing? First off, we will be munching on fresh heirloom greens from our home garden [nothing like wetting the appetite to encourage you to grow greens!] 

While working in small groups, we will mix our very own seed starting medium, plant leafy green seeds, transplant young seedlings, harvest and learn the basics of seed saving [using the mustard greens in our garden that have gone to seed and are nearly 4  feet tall!]

 In a word, hands-on! Okay, more words – think of it as a cooking class where you learn to grow your very own,  delicious ingredients!

While the focus of this workshop is on growing leafy greens, [the one thing nearly every living being needs to survive], the knowledge you gain from this hands-on workshop applies to the starting of nearly all seed.

 The timing is perfect, being that mailboxes everywhere are filled with seed catalogs, galore! And speaking of seeds, for the first time ever, we will have a limited supply of our own mix of favorite heirloom leafy green seeds available.

Hope to see you all next Tuesday evening as we all begin “Growing Great Food!”

17 January. Redlands, CA. Sunny, the rain has past and a chill is in the air.

We hope everyone is off to a Happy New Year,  enjoying the month of January and your cool season kitchen garden! We couldn’t be more pleased with how many of you are growing food beyond the typical summertime tomato and zucchini plants. Imagine our surprise to see ALL of our heirloom lettuces transplants [and pre-planted salad bowls] sell out in December. Has Bronze Mignonette and Freckles lettuce kicked the Poinsettia to the curb when it comes to holiday decor? We can hope. [yes, we like poinsettias, it's just that you cant eat them]

We are happy to say we have kicked off the  2012  growing  season in a very BIG way! [For those of you looking for us at the Saturday Morning Downtown Farmers Market, we are working full-time in the nursery operation and will return to market  in March] Remember the extended warm stretch around Christmas? Not ones to pass on prime germination temperatures, we sowed well over six thousand seeds in that window of time [and there are still more to sow!]  We built a modified hoop house over one of our growing racks to house all of the newly planted warm season heirloom edibles. Heaters and fans have been placed inside to provide warmth for the soil and vital air circulation. As of this morning, Jaune Flamme, Roman Candle, Principe Borghese, Henderson Pink Ponderosa, Yellow Pear, Black Krim & Cherokee Purple tomatoes have sprung to life as have: Fledderjohn & Aoyu Edamame, Kentucky Wonder & Rattlesnake Pole beans, Basil, Lemon Cucumbers, Fish Peppers & Dill. [Have a wish list started for your spring garden? Do email [cparker@rollinghillsherbs.com your lists,  pre-season reservations are always welcome!]

But, let’s get back to the cool season veggies for a bit. For all of you who have been patiently waiting for more heirloom leafy green transplants [lettuce!] , we are happy to say heirloom Arugula, Freckles & May Queen Lettuce transplants will be on the cart of Olive Ave Market in Redlands by weeks end!  Heirloom transplants of Yellow Chard & Rapini Broccoli [love to harvest this varieties  smaller heads and side shoots] will be joining them, so do plan on stopping in!  

In the weeks to come, look for more of the cool season favorites you all have come to love - heirloom kale, mache, spinach, cress, garlics, more lettuces, mesclun & even a flower or two [Valentines is just around the bend!] Isn’t it sublime in the coolness that is winter to spend moments in our gardens harvesting fresh food, staying connected the rhythms of Nature, letting the sun gently warm us? We think it is one of the best ways to stay healthy and happy when the days are shorter and germs are thriving indoors.

This month in your garden, remember to throw a frost blanket on when temperatures drop. Don’t worry, if it  does drop down and you forget, remember many cool season plants are quite hardy. Heck, plants like kale and broccoli actually taste better after a cold snap. In our home garden, we cover the garden when temps stay low for an extended period of time – more than one or two nights [rarely do we stay that cold in the day].

Frequent fertilizing is not advised this time of year. If you added a large amount of compost or fertilizer when you switched out your warm season garden to your cool one, you should still be good. If it has been more than 8 weeks and you feel the need to fertilize, try to time it when temperatures will be on the warmer side[70 and above] for at least 7 days. Plants process nutrients better in the warmth as they are not in a state of slowed metabolism and function. One word of caution – fertilizing leads to new growth [good] which is highly sensitive to frost and very cold temperatures [bad - much damage can occur - even death]. Again, have a frost blanket ready to cover when temps are low and to protect new growth.

Well hydrated plants stand up to frost so much better than thirsty ones. The key to watering in the cool season is to still water for the same length of time [deep soak at the soil] but less frequently [perhaps once or twice a week versus everyday like in the summertime].

And the last words for today - workshop! Mark your calendars for Tuesday, February 7th for a free,  hands-on workshop at the Norman F. Feldheym Central Library  [555 W.  6th Street.  San Bernardino, CA 909.381.8238   www.sbpl.org] all to get you ready for ” Growing Great Food”.  Be ready to sow seeds, transplant, even harvest leafy greens. We have added this as an event on Facebook, so if you are planning on attending do let us know! Looking forward to seeing you then.

Redlands, 23 December, 07:15, sunny with a light breeze [finally!]

We hope that during these final days of the year, you find time to connect with the peace of nature and the beauty it brings and that your Holidays are filled with love, joy and happiness!

The Parker/Tapia Family – Rolling Hills Herbs & Heirloom Annuals

Redlands, 9 December, sunny & cool, rain is on the way!

Well friends, tomorrow morning will be our last farmers market until Springtime. The time has come for us to head back to the nursery to get started on growing more delicious heirloom veggie transplants and herbs for 2012. But before we leave you, can we tempt you with these locally grown, beautiful edible garden collections, packed full of heirloom greens?

We sure hope you will stop in tomorrow morning and take home one of these beauties as a thoughtful gift for that someone special on your list – and YES, you are on that list as well!

There is still time to pick up a gift certificate at a 20% discount. You are welcome to give it as a gift or save it to use  for your own springtime planting. Offering our gift certificates at this discount is our way of saying thank you for your continued support of a local, family owned, agricultural business while allowing us  the needed resources to get our 2012 season underway!

So, while you will not see us at the farmers market until spring, KEEP GROWING! You can ALWAYS find our naturally grown heirloom transplants on the racks of Cherry Valley Nursery & on the cart of Olive Ave Market - two  locally owned businesses that make our community such a great place to live in! Look for NEW heirlooms in each location - garlic is arriving [how cool is that?] as is broccoli and LOTS of yummy greens[red sorrel, mache, butter leaf lettuces, kale & more!] .

Redlands, 30th November, Sunny & Warm

Musings? Just a fancy word for contemplations, meditations, thoughts. And because time is short, days are full, thought we would bring our musings to you a little differently this month. Happy Holidays!

In Our Edible Garden:

• Removed all tomato plants [too cold for them now, fruit not setting or ripening [so sad!]
• Added heirloom sugar snap peas,Di Cicco broccoli, lettuce, spinach & kale
• Added a layer of  compost to  raised beds full of leafy greens
• Sprayed fruit trees [the ones that have lost their leaves] with mixture of horticulture soap and copper [to prevent disease, discourage pest and hopefully encourage greater yield next year]
• Collected fallen leaves to add to compost bin

What We’ve Been Harvesting:

• Heirloom leafy greens! We can not tell you how awesome it is to be dining on fresh greens again. Lettuce, chard, kale, mustards, arugula, cress, mizuna, micro-greens…..
• LOVING -  a salad of heirloom arugula, fennel and orange slices. Second favorite – a mixed green salad of baby yellow chard, butter leaf lettuce, red mustard & sorrel.
• Want to try the BEST mixed green salad ever? Move over bagged salad mix, our raised beds are pushing our more heirloom leafy greens than we can use. Send is an email and we will mix you a bag of the freshest salad blend – and put it on our self-serve home produce stand.  4 oz bag $4.00.  8 0z bag $7

What’s fresh this month from our Nursery:

• Perfect for gift-giving,  Containers planted FULL of heirloom edibles. They are so beautiful you may forget they are not strictly ornamental. Purple mizina, giant red mustard, mache, fennel, fava beans, chard and more bring seasonal jewel tone colors to any table [in doors or out] and welcome the season with taste, color, texture and fragrance!  

 LOCAL! EDIBLE! SUSTAINABLE! What more can we say? Oh, that we have three sizes available and that containers  start at about $15.

Cut Herb Bouquets. Speaking of LOCAL & EDIBLE, our cut herb bouquets are FRESH for the season and a great hit @ market. Each bouquet is complete with herbs perfect for roasting seasonal veggies and meats[ Rosemary, Sage & Thyme + some Winter Savory] beautifully held  in a woven tea bag.  The tea bag makes it easy to add flavor to just about any soup or stew. Simply put the herbs inside the bag, tie closed, add to soup or stew and simmer. Remove entire herb pouch and voila! [ Herb bouquets are available only @ farmers market]

Our seasonal, gourmet Herbs & Sel de Mer are here! Packed with our locally & naturally grown herbs [with a bit of local citrus], many of you are already enjoying this gourmet herb sea salt on all kinds of delicious home cooked meals! May we suggest some new ways to use it? Sprinkled on baked sweet potato fries or kale chips. Added to pumpkin or cream of potato soup. Scalloped potatoes.

Did we mention we are now offering our Herbs & Sel de  Mer in a larger size? Yep, we replaced the glass bottle packaging with a simple lined craft bag so that we could offer you more of the delicious gourmet sea salt you all love [8 oz vs 4]. Enjoy!

Our edible garden containers and gourmet herb salts can be found 7 days a week @ Olive Ave Market in Redlands.

Fresh at Farmers Market:

• Heirloom Di Cicco Broccoli. Loving broccoli ourselves, we were looking for a broccoli not only rich in flavor but also one that did not take up the whole garden for little yield. Italian Di Cicco is perfect! This variety of nutrient rich broccoli produces numerous side shoots – perfect to eat raw, steam or stir-fry.
• Heirloom Flat Leaf Parsley. Great added to home-made veggie juice, or in a salad of raw broccoli florets & red onion , parsley is one of the greatest plant sources of vitamin K, super rich in antioxidants & is a powerful digestive aid!
• Okay, not an heirloom plant but almost as good! Be sure to take advantage of a 20% discount on all gift certificates sold through the 17th [last farmers market of the year for us]. Use the gift certificate yourself, save until spring or give as a gift – you choose. Anyway you look at it, it’s a great way to shop small, support local and save money all at the same time.

Redlands,  8 November, sunny & abnormally cool….

In my book, there is no better time to cook with nearly every herb in my garden than Thanksgiving.

From the main course, a turkey infused with both gray and purple sage, rosemary, French & just  a pinch of lemon thyme to the  hors d’oeuvres of deviled eggs sprinkled with finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley, it is hard to find a dish on our holiday table that has not perfected by the addition of herbs.  And if you are like me, you wouldn’t have it any other way!

Today, we are going to focus on the  center piece of many holiday tables – the herb roasted turkey [Dear  vegetarian and vegan friends, the blog posts to follow will showcase some of our families favorite holiday dishes - each one featuring fresh, local produce and lots of ways to showcase herbs!]

Growing up, my experience of roasted turkey was that stuffing was cooked in the bird [gross!] and that it took nearly a day to roast the darn turkey – something about roasting it on low FOREVER. The aroma of the turkey was always a better experience than actually eating it. I vowed that when I grew up, my turkey would taste as good as it smelled and that we would not have to have someone at the holiday table certified in CPR because of  the turkey being a choking hazard.

Flash forward 30 years [or so]. Long before the turkey is purchased [may we suggest a Sheltons free range from Gerrards Market, a hertitage turkey from Flip Flop Ranch in the High Desert or a kosher turkey from Trader Joes] , I begin the basis of what makes the best roasted turkey [if I do say so myself].

About a week before the big day, I begin harvesting sprigs of  rosemary, sage  & thyme. Freely, I roam  between the golden sage, the purple sage and the grey sage, harvesting the most beautiful of the leaves from each shrub [avoid brown spotted leaves]. If the shrub has limbs that appear too heavy, too worn or woody looking, this is a great time to get some pruning and maintenance in while saving  all that you can for cooking.

As for using thyme in  I love the French variety with a hint of the lemon thyme when roasting a turkey. I cut off the greenest portions of the thyme, which is more towards the top of the low growing shrub. Harvesting thyme near the base is not really needed since there is less usable herb there and you will be left with a woody looking plant. [remember, in all cases, do not remove more than 1/3 of your plant - especially now when it is cold and plants are a bit stressed to begin with].

And rosemary? This is the herb  I use the most of for roasting a turkey.  There are two ways I harvest this one. The first is to remove branches that are not uniform with the growth on the plant as a whole [low branches hitting the ground, sidewalk]. Secondly, I love to use new growth. The branches are more pliable, the herb just a bit more sharp in flavor.

After harvesting, washing and towel drying the herbs, I strip the fresh herbs from the stems by holding onto the stem with one hand and stripping the leaves into a bowl using the other hand.  Next, transfer herbs to a cutting board and chop herbs – not too fine, just enough to release their essential oils.  I like to have one full cup of both chopped rosemary & sage – 1/2 cup of French thyme and several tablespoons of chopped lemon thyme.  Next, fill a glass mason jar [large one] with minced, chopped garlic [I use a lot - 4 whole heads ] 2-3 cubed Meyer lemons and now fill jar to the rim with cold pressed extra virgin olive oil [being sure to cover all ingredients with the oil].  Refrigerate your herbed olive oil, taking it out once a day [if you skip a day or two, don't worry] and roll the jar so that you see things getting stirred about.

If you have extra fresh  herbs on hand after preparing your herbed oil, tie them up at the base with a rubberband and hang upside down to dry. You will be using them here before long, promise!

Lets flash forward now to 2-3 days before Thanksgiving. Take the herbed oil and strain it, separating herbs from oil. I place the herbs & garlic  between the skin and flesh of the bird [on the breast], in crevices [between the wings and body] lemons inside the cavity. Place the whole turkey inside a cooking bag [they are on the isle with aluminum foil in the grocery ] – then inside a large roasting pan. To roast the turkey in the roasting bag, you will need to follow the directions on the cooking bag when the times comes [adding flour, piercing the bag, tying the bag closed, etc]. Return the herb oil to the jar and once again, refrigerate.

Return the turkey to the refrigerator until time to roast. Just before roasting, you can do a few more things. I like to  add more fresh, chopped  herbs both on  the turkey itself and inside the cavity, rub generous amounts of French sea salt on the turkey and then drizzle the herbed oil over the bird. I roast  my turkey breast down.

Not sure you have enough herbs in the garden for Thanksgiving? Look for us to have plenty of fresh cut herbs on hand at the Saturday Morning Downtown farmers market in Redlands the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. [Please email us ahead so we can be sure to have enough on hand!]  To keep herbs fresh, simply stand them in a jar of water in side the refrigerator.  Want to pick up some herbs earlier so that you can get this herb oil started? Email us and we can have your herbs waiting for you on our self serve produce stand. 

And yes, just in time for the Holidays, our Herbed Sea Salt [full of our naturally grown rosemary, sage, & thyme] is once again available. Look for this seasonal favorite at Olive Avenue Market and at the farmers market on Saturday’s during the holiday season [or until sold out]

Redlands, 2 November, morning, sun is bright.

Here we are in the first days of November, with the feel of  Autumn  beginning to take hold. Daylight hours are fading, leaves are falling, coolness is replacing summer warmth.  We do not need to look at the calender to know time is changing, life is cycling.

How brilliant Natures timing and messages are. As the cold settles in, life begins to slow down. Plants grow slower, some actually go into a deep period of rest [dormancy].  Trees, vines & shrubs are bearing the last of their fruits,  shedding their leaves, becoming bare. In just a few weeks, what once was vibrant and  full of vitality will soon appear nearly  lifeless.

Yet despite how it all looks on the outside, inside, we all know that this change is normal. We know that in the weeks ahead, Nature will continue to slip into a more quiet & peace filled rhythm. Her energy will not be as visible, much of it being stored on the inside to carry us through the coming season. On the horizon and although we can’t see it now , we know, we trust in a time of renewal, rebirth and growth.  On the calendar, we call it Spring. I call it Natures reminder of hope and the ever present cycle of life.

Last Friday evening, just after sunset, my Mother completed her life’s journey. While we  give thanks that her  pain and suffering have ended, the taste of this experience is deeply bitter-sweet. Words fail to soothe the senses, to warm the grieving heart. Moments of comfort are being felt while standing in the warmth of the sun, in the song of the blue birds, the rustle and playfulness of the baby lizards, the beauty of the deep red pomegranates, the soothing of the rose-hip tea, the fragrance of the lone Sterling rose on our rosebush.

 I take comfort that soon, on Thanksgiving day, my senses will be transported to a kinder, more loving time – a time when those that are no longer here, feel almost present.  As the fragrance of the holiday turkey roasting in the oven fills our home, I know the memories of sharing early Thanksgivings with Mom, Grandma, Aunties [all of whom have past] will be more alive. As my daughter and I recreate Mom’s cornbread stuffing [now modified to meet Corrina's vegan needs as well], I know Mom’s presence will be keenly felt. How I look forward to letting the fragrance, taste and  sights of Thanksgiving transport my weary senses.

In the hectic, commercial, synthetic world that we now live, it can be easy to fall trap to viewing occasions such as Thanksgiving as just another task on our to-do list. As I see it, Thanksgiving is a very rare moment we must not let slip away. No costumes are needed, simply arrive as yourself. No gifts are needed, Thanksgiving itself is the gift.  It is a time we have set aside to actually spend time with those whom we love. It is allowed “down-time”.  It is a time that we are encouraged to prepare a feast showcasing Natures fresh, life filled , seasonal bounty – no matter how long it may take us to prepare it.

In the blog posts to follow, I look forward to sharing recipes for Thanksgiving, each one showcasing fresh, local and seasonal foods of the season – and yes, with lots of herbs! I hope you will be inspired to cook, to share, to savor. Above all, it is my hope that through food, real food, you will find a deeper connection to the gentle , nourishing, restorative rhythms of Nature and that it will bless you always!

Redlands, 21st October, 10:17am, fog

This week marked the return of our own home-grown leafy green salad mix to our dinner table. Filled with a mixture of lemony heirloom sorrel, giant red mustard greens, wild arugula, Nero Di Toscana kale, micro greens, edible flowers, spinach, all  in a bed of  little gem lettuce and bronze mignonette lettuce – this was way more than a salad. It was the return of our main food group.

I can not tell you how many nights this leafy green salad mix becomes the base of our dinner. Some nights, we top it with left-over chicken and enjoy it with TJ raisin rosemary crisps [amazing]. Other nights, it is a delicious side dish to just about any main course.

While the sorrel and arugula grow quite nicely year round, lettuces and kale do not. Leafy greens  taste a whole lot better when it is cooler – not bitter like those grown in the heat.  Yep, this is prime time to get leafy greens into our gardens and on to our tables.

For the next seven months [yes, 7] we can ALL grow leafy greens until our hearts are content [and our palate!] Leafy greens grow super fast [unlike warm season favorites like tomatoes, peppers].We can plant our heirloom starters and in just a matter of a few short weeks, voila, we are EATING HOMEGROWN FOOD!!

This is not a joke. And as you all know by now, these leafy green plants  can  to harvested  again and again. Fast, ecomonical, nutritious, delicious & safe!

As it happens, lettuce is in the news this week, a recall of romaine from a grower here in Northern California. This has got me thinking, about food safety of course but also about the cost of the bagged salad mix and  dependency we have gotten ourselves into on foods we can easily grow ourselves – namely leafy greens. So, when at the grocery store this week, I priced varieties of bagged leafy greens – organic and non-organic and WOW, the average price for 4 oz of leafy salad greens is $4. Really?

These prepackaged blends were not that exciting to me. Sure, the spring mix wasn’t bad, it had arugula and the one that was a blend of 1/2 spinach and the remainder spring greens could work. But let’s face it, the blends are quite expensive and taste nothing like the blends we create at home. Friends, there really is nothing like walking out to your garden and harvesting a little of this and that to create a leafy green mix that is do delicious and satisfying!

Just this morning,  our friend and nursery intern Franco and I  went out into our  garden  and harvested a bag full of mixed greens, he will enjoy for tonite for dinner [he is going to add candied pecans and fresh apples, yum!]. This was personally very rewarding for me. Sure, as a parent myself, I love it when I see young people eating well – especially things they may never have even heard of let alone tasted.  Sharing food that we have grown ourselves with others is such an amazing feeling as well . Perhaps the best part for me  is sharing the end result of our work as growers of heirloom nursery stock – the food that it produces – that is beyond words.

Tomorrow morning at the Redlands farmers market [between 5th & 6th off Redlands Blvd 8-11 a.m] we will be well stocked with a variety of  delicious heirloom leafy green transplants. Getting started can be as simple as picking up just a few plants, tucking them in to your existing raised bed, into a window box, a large container or even growing them in a cardboard box! [want to know more about that last one, let us know!]

Interested in trying the lettuce blend we love so much? Look for it at the farmers market in a few weeks. Fresh, local, heirloom salad greens that are out of this world! It doesn’t get much better.

See your tomorrow and enjoy the day!

Redlands. 22 September. blue sky, puffy white clouds and anticipation in the air.

I absolutely love the Fall. Time to pull out sweaters [hopefully soon], enjoy apples [and apple picking which is going on now in Oak Glen]and pumpkins,not to mention all of the brilliance of the fall colors, the crispness in the air, the longer nights, the return to soups and warm herbs tea.

 For me, Fall feels so much better than the summer. Days are shorter and cooler. My nesting really thrive and I see it the foods I cook and the foods I grow. The best part for me,  finally,  a return to growing the foods that really feed me – the root vegetables and the leafy greens.

Most of you reading this grew something edible this summer. Was it a tomato? Melons? Peppers? An herb garden? If you grew food this summer, no matter how successful [or not] you think you were, I am here to tell you there is not a harder season to grow food in than Summer and yet you DID IT!

Summer in the Inland Empire, while it was a bit cooler than normal this year, it  is quite harsh when it comes to growing food [or living in, if you ask me...]. Pests are higher and the need to water can be overwhelming.  Forget a day of watering in August and kiss your garden goodbye. 

 Let’s be real. Growing food takes work and for my work, I like to have a lot to show for it.  This brings me back to the cooler season garden of edibles. Leafy greens – these you can harvest over and over! In the cooler months, in our garden, we always have more leafy greens to share than we do tomatoes in the summer. Talk about salad with real taste! Talk about a great return on an investment. Let’s not forget, Mother Nature will even pitch in here and there, watering for us and aside from the aphids, take the problem of pests eating away our garden way down!

Hey, your beds or containers are already ready. Irrigation is already in. You already have organic tomato & vegetable food on hand.  KEEP GROWING!

In honor of this weekend being the first of the Fall season pared with our desire to have you  grow more of your own food – YEAR ROUND, this Saturday at the downtown farmers market we will be offering many varieties of cool season annual heirloom starters at a discounted rate. Starters like lettuce, cilantro, sugar snap peas, arugula, chard, basil [yes, there is still time to grow this outdoors or you can always grow it indoors] chrysanthemum, cress, mustard’s will be on hand. This is just a few of the plant varieties we will be bringing – along with lots of perennial herbs and new varieties of artichokes.

In order to do this, you will see quite a few of our starts in green plastic  nursery containers – not transplanted into the biodegradable containers you know us for. We know you all won’t mind the plastic just this once. Since we reuse these containers in our growing operation, we ask that you please bring them back to us at a later visit. Many thanks in advance!

Even if you are not planning on planting this weekend, or if you are waiting to add these cool season edibles to your garden, do consider picking up your starts this weekend. Not sure about growing food in the cooler months? Not to worry. We are  offering two free workshops in October all about this – what, when , how , compost, frost protection, etc. The first workshop will be on Saturday the 8th @ Cherry Valley Nursery [10am]. The second will be @ Olive Ave Market on the 15th at 3pm.

Both of these workshops will invite you to get your hands dirty. Together, we will plant containers of varying sizes – each big enough to produce a constant supply of heirloom food. Do hope you will attend.

More good news! We have found a biodegradable 6 pack container and so over the next several weeks, we will begin offering many of our heirloom lettuces [and other crops] in this crowd pleasing size. The launch will be limited, but it will grow.

Last but not least, seed and saving seed. Last week, when we attended the National Heirloom Exposition in Santa Rosa, we met an awesome heirloom tomato grower – Wild Boar Farms [yep, picked up some seed for next year!]. They offer a wonderful how-to on saving tomato seed.  Do give it a try.

As for seed, many of you have asked if we do or will sell heirloom seed. YES! Starting in January, we will begin to offer limited varieties of heirloom seeds. These packets are designed for the home grower, sorry – no bulk sales.  The how’s, when  and where is yet to be worked out – but we have never felt more passionate about adding a product than we do regarding about adding heirloom seeds.  At a time when the need to grow heirlooms, not only for biodiversity &  our own health & nutrition is vital, the need to grow heirlooms in order to build heirloom seed supplies is critical. [There is a rant starting here, I will spare you for today but be warned, it is coming!!!]

In honor of our diversifying into the area of heirloom seed, wouldn’t it be great to kick it off with a seed exchange early in the new year? Let us know what you think!

See you all Saturday!

Redlands, 12 September, sunny & beautiful!

It’s official! The National Heirloom Expo begins tomorrow and thanks to glorious weather, automatic irrigation in the nursery, lots of encouragement and finding my dormant sense of adventure [and spontaneity] we are on our way!

This is a BIG thing in the world of growing pure food [no GMO] – lots of exibits, heirloom produce, who’s who in the world of sustainable agriculture [Dr. Vandana Shiva–Keynote Speaker  Thurs. Sept, 15th 7:00PM
Navdanya International]& local food movements Jeffrey Smith–Keynote Speaker  Tue. Sept, 13th 7:00PM
Institute of Responsible Technology Alice Waters–Keynote Speaker  Wed. Sept, 14th 7:00PM Chez Panisse ]

 From seed saving, home gardening, marketing to  food politics and farming, the EXPO has it all!

Our plan is to take it all in,  then bring the enthusiasm, momentum and knowledge right back to you and to the plants we grow. We hope to expand our selection of heirlooms we naturally grow by finding new sources for seed . We hope to learn more about how to grow local food systems within  in our own communities. We look forward to meeting others with like mind and passion.

While we are not setting up a business presence this year at the EXPO [next year!!] we are thrilled to have been included in the program guide as a source heirloom plugs – perfect for other  nursery growers and farmers! 

Look for lots of pictures and updates over the next several weeks all about our adventure. Yes, we will be back for market this Saturday, so do stop in. Leafy green starts  are here, salad bowls planted with  a yummy Mesclun salad mix , herb vinegars [local peaches, plums & lemon basil in a red wine vinegar - aged over 60 days],  lots of your favorite herbs [even cilantro - loves the longer nights and cooler days - do try growing it in fall/winter and see the amazing success you will have!]

Gotta run, enjoy the day!