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Farmer's Corner
Welcome!
I
thought I would talk this week about one aspect of farming that gives
your produce the look and flavor it has. Seed selection plays a very
important role in the success of the farmer's produce. The seed variety
today determines many things such as size, color, disease resistance,
flavor, length of growing time, cold/hot weather tolerance, and whether
they should be grown in green houses or in fields.
There
are two types of seeds. The first is heirloom seeds and the other is
hybrid seeds. Wikipedia defines heirloom seed as open pollinated seed
passed down by generations. This type of seed has made a big come back
in recent years for several reasons. Farmers can save the seed each year
and replant the next knowing they will still get a true variety. Over
the years farmers can save the seeds from just the best produce and
improve their own seed strain. Once the seed supply is built up and
there is enough for the entire year it can save farms a lot of money as
seeds are very expensive. The down side of heirloom seed is bees can
cross pollinate which can completely change everything about that
product. This can be a huge problem as it could destroy the
marketability of the crop. The other problem is heirlooms do not have
disease resistance built in and are subject to many plant crippling
diseases.
The
other type is hybrid seed which is still the most popular with many
commercial growers. The Wikipedia definition of hybrid seed is basically
seed that has been specifically cross pollinated in a specific and
controlled manner (by people not bees) to make a better seed. By doing
this hybrid seed offers disease resistance too many things, uniformity
in size, shape and color, and standardized growing length times. Here is
a good example. We use hybrid seed to grow our zucchini as we sell a
lot of it to grocery stores and down into the San Francisco area. Our
wholesale customers want a dark green color and uniformity in size so it
fits into shipping boxes correctly. It also needs to be slender and
have staying power for a good week. Hybrid seed gives me the
dependability I can count on to do those things where an heirloom
cannot. Hybrid seed do not cross pollinate which gives a farmer the
stability of a precise product. The down side of that is the seed cannot
be saved and replanted as it will become inbred. This means we have to
buy new seed every year which is very expensive.
Over
the last sixteen years we have tried many different varieties and have
found the varieties that grow the best in our soil and climate, give us
the best flavor, and produce the most consistent eye appealing produce.
We hope you enjoy it!
I
look forward to seeing you all this week when picking up your CSA
boxes. Don't forget to try one of our many selections of CSA add-ons.
This week we will be promoting our locally farmed Cheddar Cheese. Stop
by for a tasting when you're picking up your CSA box.
Your local farmer,
Sharon Grossi
Valley End Farm
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Strawberries
Strawberries
have grown for millennia around the world but were not largely
cultivated until the early 18th century. A French engineer was in Chile
and Peru and discovered their native strawberry, being much bigger than
the ones seen in Europe.
Strawberries
have a unique mix of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits
providing health advantages in cardiovascular support, improved
regulation of blood sugar, and cancer prevention. The vitamin C and
manganese content (strawberries being one of the fruits with the best
sources of both) protect our heart and blood vessels. Regular intake of
strawberries, 2 to 3 servings per week, helps decrease ...
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