Happy Friday, Farm Friends!

Labor Day -- wow.  It is hard to comprehend that summer is over.  Feels like the fastest year ever.

This holiday is one where we celebrate laborers.  We should think about how our country runs on the toil and sweat of workers.  It is true that many jobs now are white-collar office jobs -- and those are important.  But we need to remember how critical all of those manual labor jobs are -- they keep the wheels turning (literally and figuratively).  We want to thank our employees that work along side of us to keep the farm weeded, planted, harvested and mowed.  A tip of the hat to Jen, Chris and Elliot!!  Thanks for all you do!

What's been happening this week on the farm?  We are starting seeds for fall crops. Boxes of seeds came in the mail last week (always exciting!)  More kale and lettuce has been seeded and we have trays of plants that are ready to go in the ground.  Here's some kale that is coming up already -- just planted on Tuesday!

We are also planting another crop of basil in Raz House today -- here go the plants (and Detroit!) off to the hoop house.  Maybe he is looking for the catnip plants?

The last round of the summer potatoes was harvested on Tuesday.  This is a new variety that we trialed -- "Papa Cacho," a Peruvian fingerling.  We won't be bringing it to market this year; we just planted a little bit to see what it was like.   A very interesting and large fingerling!

Speaking of fingerlings, we are now sold out until we get our fall crop in.  Keep your fingers crossed -- they are looking pretty good!  Fresh potatoes for your Holiday meals!  Mmmmmmm.....

And don't worry, we are still in major tomato mode around here!  They keep on coming and are looking really nice!  Our first Pick-Your-Own Tomato event was great so we are doing it again!  Come on out to the farm on Monday, September 1 from 9-1.   There are all kinds of tomatoes from cherry, grape, roma-type to big ol' slicers -- in a rainbow of colors!  These yummy certified organic tomatoes are only 75 cents per pound.  We'll also have our other farm products available for sale. The weather is a bit iffy for Monday, so call (336-994-2517) or check our website (www.plumgrannyfarm.com) to make sure it is still happening.

Market Update:  

On Saturday, we'll be at Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem (9-12).  On Wednesday, find us at the King Farmers Market at the Stokes Family YMCA (11-1).  What will you find on our tables?  Tomatoes!  Three new tomato-related items:  a Ratatouille Kit (tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, garlic, onions), 10 pound boxes of canning tomatoes (sauce-types), and quart boxes of tasty saladette tomatoes.  We'll be featuring our lovely Valencia tomato -- come have a taste of this orange beauty!  Plus we'll have snap green beans (Rattlesnake Pole), French filet-type beans (Coban & Tavera), and romano type beans (Pension and Dragon Tongue)!  We'll also have lots of garlic (Music, Inchelium Red, Chesnok, Spanish Roja, and Lorz Italian), Shishito peppers, okra (green & burgundy), tomato fruit boxes, heirloom slicing tomatoes, potatoes (Nicola and German Butterball), French Red shallots, and pineapple tomatillos -- all Certified Organic!  We'll have a new pesto this week -- Purple Basil!  And we'll have our regular pesto and yummy jams.  

As a reminder, if there is anything that you would like for us to hold for you at market just let us know by e-mail, by the evening before, and we will be glad to put it aside for you.

And did you know that today is More Herbs, Less Salt Day?  Enjoy the delicious flavor of some fresh basil or mint today!

Until our next edition,

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Friday, Farm Friends!

Remember the Tomato Tornado I told you about last week?  Well, the weather has changed -- it is now a full-fledged Tsunami!  So many gorgeous and flavorful tomatoes!  We have run out of storage in our milkhouse and have taken to using the only air-conditioned room in the farmhouse as additional storage.  I hope most of you don't have to trip over tomato boxes and crates to get to your desk!

The harvests have been huge.  On Wednesday alone, we harvested about 380 pounds from 3 rows (plus about 250 pounds of culls for the compost).  Our pick-your own was a success too with about 150 pounds finding new homes!  What a profusion of tomato-y riches!

We are not complaining.  The abundance is really nice and it is giving us an opportunity to share with some local food pantries and we are stocking up on tomatoes in the freezer.  Due to last summers rains, we only got a few tomato plants in the high tunnel very late in the season.  It feels really good to have this amazing bounty and blessings this year.  We hope you are enjoying it too!

What's been happening this week on the farm?  As most of our attentions have been on tomatoes, we have not been as engaged with other crops.  Mowing has been a big task as we start the process of prepping land for our fall crops.  We are also planning for a new high tunnel -- this one will be a long narrow one that will serve the purpose of our low hoops that we used  for the last few years.  The strawberries are ordered for planting in mid-September.  Raspberries need some TLC and we hope to have them available in a few weeks

Here are a few random photos from the week:

Market Update:  

On Saturday, we'll be at Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem (9-12).  On Wednesday, find us at the King Farmers Market at the Stokes Family YMCA (11-1).  What will you find on our tables?  Tomatoes!  Three new tomato-related items:  a Tomato-Tomatillo Gazpacho Kit, 10 pound boxes of canning tomatoes (sauce-types), and quart boxes of tasty saladette tomatoes.  Plus we'll have snap green beans (Rattlesnake Pole), French filet-type beans (Coban & Tavera), and romano type beans (Pension and Dragon Tongue)!  We'll also have lots of garlic (Music, Red Toch, Chesnok, Purple Italian, and Lorz Italian), baby artichokes (few), Shishito peppers, okra (green & burgundy), tomato fruit boxes, heirloom slicing tomatoes, potatoes (LaRatte fingerlings and German Butterball), swiss chard, and beets (few) -- all Certified Organic!  And don't forget our pesto and jams.  Whew! 

As a reminder, if there is anything that you would like for us to hold for you at market just let us know by e-mail, by the evening before, and we will be glad to put it aside for you.

Happy National Tooth Fairy Day!  Until our next edition,

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Friday, Farm Friends!

  The view across the old pasture on Tuesday

Wow!  What a week it has been!  Five days of rain followed by amazing, almost fall-like weather!  It is SO good to see the sun again -- I really don't think I could make it in a very rainy, cloudy environment (one of the reasons Ray and I decided not to relocate to Seattle several years ago -- and chose Albuquerque!!)  Nonetheless, the rain was most welcome and it should really kick things into gear.  We just hope that it will be good plant development instead of disease....we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

  The same view today

What's been happening this week on the farm?  TOMATOES!  Boy do we have a bumper crop!  Our church in Albuquerque used to do an event each July called "Tomato Tornado" where we would try to get as many cans of tomatoes donated as possible for the local food bank.  And we did a great job -- thousands of cans were collected and we had great fun with it (ask me some day about Beaudreaux and Thibideaux).  Well anyway....Plum Granny Farm is having our own Tomato Tornado of a different kind!  We've got LOTS of yummy tomatoes!  And YOU can help us with that! 

  Tomatoes in our storage room - the old milkhouse complete with air conditioner.

We are having our first ever Tomato Pick Your Own event on Sunday, August 17 from 2-4 p.m.  We'd like to share our bounty with you!  We have all kind of tomatoes from cherry, grape, roma-type to big ol' slicers -- in a rainbow of colors!  These yummy certified organic tomatoes are only 75 cents per pound.  Come on out to the farm and have some fun!  We'll also have our other farm products available for sale as well.

Here's my grand-niece, Danielle, enjoying a tomato just her size!

And in other tomato news, our "Suzanne" was named the Best Tasting Tomato at the King Farmers Market on Wednesday by both the celebrity judges and the votes of market goers!  It is a beautiful red cherry tomato that is a tasty treat for sure!

Market Update:  

On Saturday, we'll be at Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem (9-12).  On Wednesday, we'll be at the King Farmers Market at the Stokes Family YMCA (11-1).  What will you find on our tables?  Tomatoes!  Green Beans!  Yes, we'll have more snap green beans (Jade), French filet-type beans (Maxibel, Coban & Tavera), and romano type beans (Pension and Dragon Tongue)!  We'll also have lots of Certified Organic Garlic (Music, Red Toch, Chesnok, Purple Italian, Lorz Italian and Metechi), baby artichokes, lots of Shishito peppers , lots of okra (green & burgundy), tomato fruit boxes, heirloom slicing tomatoes, Salsa Verde kits, potatoes (LaRatte fingerlings and German Butterball), swiss chard (little bit), pesto, jams and MORE! 

As a reminder, if there is anything that you would like for us to hold for you at market just let us know by e-mail, by the evening before, and we will be glad to put it aside for you.

Only two more weeks left to celebrate National Picnic Month -- better hurry! Until our next edition,

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Friday, Farm Friends!

On this rainy day, we thought you could use a ray of sunshine...

We might need some of that sunshine at tomorrow's Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem, but we'll be there with smiles and LOTS of produce!

What's been happening this week on the farm?  We've been trying to make at least one day of the week "Seed and Weed Day"  -- we try for Monday but it doesn't always work out that way.  This week on Tuesday we got some serious planting done -- our fall crop of LaRatte fingerling potatoes (hopefully will be ready for your Thanksgiving feast!), another round of okra and eggplant.  We know we will be pushing it with some of these, but that's what you try to do as a farmer -- push the envelope!

The little dots you see up in the field are Emma, Elliot & Chris planting potatoes!

A major task for the the week -- which has kept Ray out of the field for most of it -- has been finalizing our annual Organic Systems Plan (OSP) to submit to our certifier.  Every year we discuss whether we want to continue with our certification.  It's expensive (at least $1,000 out of pocket plus significant additional costs for the seeds and supplies we are required to use). It's time-consuming (the additional tracking and monitoring goes far beyond what you need to do to run a farm).  And the process can be just a pain to complete (the entire report and all the attachments are about 100+ pages).  But every year we have decided that we want to continue with certification.  We believe it provides an important assurance to our customers regarding how we grow our crops.  Unlike other terms like "naturally grown" or "no spray", what we produce is regulated through an extensive certification process which includes our annual (OSP) and on-site inspection. From the seed we plant to our tent at market, we have specific requirements that we must meet to ensure that the food you enjoy from us is grown in a way that nourishes the land (and you!). 

Quick update on last week's Winston-Salem Journal Tomato Tasting -- our "Blush" was tied for 3rd place!  Thanks to the folks that came out in the rain and voted (and supported your local tomato growers!)  And speaking of tomatoes, we are starting to get a real bumper crop!  We are tentatively planning a Pick-Your-Own Tomato Day at the farm next Sunday afternoon (8/17).  Stay tuned for more details!

Market Update:  

Green Beans!  Yes, we'll have snap green beans (Jade), French filet-type beans (Maxibel), and romano type beans (Pension and Dragon Tongue)!  Here are Chris and Elliot harvesting today!

On Saturday, we'll be at Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem (9-12) -- it's a rain or shine event.  On Wednesday, we'll be at the King Farmers Market at the Stokes Family YMCA (11-1).  What will you find on our tables?  We'll have those yummy green beans plus lots of Certified Organic Garlic (Music, Red Toch, Chesnok, Purple Italian, Lorz Italian and Metechi), lots of Shishito peppers , lots of okra (green & burgundy), tomato fruit boxes, heirloom slicing tomatoes, Salsa Verde kits (have a taste of the salsa made from the kit), potatoes (LaRatte fingerlings and German Butterball), pesto, jams and MORE! 

As a reminder, if there is anything that you would like for us to hold for you at market just let us know by e-mail, by the evening before, and we will be glad to put it aside for you.

Enjoy National Farmers Market Week -- we bet you know how to celebrate!  Until our next edition,

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Friday, Farm Friends!

Rain! Rain, Rain -- glorious rain!! What a nice way to begin the morning -- a light, gentle rain is falling and I can almost hear a murmur of appreciation from the grass, flowers and veggies.  The ground has been so thirsty during July -- we probably got less than three-quarters of an inch all month -- so this moisture to begin August is appreciated.

What's been happening this week on the farm?  We've been continuing work on the greenhouse (got the roll-up side curtain complete -- just in time for the cooler nights), harvesting potatoes, working the tomatoes, installing irrigation, prepping the field where we had garlic for fall potatoes and cover crops, repairing irrigation, seeding fall crops, running irrigation and more!  (See why we are so happy about the rain?!)

There is only one more variety potatoes left in the field -- Papa Cacho, a Peruvian landrace fingerling that is incredibly resistant to blight.  We'll let those grow a bit longer while we enjoy the other potato goodies that we have unearthed. This week we'll be bringing the popular German Butterball standards along with LaRatte fingerlings to market.  The potato field is looking a bit bare, save one little island of Papa Cachos.

We are enjoying trying a few of the new tomato varieties we planted this year.  Last night we tried "Carbon," a large slicer.  It is a "black" tomato -- very dark reddish-brown (darker than a Cherokee Purple) and it has a wonderful , rich taste.  It was amazing tossed with pasta, garlic and mozzarella cheese.  Mmmm...I do love summer dinners!  Carbon will be one of our entries in tonight's  Winston-Salem Journal Tomato Tasting.  That event is from 7 to 9 p.m., downtown at Sixth and Trade streets.  We'll have 7 other varieties included for your voting pleasure (Red Pearl, Gold Nugget, BHN968, Franchi Red Pear, Mini Orange, Striped Roman and Blush)! Organizers say they have at least 70 varieties for the tasting.

Once again we are starting strawberry plants for your home gardens.  They will be available in mid-September, which the ideal time for planting in NC.  Chandler and Sweet Charlie are the two varieties we'll have.

Market Update:   On Saturday, we'll be at Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem (9-12).  On Wednesday, we'll be at the King Farmers Market at the Stokes Family YMCA (11-1).  What will you find on our tables?  We'll have lots of Certified Organic Garlic (Music, Red Toch, Chesnok, Lorz Italian and Metechi), Shishito peppers (finally will have more than a pint!), okra (green & burgundy), tomato fruit boxes, heirloom slicing tomatoes, tomatillos, swiss chard, Salsa Verde kits (have a taste of the salsa made from the kit), potatoes (LaRatte fingerlings and German Butterball), pesto, jams and MORE! 

As a reminder, if there is anything that you would like for us to hold for you at market just let us know by e-mail, by the evening before, and we will be glad to put it aside for you.

Kick off "National Simplify Your Life Week" by resolving to make quick and fresh meals with local ingredients found at the farmers market!

Happy, healthy summertime eating,

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Friday, Farm Friends!

The fruits of summer are here! Tomatoes, tomatillos, okra, peppers are all coming out of the field.  Some are still on a slow flow (peppers) while others are really pouring (okra).  As the tomatoes start to arrive, it really starts to feel like summer.  We should be getting our first BLT with our tomatoes of the season this weekend!  Nothing quite says summer better than a BLT, don't you think?  Here's Chris eating his FIRST EVER BLT (with a tomato from Old Town Farm)!  Can you believe it?

And speaking of tomatoes, don't forget the Winston-Salem Journal Tomato Tasting next Friday evening (August 1) from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, August 1, downtown at Sixth and Trade streets, during the Gallery Hop.  We'll have some of our varieties included in the mix!

More potatoes came out of the field this week. We are not getting the really big harvests that we had hoped for but got a good number of LaRatte fingerlings out yesterday.  They'll be waiting for you at market this week!

Unfortunately we bid a fond farewell to our wonderful Triple Crown blackberries this week.  The last ones will be at market tomorrow.  We will miss their wonderful taste and smell -- the walk-in cooler always smells so amazing when it is chock full of these berries!  Until next year!

Thanks for the great response to our new pesto!  We sold out on Saturday but we made lots more!  Stop by our tent for a taste!

Market Update:   On Saturday, we'll be at Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem (9-12).  On Wednesday, we'll be at the King Farmers Market at the Stokes Family YMCA (11-1).  What will you find on our tables?  We'll have lots of Certified Organic Garlic (Music, Red Toch, Chesnok, Lorz Italian and Metechi), blackberries (Last of the season- sniff!), okra (green & burgundy), tomato fruit boxes, heirloom slicing tomatoes, tomatillos, swiss chard, Salsa Verde kits (have a taste of the salsa made from the kit), potatoes (LaRatte fingerlings and Nicola), pesto, jams and MORE! 

As a reminder, if there is anything that you would like for us to hold for you at market just let us know by e-mail, by the evening before, and we will be glad to put it aside for you.

Enjoy National Lasagna Day on the 29th!! (Need tomatoes for that one, huh?)

Happy, healthy summertime eating,

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Friday, Farm Friends!

We've been spending a lot of time with Tom this week.  Our friends, Tomato and Tomatillo.  Pruning, trellising, cajoling, tucking, wrangling and thinning our tomatoes & tomatillos has consumed a LOT of time. Cheryl tried to be judicious in selecting how many varieties to plant this year -- always a challenge (those pictures & descriptions are just SO hard to resist in January!!)  And we did narrow the field from what we had a few years ago but we still have 41 varieties and about 1,100 plants...  About half of the planting is "fruits" -- cherry, plum, pear, currant, grape -- that we use to make our "fruit boxes."  It takes a lot of work to stay on top of this many tomatoes!  But the good news is that some are starting to come in!  Tasty sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes await!

We keep adding to the Demo Garden so that farm visitors can peek into some of the crops that we grow.  This week we added a new bed.  Our friend Jen gave us a Bagster -- those giant 4x8 green bags that you use to haul off construction debris.

Yep, like one of those used at a construction site.  Jen used a Bagster for her garden in Winston-Salem and couldn't use it in her new house.  So the Bagster Bed now holds leeks and sweet potatoes here at the farm.  Great repurpose, Jen - thanks!

Yesterday marked the beginning of a new product line for the farm's value-added products -- pesto!  Jane Morgan-Smith of Truffles NC at Keep Your Fork Farm has a great certified kitchen and offered it to us.  So Jen & I took a bunch of basil and other ingredients over to make our first batch of pesto -- you'll get a chance to taste (and buy!) it at market this week!  Mangia bene!

Our yummy Triple Crown blackberries continue to come in STRONG!  We will have another Pick-Your-Own this Saturday (7/19) from 9-1. 

Market Update:  Three opportunities to find our goodies at market this week!  On Saturday, we'll be at Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem and we'll have a tent full of our products here at the farm for Pick-Your-Own.  On Wednesday, we'll be at the King Farmers Market at the Stokes Family YMCA.  What will you find on our tables?  We'll have lots of Certified Organic Garlic (first cured garlic of the season!), blackberries, okra, shishito peppers, tomato fruit boxes, baby beets, salad mix, tomatillos, Salsa Verde kits, potatoes (Red Thumb fingerlings and Nicola), Stargazer Oriental Lilies and MORE!  And don't forget our pesto (very limited quantity)!

And look for our new tent! 

As a reminder, if there is anything that you would like for us to hold for you at market just let us know by e-mail, by the evening before, and we will be glad to put it aside for you.

Enjoy this cooler mid-summer weekend.  Looking forward to some rain next week!

Happy, healthy summertime eating,

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Friday, Farm Friends!

A bit of a foggy morning here on the farm.  We have gotten a bit of moisture but things are still pretty crispy.  Thank goodness that we have irrigation to keep our crops going. The cooler temps have been welcome this week (and over the Holiday weekend) as well.

Today we are starting the potato harvest!  Unfortunately it seems that we got a bit of blight or something on a couple of more susceptible varieties.  We are using the new potato harvester that we got this winter -- we'll see how it works out!  A few photos...

While many folks were out enjoying a beautiful Independence Day, Ray and Chris pruned the black raspberries.  Let's just say, if bloodletting were still a preferred form of medical treatment, they would both be in great shape!  Ray quipped that a common malady of bramble growers is anemia.  Those are some mighty thorny plants!!  But the rows look so much better now -- and will be healthier going into the fall/winter and for production next year.

We have new residents at the farm -- actually about 30,000+.  Our friend Jen just sold her small farm in Winston-Salem and needed another location for her hive. Our girls are very hospitable so she moved her girls up on Wednesday morning.  Now we have both our top-bar style of hives alongside her Langstroth hive.

Our yummy Triple Crown blackberries continue to come in STRONG!  We will have another Pick-Your-Own this Saturday (7/12) from 9-1.  More than 125 pounds of blackberries went home with folks last Saturday and you can be the lucky pickers this weekend!  Our sugar bomb berries have been delighting diners at Meridian, Mary's Gourmet Diner and Green Valley Grill this week -- along with our great market & PYO customers. Just a reminder of what's out there:

More signs of summer in the fields -- tomatoes, okra, tomatillos, oriental lilies..... Mmmmmm.

Market Update:  Three opportunities to find our goodies at market this week!  On Saturday, we'll be at Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem and we'll have a tent full of our products here at the farm for Pick-Your-Own.  On Wednesday, we'll be at the King Farmers Market at the Stokes Family YMCA.  What will you find on our tables?  We'll have lots of Certified Organic Fresh Garlic and Garlic Lollipops, Blackberries, sugar snap peas (few), baby beets, baby kale, salad mix, tomatillos, potatoes, okra,  Stargazer Oriental Lilies and MORE!  Our delicious Raspberry-Chipotle Molé Sauce (featured in the June issue of O'Henry Magazine) is perfect for summer cookouts! And don't forget the jams as tasty ice cream toppings! 

As a reminder, if there is anything that you would like for us to hold for you at market just let us know by e-mail, by the evening before, and we will be glad to put it aside for you.

Have a super weekend.  Get out and see the Thunder (or Hay) Moon tonight.  It is the first full moon of the summer and is best seen around 1 a.m. in the southern sky.

Talk to you next week.

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Thursday, Farm Friends!  Welcome to Sultry July!!

As we turned the page of our calendars to July, we celebrated the last day of garlic harvest for 2014!  Yep, it's all out of the field and in various stages of post-harvest.  Some is hanging in the Yam Barn loft, some is curing on the net or in the Tobacco Barn hammocks, and some is still being graded.  And it's been a good harvest. For the plants that didn't get taken out by the cold, they did incredibly well.  We have some of the largest bulbs of the most varieties ever.  A few photos...

We don't have a winner yet for this year's Garlic World Cup.  The officials are still tabulating  results (that would be Cheryl & Ray) but we promise that we'll have them for you next week!!  The Germans made a good showing as did another Italian team -- we'll see!!! We do know there were no penalty cards!

While all of this garlic madness has been going on, the other plants have been doing their thing.  The blackberries have really exploded this week -- our beloved Triple Crowns are now coming in and we will have our 1st Pick-Your-Own of the year this Saturday (7/5) from 9-noon.  It is supposed to be a gorgeous day -- so if you are doing a July 4th staycation, come on up to the farm for some good picking (you can then head on up to Hanging Rock to take a swim!)  Take a peek to see what's out there:

There's lots of progress with the other plants too -- the okra is starting to produce, the basil is gorgeous and the tomatoes are loaded with greenies.  Starting to sound like summer around here!

Market Update:  How better to mark the July 4th holiday than to celebrate your independence from tasteless, trucked-in food?  We'll be at both Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem (Saturday) and the King Farmers Market (Wednesday).  What will you find on our tables?  We'll have lots of Certified Organic Fresh Garlic and Garlic Lollipops, Blackberries, sugar snap peas (few), baby beets, pea shoots, baby kale, salad mix, baby swiss chard,  Stargazer Oriental Lilies and MORE!  Our delicious Raspberry-Chipotle Molé Sauce (featured in the June issue of O'Henry Magazine) would make a great grilling sauce for your 4th of July cookouts! And don't forget the jams as tasty ice cream toppings! 

As a reminder, if there is anything that you would like for us to hold for you at market just let us know by e-mail, by the evening before, and we will be glad to put it aside for you.

Have a wonderful July 4th weekend -- be careful with those fireworks and make sure your pets are in a secure location! 

Talk to you next week.

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Friday, Farm Friends!  Hope your first full week of Summer has been great!

World Cup Fever has hit Plum Granny Farm!  No, we are not all exuberant soccer fans here (although Emma & Elliot have earned their soccer-playing chops but ask Ray & Chris about baseball!).  But we have our own little World Cup going on -- the World Cup of Garlic!

Garlic is a very international vegetable.  More than 2.5 million acres are dedicated to garlic production each year, according to The Complete Book of Garlic: A Guide for Gardeners, Growers and Serious Cooks.  It's a virtual United Nations of garlic growing countries: China, South Korea, India, Spain, Turkey and Brazil are among the top 10 producers (along with the US).  Many varieties of garlic have their roots in central Asia including Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.  Wow!  So who'd a thunk that this common little bulb had such international intrigue?

Here at Plum Granny Farm, our 24 varieties of garlic hail from all parts of the globe as well -- although most are from Italy or parts of the former Soviet Union.  So far this year in the "competition," we have to say that the hardneck from the Republic of Georgia, "Shvelisi" (aka "Chesnok Red") is one of the outstanding players!  "Music," a popular Italian who came to us via Canada, also finished strong!  The other Italians ("Lorz Italian") and some from the U.S. team ("Nootka Rose" and "Lahontan") are looking hopeful!

Stay tuned and we'll keep you posted on the winner of this high energy & tasty match-up!  The World Cup will be announced next week!  GOALLLLLLLLL GARLICCCCCCCCCC!

The beautiful Chesnok Red

The ever-charming Music bulbs on the net in the Yam Barn for curing

Doesn't everyone need a cat in the lap while cleaning garlic?  Wally thinks so!

One of the fun things we did for the Triad Farm Tour was to have a planting area for kids to plant their own flower seeds.  Some of them are coming up now -- and what's really cool is that since they marked their seeds with a tag, now they can come back and see what is happening!  Mason, your sunflower is getting big!

Market Update:  We'll be at both Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem (Saturday) and the King Farmers Market (Wednesday).  What will you find on our tables?  We'll have lots of Certified Organic Fresh Garlic, Black Raspberries(!), Blackberries (!!), sugar snap peas, baby beets (more are coming in now!), pea shoots, baby kale, salad mix (limited amount), baby swiss chard,  Lamb's Quarter Gratin Kit (sounds strange - but a super tasty recipe for a powerhouse green!) and MORE!  Our delicious Raspberry-Chipotle Molé Sauce (featured in the June issue of O'Henry Magazine) would make a great grilling sauce for your 4th of July cookouts! And don't forget the jams as tasty ice cream toppings! 

As a reminder, if there is anything that you would like for us to hold for you at market just let us know by e-mail, by the evening before, and we will be glad to put it aside for you.

Have a wonderful weekend -- and in honor of Camera Day on Sunday, take a walk and snap a few shots of your favorite summer scenes -- you'll enjoy seeing them come winter! 

Talk to you next week.

Cheryl & Ray