Culinary Types: Seeding

Sunday, March 09, 2014

Sprouted

Finally, the temperatures have risen above 12 degrees, and the onions are sprouting. Can spring be far behind? How often I cursed that repulsive groundhog as we awaited this glorious thaw.

As we navigated the cold, cruel winter of 2014, Restoration Farm was never far from our thoughts. In fact, planning for the new season began on January 1 with a social gathering to select and order seeds.

There’s nothing better than sowing something positive right at the start of the New Year. You can read more about the ritual of seed selection here.

Then in frigid February, the gang at Restoration Farm gathered to start seeding for the 2014 growing season.

Onions are always the first crop planted, and you have to have sturdy fingers to “dimple” all those seed cell trays. Don’t schedule a manicure during seeding time. When you’re done, the fingernails do indeed need scrubbing.

Read more about sowing the first seeds of the 2014 growing season here.

Despite the snow residue, Donna Sinetar's hens are laying stunning, pastel eggs. Talk about a harbinger of spring!

Yesterday we seeded beets and scallions, so it’s heartening to know there will be baskets of colorful organic vegetables before long.

There’s even more sprouting at Restoration Farm. A full slate of education programs will be launched this season, covering everything from backyard chickens to yoga in the fields. Read more about the newly established education program at Restoration Farm here and check out the link to all the workshops.

“Courage!” as Dan Rather used to say. Even the crocuses are peaking out of the ground!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Soil, Seeds and Dirty Hands – Sowing Begins at Restoration Farm

This is how the summer harvest begins – palms blackened and dirt clinging to cuticles.

It is a humble inception and one most never see. But, assisting with seeding at Restoration Farm has become a regular pre-spring ritual for me. It’s dirty, but it’s a signal that no matter how uncertain the times, some things remain constant. Eventually, spring will arrive and seeds, soil, sun and water will produce food.

Seeding is the start of something delicious. As always, Head Grower Caroline Fanning is scrupulously organized with detailed directions on which flats get which variety of seeds.

On Saturday, our assignment is to seed 21 flats with beets and scallions. I like seeding beets, because I enjoy holding those bright purple orbs in June, knowing I played some part in their birth. The team includes Susan Salem, Donna Sinetar, Judy Stratton and me.

We use our index fingers to dimple the soil, and then count out seeds one-a-at-a-time into the holes. It is painstaking work but with a group, the job moves quickly.

Caroline takes us to the greenhouse, where scallions seeded earlier in the month are already sprouting. There is a smattering of green accenting the flats of soil.

The flowers at Restoration Farm are a feast for the eyes. By midsummer, the cutting garden is a canopy of color. It all starts with seeds, some no bigger than a grain of sand. We reconvene on Sunday, and this time the team is Donna Sinetar, LuLu McCue and me. We prep the flats again. After a point, your finger joints can get a little stiff. You need sharp eyes for seeding microscopic flower seeds, but with focus we complete 28 flats.

Ada does a pretty good of seeding, too. Rumor has it she is planting lollipops, which sounds pretty tasty to me!

We conclude the weekend of seeding with a potluck soup and bread lunch. LuLu is a soup chef extraordinaire, and serves up a rich, delicious lentil soup chock full of legumes, greens and orecchiette pasta and flavored with pancetta.