Summer is here, which means we are diving head first into the most exciting time on the farm! At Sol Harvest, we just finished harvesting our potatoes for the season, and the new sunchokes that were transplanted this spring are growing like gangbusters. We’re looking forward to using those in the restaurant this fall!
Today, intern Ian gave me a tour of the farm and showed me some of the projects he is most excited about. Ian’s favorite part of the farm right now is the hoop-house, which is thriving despite all odds. This spring, Farmer Ric decided to double his growing space with an extension to the hoop-house. Then, after slowly working on it for months, 48 hours after finishing the project, 70 mile-an-hour winds ripped through, tearing the plastic off the top and causing structural damage to the hoop-house.
It looked like they were set back irreparably far, but Ian says Ric rallied, ordered more plastic right away, gathered up his farmer friends to help fix the damage, and in the end, they were only set back one week! Now, the hoop-house is chock-full of what Ian calls exciting “experiments.”
First, he showed me a row of kale that earlier in the year was looking sickly and not producing well. But, he says, with a lot of love and attention and very careful pruning, the kale is looking great and thriving. Ian showed me how he had pruned the entire bottom of all the plants, and harvested the leaves close to the stalks to encourage growth.
Ian also showed me some new spinach plants that were planted in compost he got to make himself. The compost, he says, is made out of food from the restaurant, dead plants from the farm, and old compost from last year that was worked back into the mix. It must have turned out well, because the spinach is already growing like crazy! Ian says they will have a fantastic crop in a month or so.
We also walked by Zoe’s herb garden, which Ian says the harvest about two pounds from every week, and huge, beautiful row of more sorrel than they know what to do with!
Finally, Ian showed me his personal project, a garden of the “three sisters” – that’s beans, corn and squash. Ian says that Ric gave he and Zoe about 40 feet of space on the farm to do whatever they want with – so Ian decided to plant beans, corn and squash with seeds he had gotten from various “seed swaps.” He’s growing multi-colored popcorn corn, bolita beans, and Hopi pumpkin, to name a few varieties – plus many more. It’s all growing great – Ian should be proud!
I loved taking a tour with Ian and getting a sneak peak of all the wonderful food that will be making its way into the restaurant later this summer and fall. Next time you come to eat at Farm & Table, feel free to wander around the field and see all of the exciting things Sol Harvest is growing for yourself!