Home for Dinner

Get Started with Farming & Homesteading

Local produce from one of my favorite farms, Bellair Farm!

Have you been meaning to check out Bellair Farm CSA but haven't gotten around to it? Our 5 week Fall share is a great way to test the waters! It's $150 for a full share and $85 for a half share. Sign-ups are ongoing and we're filling up fast! Check out our Square Store at https://squareup.com/store/bellair-farm for more details and to sign up or give us a call at 434-262-9021.

Yay! Looks delicious.

Easy crops to grow this spring are greens (sans spinach), beets, and radishes! Sorrel is one of my new favorite greens. I planted this batch of sorrel in a container last fall. The hardy greens lived through the winter and as soon as the temps rose about 32 F they exploded with yummy goodness. Kale will also rebound after winter cold temperatures and snow.

One way to get your groove on as a locavore is to sign up for a Cooperative Share Agriculture (CSA) thru a local farm. CSA's often fill up by April so now is the time to consider your options. Two benefits of of joining a CSA is that you'll automatically receive what's in season and be introduced to produce that you may not be familiar with already. For instance, it wasn't until I was part of a cooperative (like a CSA but different) that I discovered the nutritious and versatile leafy greens of swiss chard and kale. Now I grow my own!

http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Community Supported Agriculture - LocalHarvest Thinking about signing up for a CSA but want to learn more about the idea before you commit? Read on.

Depending on your location it's time to plant cool season crops. Cool season crops that can be directly sown into the garden: beets, carrots, celery, endive, kale, parsnips, peas, radish, spinach, swiss chard, and turnips. Cool season crops that should be transplanted into the garden as seedlings: broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and leeks. However, we've also direct sown leeks with a lot of success as well.

Garden lore suggests planting potatoes by St. Patrick's Day, which is next Thursday! Fifth Season Gardening Co. Charlottesville has them in stock now.

Organic Seed Potatoes Are Here!

Potatoes are so satisfying to grow at home – they produce a lot, are absolutely delicious, and allow you access to varieties you just can’t get at the grocery store.

We have six different varieties for you to choose from . . .

All Blue: Stunning blue-purple skin and flesh. Outstanding flavor and moist texture. Perfect in salads, baked or boiled. Also known as "Purple Marker". Grow a red, white, and blue potato salad! 110-135 days to maturity.

Caribe: High-yielding, oblong potato that features lustrous purple skin covering snow-white flesh. Absolutely delicious as a new potato, but also great for baking or frying.

Dark Red Norland: Tasty red-skinned potato with firm, white flesh. Productive and early-maturing. Boiled, roasted, or fried – a nice all-around selection.

Prairie Blush: Light brown skin with splashes of rosy pink covers golden flesh. A variant of Yukon gold, this mid-season variety is quickly becoming known not only for its exceptional flavor and texture, but for its superior adaptiveness to organic growing conditions.

Rose Finn Apple Fingerling: Rare and beautiful, rosy-colored fingerling potato with wonderful heirloom flavor. Moderately dry yellow flesh. Mid-to-late season.

Yukon Gold: European-style yellow-fleshed potato renowned for outstanding flavor and dry texture. Perfect baked, boiled, mashed, or fried. Extra good keeper.

And don’t forget the other specialty vegetables we have for spring planting: Asparagus (“Jersey Knight”, “Purple Passion”, and “Millennium”), Onions (“Stuttgarter Riesen”, “Red Barron”, and “White Ebenezer”) and Horseradish!

Way to go Southern Exposure Seed Exchange! My community garden partners and I have grown countless vegetables, herbs, and flowers with seeds from your fine organization.

The 10 Best Seed Companies for Heirloom and Non-GMO Seeds | Small Footprint Family Each of these ten socially responsible seed companies have taken the Safe Seed Pledge and are not affiliated with Monsanto or GMOs in any way.

Virginian Potter's Craft Cider and Free Union Grass Farm together at the IX Art Park every Saturday--oh my, what fun!

Every Saturday! IX Art Park! 10am-1pm! Come buy meat, drink Potter's Craft Cider, and generally make merry with us as we loiter in Charlottesville's most glamorous parking lot.

One of the most fulfilling ways to bring more local food into your life is to grow your own! Get your garden groove on now by perusing your favorite seed supplier to plan your spring garden. I purchase most of my seeds from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, which is based in Mineral, VA. Visit their website and/or order a copy of their seed catalog to inspire your homegrown dreams. http://www.southernexposure.com

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Saving the Past for the Future