Hydroponics

A few of our greenhouses here on the farm are dedicated to hydroponic growing practices. We use NFT(nutrient filled technique) for our hydroponics. We add a mix of essential nutrients to the water used to feed our plant roots. An automated system constantly monitors the pH levels in the water and will adjust the amount nutrients needed to maintain a balanced system. Click here for a video.

Automated monitoring system

Drum of mixed essential nutrients

The seedlings sit in a bed of constantly flowing water. This constant flow ensures algae and other fungus will not grow. The pH of this water must remain at a level of 5.6.

 The seeds are placed in a porous tray and set in a trough. On the left you can see the seeds beginning to crack and open up. On the right they begin to sprout. The trough has a constant stream of water running through it.

On the right you can see the roots beginning to reach out from the porous tray. When these seedlings are between 20-30 days old, they are transferred. Once, transferred, new seeds are planted to take their place. The seedlings are transferred to a white tray that suspends the plants over another constant flow of water. The plants will stay in this tray until they are fully grown and ready to be harvested. Once harvested, the newest seedlings are transferred and so on. This process will continue all season.

Here you can see the roots that are supplied with nutrients by the constantly flowing water. The water is fed into the tray by small white tubes. The roots are underneath the tray while the leaves grow out of the top. Hydroponic lettuce is pictured above and below.

The are many benefits to hydroponic farming that make it a great addition to our farm.

1. Extended growing season:
     Due to the ground being frozen from Nov-March, hydroponic growing allows us to plant crops earlier and later in the season that otherwise we could not plant in the ground. This allows us to offer customers a wide variety of produce options, even in the colder months when some crops are difficult to grow outside.

2. Climate Control:
     By having hydroponic crops in the greenhouses we can control the climate. This is especially handy in the early months when weather can be unpredictable in deciding when we can begin planting. If it is an usually cold season we can ensure we have options for our customers to choose from. Even during the main season climate control is an added benefit. Rain and heat can become excessive at times but inside we can control how much water and heat our plants get.

3. Faster Growth Rate
     Plants growing hydroponically have a 30-50% faster growth rate than our crops outside. This allows for less time between plantings that we would be without a certain crop.

4. Higher crop yield
     Due to the fact that the plants are off the ground and inside, out of the elements, allows for them to yield more fruit. We are not losing a significant amount of product to insects, fungus, and disease. All these factors are much more easily maintained in hydroponic farming.

5. Healthier plants
     As stated previously, our hydroponic plantings are less susceptible to insects and disease than some of field crops. Also, they maintain the nutrients from the water better than our field crops. If we have a heavy rain, much of those nutrients are lost in the runoff. In hydroponics, all those nutrients go straight to the roots, with none being lost.

Sweating Your Eggplant

Here is a useful tip for reducing the water content in your eggplant.
Slice up your eggplant and add salt(about 1/2 cup for a large eggplant).
Let it sweat for about an hour. Rinse thoroughly before cooking with them to remove all the salt.

The benefits of sweating your eggplant are:
Reduction of bitterness
Firms the flesh which will reduce the amount of oil they absorb if your are frying them, etc.

From: From Farm to Family

Broccoli Slaw

Broccoli Slaw
(works great with cauliflower also!)
From: Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 heads of broccoli
1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
Buttermilk Dressing
1/2 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
1/3 cup mayonnaise (this is more than is in the original, to thicken the dressing further)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot or red onion

Directions:
Trim broccoli and cut it into large chunks. From here, you can either feed it through your food processor’s slicing blade, use a mandoline to cut it into thin slices, or simply had chop it into smaller pieces. I used the stem and the flowerets, but if you have a broccoli stem aversion you can just use the tops. (P.S. My favorite way to prep the stems is to peel them — the tough skin is why most people think they don’t like broccoli stems; the broccoli underneath is juicy and crisp — then use the mandoline or a knife to cut them into thin slices.)
Toss the sliced broccoli with the almonds, cranberries and red onion in a large bowl. Meanwhile, whisk the dressing ingredients in a smaller one, with a good pinch of salt and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the broccoli (if you’ve skipped the stems, you might not want it all; I otherwise found this to be the perfect amount) and toss it well. Season well with salt and pepper to taste.
 

Apple Cider Sangria

Apple Cider Sangria
From: How Sweet It Is

Ingredients:
1 bottle (standard size) of pinot grigio
2 1/2 cups fresh apple cider
1 cup club soda
1/2 cup ginger brandy
3 honey crisp apples, chopped
3 pears, chopped

Directions:

Combine all ingredients together and stir, stir, stir. Refrigerate for an hour or so (or longer!) before serving.

Roasted Brussels with Cranberry and Bacon

Roasted Brussels with Cranberry and Bacon

Ingredients:

• pound Brussels sprouts, tips cut off, discolored leaves removed and sliced in half (smaller sprouts are better than large sprouts)
• 1 lb cooked bacon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt
• ⅔ cup fresh cranberries (or ⅓ cup dried cranberries)
• ⅓ cup crumbled Gorgonzola or goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, or more to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat your broiler.
2. Set a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. Let it heat up for two to three minutes. It should be so hot that a few drops of water sizzle and quickly disappear after contact.
3. In a medium sized bowl, toss the prepared Brussels sprouts with olive oil and salt. Toss well, so that the sprouts are evenly coated in a thin layer of oil.
4. Once the pan is hot, dump the sprouts into the pan and quickly rearrange them so the flat sides are face down. Let them cook for two minutes.
5. Toss the fresh cranberries into the pan and transfer the pan to your broiler. The pan will be heavy and hot so use oven mitts and be careful! Let the Brussels broil for about three minutes. Check the sprouts for doneness—their tops should be a little browned and the bottoms caramelized. The cranberries should have started popping by now; set the hot pan on your stovetop for a couple of minutes.
6. Toss the bacon, sprouts, cranberries, and cheese in a bowl and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Season with salt, divide into smaller bowls, and enjoy!
   
   
   

Getting Ready for Spring Planting

Our seedlings are patiently waiting in our greenhouses for spring planting to come. Hopefully we have seen the last of this snow and cold. Once the ground begins to thaw and the temperatures at night are above freezing we will begin to plant. Think warm thoughts with us!

 Lettuce Seedlings

 Scallion Seedlings

 

Pepper Seedlings

 

These are our newly painted planting wheels. You will notice the different sizing and spacing of the spikes. Depending on which type of produce we are planting at the time we will use a different wheel. Some vegetables require a small amount of space between plants and others require a wider amount of space. We can hardly wait to put these guys to work.