Here in the Northeast, temperatures are a bit milder this week after a string of hot, hazy humid days.
Despite some uncomfortable summer weather, the vegetables at my Bedford, New York farm are thriving. My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, picked another large bounty including eggplants, cucumbers, artichokes, peppers and so much more. I am so happy with this year’s prolific crops.
Enjoy these photos.
My vegetable garden is doing so well this season. It’s important to check it every day – there’s always something ready to pick. It makes me so happy to be able to share all of this produce with friends and family every summer.
Our cabbage patch looks excellent. Some cabbages are ready in as few as 80 days from seed and 60 days from transplanting, while others take as long as 180 days from seed or 105 days from transplanting, depending on the variety. Here’s Ryan looking for the best ones to harvest.
This big head of cabbage looks perfect. Cabbage, Brassica oleracea, is a member of the cruciferous vegetables family, and is related to kale, broccoli, collards and Brussels sprouts. To get the best health benefits from cabbage, it’s good to include all three varieties into the diet – Savoy, red, and green. The leaves of the Savoy cabbage are more ruffled and a bit more yellowish in color.
The broccoli heads are also looking great. Broccoli heads are ready when they’re deep green with small, tightly packed buds. And always harvest broccoli right away if it starts to flower or turn yellow. Side shoots will continue growing after the main head is harvested.
Here’s Ryan cutting a broccoli head. He uses a sharp knife and cuts the broccoli head stem a couple inches below the head.
Ryan uses a special produce knife that is narrow, with a straight-edge blade that also cuts from the top end. This knife fits between broccoli stalks and easily cuts vegetables at the base.
This beautiful cauliflower head is brimming with nutrients. Cauliflower holds plenty of vitamins, such as C, B, and K.
And here are more artichokes. The globe artichoke, Cynara scolymus, is actually a flower bud, which is eaten when tender. Buds are generally harvested once they reach full size, just before the bracts begin to spread open. When harvesting artichokes, cut off the bud along with about three inches of stem.
So many tomatoes are developing on the vines, but they’re not ready just yet. Most tomato plant varieties need between 50 and 90 days to mature. Planting can also be staggered to produce early, mid and late season tomato harvests. Chhiring did a great job staking them this season – all the vines are well secured off the ground.
All the freshly picked vegetables are loaded in trug buckets and brought up to my flower room, where they can be washed if needed, then bagged and stored in the refrigerator.
Here, Enma peels away the large, loose leaves. These will be saved for my dear chickens.
The cucumbers are rinsed with cold water before bagging. Cucumbers require a long growing season, and most are ready for harvest in 50 to 70 days from planting. The fruits ripen at different times on the vine, but it is essential to pick them when they are ready. If they are left on the vine too long, they tend to taste bitter.
Ryan picks cucumbers when they are at least six to eight inches in length. These will be so sweet and juicy.
We also harvested a few eggplants. I like to pick them when they’re smaller – when they are young and tender. Picking a little early will encourage the plant to grow more, and will help to extend the growing season. Sweet peppers are often harvested when the fruit is still green, but full sized. We picked three bell peppers, but more are growing in the garden bed.
The onions look wonderful, too – Ryan picked just a few. We planted a lot of white, yellow and red onions. Onions are harvested later in the summer when the underground bulbs are mature and flavorful. I always look forward to the onion harvest!
Look at all the artichokes – it’s a great season for artichokes. Artichoke harvest starts in late July or early August and continues well until frost.
And don’t forget our bounty of beans. Beans grow best in full sun and moist soil. Here in the Northeast, we’ve had both, so the beans are plentiful.
These yellow beans are also pretty. Bush beans grow on shrubby plants and are very prolific producers. They can continually produce throughout the season with the proper care. In general, bush beans should be ready in 50 to 55 days.
My family loves hot peppers. The jalapeño is a medium-sized chili pepper of the species Capsicum annuum. It is mild to medium in pungency depending on the cultivar. Always be careful when picking peppers – keep the hot ones separated from the sweet ones, so there is no surprise in the kitchen.
Poblanos are mild chili peppers named after the Mexican state of Puebla where they were first grown. They’re one of the most popular peppers used in Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking because they’re not very spicy, but have a really great flavor, especially when roasted.
Shishito peppers are small, bright green, somewhat wrinkled-looking peppers in the capsicum annuum family. Most of the peppers are very mildly spicy and even a bit sweet.
Everything is bagged and placed in the fridge. I am looking forward to many meals with all this wonderful produce – the fruits of our labor.
And look! Our first bounty of fresh, organic peaches from my orchard!! We have so many fruits growing this season – so sweet and delicious!
There's always so much to do to maintain the beauty of all the gardens at my Bedford, New York farm.
As many of you know, I am a serious and passionate gardener, and over the years have designed many gardens around my home. One area that is constantly evolving is my pinetum - an arboretum of pine trees and other conifers I developed about 12-years ago in a field behind my Equipment Barn. This collection has grown extremely well, and I continue to plant additional specimens every year. This week, my outdoor grounds crew covered the area with mulch. Doing this better regulates the soil temperature - keeping it cooler in summer and warmer in winter, adds nutrients to the soil as it breaks down, and helps prevent the growth of weeds. Mulched areas also don’t need regular watering or mowing like lawns do. Fortunately, we are able to make lots of mulch, and compost, right here at my farm.
Enjoy these photos.
Behind one side of my Pin Oak Allee is my pinetum. When I first bought my farm, I knew I wanted to plant many, many trees – young trees, to replace the older ones when their lives ended. Most of this collection includes pine trees, but I also included spruces and firs, as well as other evergreens.
On the right is Picea orientalis ‘Skylands’ – with beautiful short, tight, yellow foliage, and a graceful form. Oriental spruce is a slow-growing, upright tree that typically grows about eight to 10-feet tall over the first 10-years. The name ‘Skylands’ has no relation to my home in Maine, but I was attracted to it because it was called ‘Skylands.’ This tree was introduced by Skylands Botanical Garden in New Jersey, in 1979.
Here’s Chhiring unloading the mulch from the dump truck, so it can be transported in wheelbarrows to various areas of the pinetum. Do you know the difference between compost and mulch? Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed over time, while mulch is the layer of organic materials used as a protective cover. This mulch is made right here at my farm from downed trees that have been put through the tub grinder multiple times.
The mulch is dropped in mounds and then spread evenly throughout the space. Spreading a three to four inch layer of mulch will suppress weed germination, retain moisture, and insulate the soil.
Among the trees growing is this dwarf white pine tree. If you’re not sure how to tell some of these popular trees apart, here are some key tips: pines have needles that are arranged and attached to the branches in clusters of two, three or five. Spruce and fir trees have needles attached individually to the branches. Spruce needles are sharply pointed, square and easy to roll between the fingers. They’re attached to small, stalk-like woody projections, and when the needles fall, the branches feel rough. Fir needles are softer, flatter and cannot be easily rolled between the fingers. Fir needles are usually attached only on the upper side of the branch. Its branches lack projections, so the bark is smooth. And, a fir tree’s cones stand straight up on many species, or protrude outward on others.
The needles on this dwarf white pine are soft and blue-green in color.
Once trees are mature, they need little maintenance except for regular mulching and removal of dead or diseased branches. Picea orientalis ‘Nigra Compacta’ or oriental spruce is a medium to large, densely branched evergreen.
Its needles are flattened and glossy dark green and are shorter than the needles of other spruce species.
This short shrub is Pinus strobus ‘Blue Shag’, commonly known as an eastern white pine cultivar. It is a dense, globose form that typically only grows to about four feet tall.
Its short, blue-green needles in bundles of five are quite soft to the touch.
Picea abies ‘Pendula’ is used as a collective term to describe the myriad weeping and pendulous forms of Norway spruce. The Norway spruce or European spruce is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe. Its uniquely trained form adds so much interest in this pinetum.
Primary branches are slightly upturned but secondary branches become pendulous as the tree matures. Branches are clad with spirally-arranged, four-sided, needle-like, deep green leaves which are attached at the base.
Callitropsis nootkatensis ‘Pendula’ or weeping Alaskan cedar, is a slender, strongly weeping form that grows to as much as 35-feet tall.
It has widely spaced ascending to horizontal branches with flattened sprays of blue-green leaves.
Because the pinetum covers a good portion of this area, it takes a couple of days to complete this task, but the results are so worth the effort. Here is Chhiring using our Kubota model M7060HD12 tractor to transport another large load of mulch to the back of the pinetum. This tractor is used every single day for our outdoor chores.
This is a threadleaf cypress. It boasts showy, greenish-gold to gold colors. Shrubs in the threadleaf group generally want full sun – they thrive in this pinetum.
This compact conifer features thread-like needles that weep and drape over the entire shrub.
This is a dwarf Alberta spruce with a dense, compact, cone-shaped form.
Look closely to see its interesting yellowish new growth.
On one side of this pinetum are the tall and gorgeous weeping willows. Weeping willows are wide and tall with beautiful curtains of drooping branches that sweep the ground. I have several groves of weeping willow trees growing at my farm.
The leaves are long and narrow with a light green color and a finely toothed margin.
This pinetum looks so beautiful after it’s mulched. I add more specimens to this collection every year – some are very rare and slow growing, but I love the variety of plantings I’ve amassed.
So many of you comment on how much you appreciate my pet blogs - especially those that give step-by-step instructions for making food for my four dogs, Bete Noire, Creme Brulee, Empress Qin, and Emperor Han.
Every few weeks, I set aside time to make my dogs a good supply of home-cooked food. Preparing my own dog food has many benefits - fewer preservatives and additives, more varied and better ingredients and, of course, more of what I know my dogs will enjoy. I also know the food is from wholesome, organic, reputable sources - and that is very important to me. Yesterday, we prepared a giant batch of food filled with excellent quality chicken, beef, fish, quinoa, and lots of nutritious organic vegetables.
Enjoy these photos.
Here’s Emperor Han watching the activity at the farm from the steps of my Winter House kitchen. My dogs are very healthy. Look at Han’s coat – it’s so thick and abundant. My dogs’ good health and appearance are due, in part, to the food they eat. I love cooking for my dogs because I know exactly what they’re getting.
Here’s the counter of my Flower Room kitchen – filled with bowls of wholesome cooked vegetables and meats. I currently have four dogs – my Chow Chows, Han and Empress Qin, and my French Bulldogs, Bete Noire and Creme Brulee. Having multiple dogs means there’s a lot to prepare.
This is a bowl of chopped, cooked broccoli heads. We cooked all the vegetables separately and placed them in big stainless steel bowls. All my food is completely organic and full of flavor.
Six bunches of carrots are cooked until they are fork-tender and then mixed with the cooked peas – four large bags of frozen peas. My dogs love carrots. They are low in calories and high in fiber and vitamins. Occasionally crunching on raw carrots can also be good for their teeth. As for the peas, I used several bags of frozen peas. Green peas are a good source of the B vitamin Thiamin, phosphorous, and potassium. Don’t overcook them – they only take a couple of minutes.
The peas and carrots are mixed in with corn – we used five bags of frozen corn cooked until tender, yellow potatoes, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash. Sweet potatoes are great for digestive health because they’re high in dietary fiber. They’re also low in fat and contain vitamin B6, vitamin C, and manganese, and they’re rich in the powerful antioxidant beta-carotene.
I also prepared some Swiss chard from my garden. Since the stems can be tough, we boiled them until they were also fork-tender, about 10-minutes. Swiss chard is an excellent source of vitamin A and vitamin K and a good source of vitamin C and magnesium. It’s also high in dietary fiber.
And, I cooked five pounds of quinoa. Quinoa is an amazing gluten-free superfood with high levels of essential amino acids. It is a high protein grain type food, so give it in small amounts. When preparing homemade diets, be sure it is well-balanced. Research what your pet needs.
On the stove, several pots of meat – beef, chicken and fish. The meats were also all cooked separately.
Here is the pot of beef cooking. After it is cooked and cooled to the touch, it is removed from the bone and chopped into medium to large chunks. Any carcasses are set aside to go to the coyotes. Nothing is wasted at my farm.
We also remove any fat from the top.
Once all the meats are done, Enma runs everything through the food processor. Enma scoops some of the salmon and tilefish into the processor. In all, we used 10 pounds of saplmon and 13 pounds of tilefish for this batch of dog food. This step may seem extraneous; however, I have found that my dogs prefer their food ground rather than in big chunks. And watch out for bones. While some of the bones will be ground in the processor, it is a good idea to always carefully check for potentially dangerous bones.
Enma places the protective lid on the processor and pulses small batches of food at a time. Making my own dog food takes a bit of time to complete, but it is well worth the effort to feed my dogs the best food possible.
Once all the ingredients are cooked and done, Enma puts them into a large, very clean plastic bin. This will allow her to mix everything together thoroughly. Enma empties the bowl of quinoa first, and now the bowl of mixed carrots, peas, potatoes, and squash.
Next, the bowl of broccoli. For this batch, we used six large heads.
Everything including the meats are now in the bon. Here, Enma mixes everything thoroughly. It’s very important that dogs also get adequate amounts of calcium, and omega-three fatty acids – add supplements if needed. And, always talk to a veterinarian or canine nutrition expert before changing a dog’s diet.
Here is the food once it mixed. It looks so good!
These quart-sized containers were pulled from the rack and laid out. This step of filling the containers is done in a production line process, so it can be completed quickly and efficiently.
Enma scoops the food into the containers making sure not to let any spill over the sides.
Doesn’t this look good? My dogs love their food and always lick their bowls clean.
If planning to freeze, only fill up to the first line around the container so it has room to expand.
Each lid is marked with the contents and the date it was prepared.
Can you guess how many quarts we made?
Some of the food will be stored in my Winter House kitchen refrigerator, so they are easy to access. The rest will be stored in freezers elsewhere until needed. In all, I made enough for 65-quarts of food.
And look how beautiful the meal is – especially in this Martha Stewart Pets food dish. Home prepared diets can also be mixed with kibble. I mix high quality kibble with a scoop of their home-prepared food.
It’s dinner time! My dogs eat two meals a day – once in the morning and once in the evening. Splitting meal times is good for their digestion. Are you ready to eat, Bete Noire, Creme Brulee, and Qin? Cooking for your dogs is a personal choice, but if you have time, and are interested in giving it a try, I know your pets will love every meal.