On Our homestead

Over the years, in addition to growing Floriani Red Flint Corn for eating and seed stock, I am traveling on a multi-year journey to refine the seed line.   For selling, I hand select the ears that go into the mix.  I want to improve the percentage that meet my requirements.  Searching the internet, seems there are two memes for Floriani: One with "RED" in the name, like this:                      I am working on this "red" strain. One without "red" that appears a shade of burned orange, like this:       ...

April 24, 2019 I used a gap in the weather to measure and mark out and plant more wheat/barley plots. A few were varieties 'new' to me in their first grow out... others, I just desired to increase my seed stocks.   Wheats  Akmolinka Wheat (B88-Spr) Alaska Spelt (W89) Black Eagle Spring Wheat (W24) Blue Durum Wheat (W68) Ghirka Strain 1517 Wheat (W03) Globe Strain 1506 Wheat (W12) Huron Wheat (W17) Hourani Wheat (W67-HGS Tall) Japhet Wheat (W05) Mauri Black-Awned Wheat (W13) Milagre Wheat (W14) Pacific Bluestem No 37 (W04) Red Bobs Wheat (W06) Spring Dinkel (W08) Vavilov Wheat (W87) White...

Every once in a while when it is too soggy and too cold to plant and seeds are absolutely EVERYWHERE and I'm already falling behind on the "start inside x number of weeks before last frost" crops and there aren't enough spaces on my maps to include all the varieties I want to grow and the date blocks on the calendar become packed with future tasks, it seems so overwhelming... And then along comes something that puts it all in perspective. In this case it is this little Food For Thought gem from NPR: For a Healthier Planet, Eat These...

Blustery winter days are perfect for assessing our mission, reviewing our progress and for setting goals for the coming season. Strengthening our homestead's capacity to supply our family food needs extends to seed production and corresponds well with our commitment to a staple crop focus. Assured in our ability to harvest viable seeds for many grain, legume, and squash varieties, we aim to improve our skill in the realm of the biennials which need two growing seasons to produce their seeds. A goal over the next few years is seed self-sufficiency for cole crops, such as cabbage, and for beets...

    We recently attended two great gatherings of absolutely amazing seed people - first in December, the 4th annual Eastern Canadian Organic Seed Growers Network (ECOSGN) Conference, held in conjunction with the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario (EFAO) Winter Conference in London Ontario and just recently the 2nd annual Northeast Organic Seed Conference held in Saratoga Springs New York with the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York's (NOFA-NY) Winter Conference. The benefits we gained from the sharing of wisdom, inspiration, experience, stories and seeds are beyond measure and we are truly grateful for the opportunities. Blessed with the...