New Seedlings at the Greenhouse

What a crew we had today.  We have started the seeds for the hot peppers and most of the eggplants. We also planted a new lettuce bed.  We enjoyed a freshly made greenhouse salad with French bread and finished with cupcakes.  It was sunny and warm.  A little island of summer locked in a sea of ice! 
Here are some suggestions for starting seeds.

Guidelines for Starting Seedlings

1. The general rule is that seeds should have a sterile pot and potting mix with no fertilizer. Potting mixes prevent soil compaction and are free of insects, disease and weed seeds. A soil that is fine outside where nature can keep these pests at bay, would put your seedlings at risk of problems like damping off and cut worms, and compact soil makes it difficult for tender new roots to develop.

At the greenhouse, we use Promix which is a mixture of sphagnum moss, perlite, vermiculite, dolomite lime (to stabilize the pH) and a wetting agent for even water absorption.

Spagnum moss is well draining yet water retentive.

Perlite looks like styrofoam but is a volcanic mineral. It aids in air and water retention.
Vermiculite is a mica-type material that is heated and expanded. It holds water and nutrients until the plants are ready to use them.
Dolomite lime sweetens the mix which is naturally acidic.
The wetting agent makes it easier to wet the mix.

2. The potting mix should thoroughly damp but not soggy before using. If the soil is not wet place the tray on a soaker tray until the surface just begins to show the wetness. Don't let the mix get too wet or the seeds could rot.

3. Fill 6 packs with mix and gently tamp it down. About ¼ inch from top is good.  Put one seed in each compartment. Read the package for the seed depth. 1/8 to ¼ inch is typical depending on the size of the seed. Larger seeds are planted deeper, for example, beans are planted 2” deep. Some seeds need light to germinate and should be placed on the soil, others need darkness to germinate and are planted deeper.

4. Label each 6 pack with specific name, and date planted. Flower seeds should be marked with height. Zinnias and marigolds, for example, come in cut flower and border heights.

5.  Place seedling in a germination bed or on a heat mat or other warm place. It is important to read germination temperature. Some seeds germinate at cooler temperatures. Most vegetable like to germinate at about 75, but some flowers need lower temperatures.

6. Most seeds need to be kept moist to germinate. Check seeds in the germination bed to make sure the soil is damp and sand under the flat is also damp. Soggy soil can rot the seeds so it is important not to over-water.

6. Seeds in the germination bed have a humid environment because of the plastic cover. You can also do this with a plastic dome. It is a good idea to remove the plastic for a short time everyday to give the plants fresh air.

Betsy brought us a recipe to try with all the kale at the greenhouse.

 Kale Salad

This was one of the winning recipes from the Slow Food sponsored kale cook off & festival in 2011 at Mermaid Farm & dairy.

1 large bunch of kale (about 12 leaves) removed from the stalk
1 tsp coarse salt
11/2 tbls apple cider vinegar
1 tbls extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup toasted sunflower kernels
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1crisp apple, diced small


Tear or slice kale in thin strips.  In a large bowl, mix kale with salt & message vigorously for 3 minutes!!  This breaks down the fibers & releases some of the bitter flavor.  (This causes the kale to shrivel up & you have way less kale than you thought!!)  Toss with vinegar & evoo!  Add remaining ingredients & serve!!!

(If doubling recipe, do not double the amount of salt.....then it becomes too salty!!)

A popular cuke at the Greenhouse is the  heirloom lemon cucumber.  When fully ripe, it is a bright lemony color.  It’s small size makes it a great snack or perfect single serving in a salad.  It is never bitter but has a sweet crisp flavor.  When slightly under ripe, it is great for pickling.  I tried it in a recipe for freezer bread and butter pickles and they were terrific.  I shared they pickles with the greenhouse crew at our last Wednesday  worker’s lunch.  We also had Betsy’s dip and Ken’s famous hotdogs.

Here are the directions for the pickles:
Mix 4 cups of thinly sliced cucumbers with 1 very thinly sliced onion and 2 tsp salt. 
Let this sit in a colander for 2 hours.
Meanwhile combine 1-¼ cups of vinegar (apple or distilled) with ½ cup of honey in a sauce pan and heat until the honey is dissolved.
Add ½ tsp ground turmeric and ¼ tsp each of celery seeds, black pepper and ground mustard.  Let this cool.
Pack the cucumber mixture into glass jars leaving an inch at the top.  Pour in the brine to just barely cover the pickles.  Freeze.

Betsy Cabana brought a tomatillo and avocado dip.
Cut up 8 tomatillos and puree them with the juice of 1 lime, pepper and salt to taste, and one avocado. 
Dice another avocado and  a red onion and add to the pureed mixture to add some texture.

Drying Flowers
The greenhouse has cockscomb celosia, globe amaranth, strawflowers, statice and amaranth for drying.

Harvest your flowers after the dew has dried. 
Remove the leaves form the lower stem.
Tie 5 to 10 stems together with a rubber band.
Choose a place to dry the flowers that is dark and dry.  Air flow or a dehumidifier will speed the process.
Hang the bouquet upside down.
It should take between 24 hours and 2 weeks to dry your flowers.

OK Okra!

Have you seen the okra at the Greenhouse?  It is beautiful in the sun.  We sold a lot of it at the Oak Bluffs Open Market, but we are finished for the season.  Come pick some it is very prolific and needs to be picked every 2 or 3 days.   Ellen Desheneux shared a recipe with us.

Sauté garlic to taste in olive oil, add sliced okra (8-12 depending on size, cubed tomatillo (6-8 depending on size) and stir fry until tender. Add one can organic diced herb tomatoes (Muir Glen) for stir fry and two cans for a more stew like recipe. Serve with shredded fresh basil.

If you like a little meat you can add some chicken and stir fry it with the garlic or try Paula Dean's recipe with bacon.  I saw a recipe with great reviews for roasted okra.  Worth a try on the cooler days.

If you are still enjoying your grill, you could try Phylis Jampol's favorite.  Just throw it on the grill!

Check out the Greenhouse Blog for more recipes using vegetables available at the Greenhouse.

The Fall Festival is fast approaching and there is a lot of work to do.  Max King started seedlings that will be good to put in a cold frame.  We will also be having a perennial swap at the festival so start planning and divide your plants to share.
 Meanwhile we need to clean up the greenhouse and gardens.

See you on Wednesday. 

Gazpacho Fever

The Wednesday Crew is gearing up for the Fall Festival.  Cuttings have been started as well as seedlings.  There will be lots of activities including a perennial swap and honey extraction!
Meanwhile, the open markets continue in Oak Bluffs.  Tomatoes, eggplant, okra and flowers have been good sellers.
I have been making a lot of gazpacho.  Most of the ingredients are available at the Greenhouse.
Have you noticed the new sign yet?  We are now "the Greenhouse of Martha's Vineyard."

Here is my favorite recipe for Gazpacho.  Enjoy!

Gazpacho

6 large ripe juicy tomatoes

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic

1 fresh chopped jalapeno or half a garden salsa pepper

1 cut up red onion

            Process tomatoes and garlic until pureed.  Depending on audience I also puree the onion and hot pepper.  If you prefer you can chunk them and add them with the following vegetables.

1 chopped green pepper

1/3 cup of mixture of basil and Italian parsley chopped

1 chopped large cucumber

2 tsp salt

Fresh black pepper

Pulse in the food processor until vegetables are chopped but not pureed.

Comsog is a Hit at the Open Market in Oak Bluffs

Every Sunday at 8:00 AM we meet up at the Greenhouse to pick tomatoes, flowers, cucumber, okra and eggplant to sell at the open market.  The market is from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.  We are also selling plants, herbs and hanging baskets.  Come join us!

Plant and Seedling Sale

Members have been busy this spring.  The greenhouse is bursting with vegetable seedlings.  Heirloom tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, eggplants are looking happy and so are the volunteers.  All winter we have been meeting on Wednesdays at the greenhouse enjoying soups and salads.  There has been plenty of lettuce and kale as well as kohlrabi and swiss chard.  (Click here for a recipe for a swiss chard tart.)
There are lots of flowers this year as well.  We have the usual 6  packs of gazania and portulaca.  We have added cutting flowers and will have a cutting garden at the greenhouse this summer.  We have hanging baskets ready to go but we also have a special sale on wave petunnias and fuchsia for you to create your own baskets.
Our Earthday celebration was a great success.  We had many community members come and donate time.  Lots of winter squash was started for the sale.  Hot dogs, greens, tea and cookies were enjoyed by all ages.  Children had fun seeding sunflowers in egg carton pots.
This year we have some new items for sale.  New tomatoes include Legend and Red Robin.  Legend is an early blight resistant tomato.  Red Robin is a cherry tomato that can be grown in a hanging basket.  Sheepnose Pimento and Tequila Sunrise are new sweet peppers. 

Hot peppers range from the ever popular mildly hot Ancho to the fiery Red Habanero.