Our First Show of 2016!

This Saturday (March 5th) we will finally be attending our first show of 2016!  We should be attending a show almost every weekend until our markets start in June.  So check back here to see where else we will be selling in the upcoming months (just go to our WHERE WE SELL page).  Also during the summer we are thinking about selling a another one or two farmers markets, I will keep everyone updated with any new information.

Here are the craft shows that we will be attending this month:

Saturday, March 5, 2016 - Spring Craftacular, Our Savior's Rocky River Lutheran Church,

20300 Hilliard Blvd., Rocky River, Ohio

10:00am- 3:30pm
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Saturday, March 12, 2016 - Brunswick Kiwanis Club Spring Craft Show, Brunswick Rec Center, 3637 Center Road, Brunswick, Ohio 44212

10:00am- 3:00pm
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Sunday, March 13, 2016 - Spring Shopping Extravaganza, Middleburg Heights Community Center,

16000 Bagley Road, Middleburg Heights, Ohio 44130

Time to be announced
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Sunday, March 20, 2016 - Buzzard Days Arts and Craft Show, Hinckley Elementary,

1586 Center Road, Hinckley, Ohio

7:00am- 2:00pm
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We will have pasta, bread, jams, jellies, chocolates, and gift baskets (containing pasta, jellies, chocolates, and recipe cards)

Can not wait to see everyone, and start off a new season!

Pierogies, Apple Strudel, and Trout!

I spent most of the day today in the kitchen, and I just thought I would share with everyone what I made today and some pictures.  We made three different kinds of pierogies, and some mini personal size apple strudels.  This is the second day that we have spent making pierogies, have to freeze as much as I can and stock up for the summer.  Then once everything was done I cooked up a dinner with our homemade pierogies and trout that we just caught the other day ice fishing.  You can not get much better than that!

 

Pierogies and  Mini Apple Strudels

Baby Apple Strudels

 

 Potato and Cheddar Cheese Pierogies, Creamed Corn Pierogies, Potato, Garlic Pesto, and Sour Cream Pierogies.

 

Today's dinner, fried pierogies and fresh trout with garlic sauce.

Seed Starting

This is a post that I did in 2010 and I copied it from my old blog.  Just figured since it is going to be seed starting time, I would refresh this post for anyone who many be learning how to start their own seeds.

So here is how I start all my seeds. I pretty much start all my seeds the same way. The only exceptions would be things like vines which I start in pots instead of flats, certain types of seeds that do not need to be covered with dirt, and a few other exceptions.

Below is a list of some things you may need:

Seed Starting Dirt

Warm Water

Popsicle Sticks - for marking

Gloves (if you don't want to get your hands dirty, I don't use gloves for anything but that's just me.)

Container to plant in - I use flats, but you can use just about anything, just poke some holes in the bottom for drainage.

Seeds (of coarse!)

Spray bottle

Sphagnum Moss

Cling Wrap

Tiny hair clips (come in handy for keeping the cling wrap from touching the dirt.)

1. First thing I do is wet my dirt, before planting, with warm water. Just be sure not to get too wet.

2. Once dirt is wet I transfer the dirt into the flat I will be planting in, you can use whatever you wish to plant in some people use styrofoam cups, any kind of used food containers, you can use your imagination. I am not a fan of peat pots or pellets, to me they seem to be difficult to keep from getting too wet and too dry. If you do use peat pots or pellets be sure to tear off some of the pot or netting before planting because you could end up with a problem like this.

3. Then I pat down the dirt.

4. I use popsicle sticks to mark my rows and varieties planted.

5. After I place the popsicle sticks where my rows will be, I use another popsicle stick to make my rows. For seeds that do not need to be covered, I sometimes just scatter the seeds in their area without making rows, and mark the section with a popsicle stick in the dirt as a divider.

6. Place the seeds in the rows.

7. Cover the seeds, by pushing extra dirt on sides of rows over seeds. If you are unsure of how much to cover the seeds it is always better to not over cover the seeds. For most of my seeds I either just barely cover (1/4" on package) or do not cover at all (1/8" on package). If the package states to cover with a 1/8" of dirt I do not cover with dirt at all and just cover with sphagnum moss. If it states to not cover at all I do not cover with dirt or sphagnum moss.

8. Pat down the dirt after covering the seeds.

9. Once I have all my seeds planted, I then cover with a layer of sphagnum moss.

10. Spray with a spray bottle to wet sphagnum moss, spray slowly at first the sphagnum moss will fly everywhere if you don't.

11. I then cover with cling wrap, and use tiny hair clips to keep the cling wrap form touching the dirt. Check every day some seeds will come up within a couple of days. When the seedlings begin to pop up I remove the cling wrap. If some varieties come up and others have not I will sometimes put a plastic dome on the flat for a couple of days to give the unsprouted seeds some more time with extra warmth. You do not want the seedlings to be touching the plastic, so remove once they get to tall.

I place my flats under lights right away. Most seeds do not need light to sprout but the lights give them extra warmth that can greatly speed up the germination process. If the instructions on the package say do not cover the seeds chances are those seeds need light to germinate.

The seeds that I planted in the above flat were cherry tomato seeds. I will be sure to post a picture once they have sprouted and as they grow.


There are so many different methods to start seeds. Everyone has there own way that works best for them. If you are going to be starting seeds of your own, happy seed starting!
Now back to work, planting more seeds.

What We Grow

I finally just completed the page on my website with a list of the vegetables and fruits that we grow.  I still have to add more vegetable varieties to the list but it is a start.  I have not gotten my seed orders completely in yet, once I get all of my seeds orders in I will be able to update the list with everything that I will be growing for 2016. 
You can check it out HERE or click on the what we sell tab at the top of the page, and then on vegetables and fruits button.

Crazy Weather

Yesterday I picked almost a whole row of young cabbage, that filled up one and a half giant coolers.  I would not have picked it but since we have been getting so much rain lately I was afraid if I did not pick it I would soon loose it because of all the water that is sitting in between the rows.  Normally at this time of the year all my vegetables would be done for the year, due to the cold weather.  Not this year, this year in January instead of loosing everything to the freezing cold, I will most likely end up loosing everything to the excessive rain.  You never know what the weather may bring.

 Lots of Water

but I still have turnips, radishes, kohlrabi, pac choi, kale, and scallions

and at home I have lettuce, arugula, romaine, mustard greens, collards, and more kale.

I look at this picture and it reminds me more of spring more than winter.

Here is a picture of the same area without all the water, taken about a month ago.

One cooler full of young cabbage, that I will be making into sauerkraut today.

This will be my first time making sauerkraut, I will have to do a post if it comes out good.

 

Merry Christmas to All!

I just wanted to wish everyone 

A Very Merry Christmas!!

from everyone at Real Veggies Farm!

Upcoming event- Saturday December 19th

Our last show of 2015 will be this weekend at:

Avant-Garde Art & Crafts Show Fairlawn
St. George's Fellowship Centre
3204 Ridgewood Road, Fairlawn, Ohio 44333
Saturday, December 19, 2015
10am- 5pm

Hope to see everyone there!