When I first purchased my land, I needed a lot of seeds. Acorns were my first seed obsession. You could find me in parks, strips of land along busy roads and front yards meticulously picking acorns one by one and taste-testing them. When I asked my brother Chris and my ‘agri-buddy’ and musician Jesse to …
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July 26, 2016
One of the draws of the wild blueberry is a flavor that can only be described as “true blue.” This certainly describes the flavor of the Dryland Blueberry, recently harvested on our farm and currently in production for fall 2017. These bushes are self-fertile and very productive, with loads of smaller-sized fruit growing in clusters. …
Continue reading “Farm to Table Part III: Dryland Blueberry Pie”…
July 12, 2016
Thimbleberries are interesting to harvest. You have to have very light fingers to not smush the fruit. The proper picking motion is almost like peeling a sticker off a bowling ball. After an hour, it will seem like you hardly have any in the bucket, but the fruit is dense. I was happy to harvest almost two …
Continue reading “Farm to Table Part II: Thimbleberry Scones”…
July 11, 2016
American Chestnut Wood Bowls can be created using both diseased older trees and larger prunings from standing trees.
July 8, 2016
Is there any greater joy than harvesting fresh fruit or veggies, making a delicious dish and enjoying it with friends? Last week we harvested a batch of Japanese Mulberries, Northern Red Raspberries, Wild Black Raspberries and Yellow Black Raspberries at the farm. Picking Japanese Mulberry It was a hot day, and the bees were out, but …
Continue reading “Farm to Table Part I: Raspberry & Mulberry Syrup”…
July 8, 2016
More on the people behind the plants and the origins of blight and a series of solutions that develop as a result… (To read Part 1, click here). The Plum Guy The Story Behind the Plant: Ralph loved the idea of a tree crop farm. Having worked in the paper industry his whole life, he …
June 27, 2016
Chestnuts: Immune to Blight In 2010, we received an email from a long-time customer who conducted some research he had done on our trees. The research used a group of hybrid American Chestnut trees from our farm, (namely Timburr American Hybrid Chestnut and Ken’s Select Hybrids), to determine the amount of blight resistance and cold tolerance. …
June 24, 2016
Recently at Oikos Tree Crops we have been reflecting on some inspiring stories of plants and people we admire for various reasons. Here are three short stories we think you will enjoy. Mirabelle Plums represent one of the most widely distributed and highly coveted plums throughout the world. Part of the mystique is its label as …
Continue reading “In praise of discovery and the spirit of sharing”…
May 13, 2016
Organic controls work. Here is what we use.
April 20, 2016
One of the easiest perennial tuber crops to grow, sunchokes are widely adaptable to a variety of climates and soils. Selections are based on flavor, texture, ease of cleaning and harvest as well as yield. Here are a few tips to help grow this species and keep your planting productive year after year. Spacing Requirements: …