Author Archives: Russo Family Farm

Two varieties of garlic did not make it into the ground in the fall, Broadleaf Czech and Inchelium Red. The softneck varietals, which do not form a scape, or flower stalk, store longer than hardneck varietals and can be braided. … Continue reading →

The farm is waking up from the depths of single-digit temperatures. The crates of winter squashes stored in the cabin had definitely frozen rock hard, and then thawed and deflated. There was squash juice everywhere. It was not a pretty … Continue reading →

The pre-thanksgiving storm system that swept up the East Coast blanketed the farm in a fluffy, drifty snow. Remaining garlic that needs to be planted – not happening this time Blue hubbards in front of the cabin – covered by … Continue reading →

Winter Luxury pumpkin Blue hubbard squash Acorn Squash “Tuffy” Sunflower seeds Garlic Parsley, Sage, Thyme The winter luxury pumpkin is an heirloom eating pumpkin. I cut the pumpkin into 12 slices and steam for 30 minutes. Scoop it out and … Continue reading →

As quickly as I patted myself on the back for a decent season, a burst of cold plunged the nighttime temperature to below freezing and put our squashes in danger. 8 degrees below freezing, which drove me to google how … Continue reading →

It is just a bit colder inland than in the city. Coupled with the breeze, wind-chill starts to make itself known. Most of the farm has turned to an amber golden tone, with just the herbs and brussels sprouts announcing … Continue reading →

For me, garlic marks the beginning of the next season. It is planted in the fall, allowed to winter in the ground, and spring up through the April chill. Battling weeds in the garlic rows was disagreeable in May, discouraging … Continue reading →

The drying golden hues of grass has settled over the farm. While neighboring farmers have cleared their land and planted a cover crop for the winter, we are on the relaxed schedule. There are still many tomatillos to be collected … Continue reading →

With night time temperatures dipping right to about freezing, we walked through the rest of the squash field to retrieve the remaining winter squashes. Surprising to find this many more spaghetti squash left in the field. When cooked, they are … Continue reading →

Looking at the droopy squash leaves with a black-green color tells you that the temperature dipped low enough to form ice crystals. We are approaching the “first frost date”, mid-October, for our zone and region. So we set about clearing … Continue reading →