What’s New in the Greenhouse

Change is a constant, and so it is here at the farm. I like to check out new vegetables and see how they produce in our hot summers. Friends and customers recommend varieties that intrigue me. Sometimes the seed industry forces me to try new varieties after they have dropped one of my favorites.

Here’s a few new veggies we plan to offer in 2011. For the complete list of all the greenhouse plants, click on this link for the Greenhouse Shopping List.

New plants for 2011 in CBF’s greenhouses:

• Satsuki Midori Cucumber - When an employee goes on and on about a variety I am intrigued. Donna had lots of good things to say about this rare Asian variety she savored while farming in N. California.


• Bush Cucumber - Garden space is a premium for many so here’s a delicious bush type cuke.


• Muncher Cucumber - Seed companies drop good old tried and true varieties all the time especially in the burpless cucumber department. This is our newest cuke to satisfy all those who want to enjoy this veggie without the socially awkward belches.


• Torpedo Red Bottle Onion - I’m on a lifetime search for a good open-pollinated red onion. This heirloom is exceptionally hardy, has a fun shape and stores well.


• Chorizo Basque Pepper - A gem collected at the Year of Idaho Seed Swap. This is the pepper that looks hot but isn’t. When green it’s fried with a little salt and is easy to enjoy. When red, they are dried, seeds removed and then reconstituted into a puree and added to the Chorizo sausage.


• Corno di Toro Sweet Pepper - A large, sweet stuffing pepper. Ripens to either yellow or red. A non-bell shape it’s 8 inches long and 1.5 inches wide at the shoulder.


• Blush Cherry Tomato - I was lucky to sample this new long cherry type last sason. Oh my it’s splendid. Farmer friends who got some of my extra plants started calling to report on its delightfully sweet flavor. Yellow fruit gets a red blush when it’s time to harvest.


• Sunsugar Cherry Tomato - Related to Sun Gold but isn’t as prone to the split fruits. Still a hybrid.


• Sprite Cherry - A red grape tomato that won’t cover the side of your house. This smaller determinate plant has all the delicious red fruit but without the hostile takeover factor.


• Isis Candy Cherry Tomato - Cherry tomatoes are hot as in popular so I’m forced to think about new types. This little round beauty is beautiful with red and yellow marbling and filled with sweet flavors.


• Red Calabash Tomato - I’m putting this small, red ruffled heirloom tomato in my Salad Tomato category. From Mexico, the 2-3 oz. fruits have a beefsteak flavor.


• Rosso Sicilian Tomato - An Italian heirloom with red ribs, thin skin and a flesh that’s perfect for sauce. It’s determinate habit should please gardeners, too.


• Moonglow Tomato - I’ll be trialing this heirloom orange slicer in 2011. But it won SSE’s Heirloom Tomato tasting several years ago.


• Ace 55 Tomato - Customers are always asking for determinate red slicing tomatoes and this one wonderfully fits the bill. Fruits are low-acid.


• Marianna’s Peace - What the world needs is more pink slicing tomatoes. It’s my belief pink fruits do real well in our heat and I couldn’t resist this large and productive slicer.


• STRAWBERRY PLANTS - You’ve been asking for years and I finally remembered. The plants weren’t grown organically but once here they have received the organic treatment which includes a healthy dose of tough love.


• CANYON BOUNTY FARM’s ORGANIC SEEDS
  Finally got my act together and created a small seed pack rack. All seeds grown right here at the farm. * indicates heirloom
  • Arugula
  • Bachelor Button Flowers*
  • Brandywine Cherry Tomato
  • Bug Bloom Blend Seeds
  • Cilantro
  • Contender Garden Beans*
  • Dill
  • Frances Hoffman Marigold*
  • Greenhouse Reds Lettuce Mix
  • Landis Frost Resistant Tomato*
  • Pomodorini al Piennolo Tomato*
  • Shirofumi Edamamae