Our first Creekside Market Day of 2023 is May 6th.
In addition to our organic garden plants, we have been busy making our goat milk soap & body products. We will have plenty of our raw honey and also our Suri alpaca yarn.
All of our plants are growing in organic soil in our organic greenhouse. Most are heirlooms – that means you can save the seed (after hand pollinating & isolating a blossom) and grow the exact same variety from that seed. It also means that variety was chosen for incredible flavor – not the ability to ship the produce across the country & not necessarily for the perfect appearance of the tomato, eggplant, pepper, ect… We do grow a few hybrids (not at all the same as GMO) because we have requests for some – like Sungold cherry tomatoes and dwarf tomatoes for containers. We choose some hybrid sweet bell peppers because we have not found a reliable heirloom that turns color in our climate (Red Knight, Flavorburst & Cupid are examples). All of our herbs are grown from open pollinated seed or cuttings that we take from our own plants.
My first batch of Spring soap is Lilac – because it’s my favorite!
All of our soap is made here in small batches. We use organic and sustainable ingredients – local when possible. Our goat milk comes from a local farm. The majority of our soap is made with the following ingredients. We do make a sea salt bar with no animal products and – what I call a Luxury bar with added butters replacing some of the coconut oil & some extra wonderful EO’s.
I will be making soap from now until about mid March. We like to give our soap a minimum of 6 weeks for curing. As the soap cures, the liquid evaporates and the chemical process between the oils and the lye continues. The result is a nice long lasting and mild bar of soap.
Up until the past few months, we have been able to keep our ingredient costs down by using what we had purchased at the “old” prices. We are now using ingredients with a much higher cost and will be raising our price to $6.00 per bar. The new price will start with our May Creekside Market Day. We do have some bars still available at the $5.00 price. So, if you need soap now, let me know. I can send you a list.
Below is a list of most of the vegetables we will have available for pre-order this year
We will begin to start seeding in mid February and will be growing specifically what we have orders for. So, please get your orders in before Seeding Time!
Plants will be ready for pick-up in early May.
Here’s how it will work this year:
Make your list
Send it to us by email pam@creeksidenaturalfarm.com or PM on our Facebook page
Pick up & pay for your plants * We know we have the best & totally committed customers so we will not be asking for a deposit. However, if for some unforeseen reason, you can’t take the plants you ordered, please let us know.
All of our plants are grown from seed in our on-farm organic greenhouse. We use organic soil & fertilizer and no chemical insecticides of fungicides.
We will also have herbs, 4 packs of spring veggies (broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, ect…) & succulents available for pick up with your pre-order.
Tomato plants are $3.50 each
Peppers & Eggplant are $4.00 each
Heirloom Beefsteak & Slicing Tomatoes
Mortgage Lifter 85 days. Large, smooth, 1-lb pink fruit has a delicious, rich, sweet taste. This variety has become very popular in recent years and was developed by M.C. Byles of Logan, West Virginia. After crossing varieties for 6 years and selecting the best, he introduced this beauty that he named Mortgage Lifter in the 1940s, after he sold plants for $1 each and paid off the $6000 mortgage on his house.
Barnes Mountain Orange Barnes Mountain Orange – IND (90 days) Kentucky heirloom. Large beefsteak, brilliant orange fruits that deliver flavor and yields. Bring some sunshine into your kitchen with this delicious tomato. Some disease resistance; vigorous plants need staking. As the years go by I appreciate this variety more and more. It is becoming a customer favorite, I think we all realize how rare this one is! Firm and juicy fruits have no other rival in the yellow/orange category. Perfect balance of sweet/tart.
Tappy’s Heritage 78 days) What a great, old-fashioned tomato. The flavor is balanced and fresh. Such a great, all around tomato. Beautiful, juicy, rich, good producer. Great canning tomato or fresh off the vine.
Cherokee Purple 80 days. An old Cherokee Indian heirloom, pre-1890 variety; beautiful, deep, dusky purple-pink color, superb sweet flavor, and very-large-sized fruit. Try this one for real old-time tomato flavor. Our favorite dark tomato and one of our best selling varieties.
Blue Beauty 80 days. This recent Brad Gates introduction was selected from a cross between ‘Beauty King’ and a blue tomato. Fruit is modest beefsteak-type slicer, weighing up to 8 ounces, and the flavor is as good as its outstanding antioxidant content! Gorgeous, deep blue-black shoulders make this unique among slicing types. Excellent potential for market, as the fruit holds well on the vine. Sunburn and crack resistance are a welcome bonus.
Carbon 90 days. Winner of the 2005 “Heirloom Garden Show” best-tasting tomato award. These have won taste awards coast to coast in the last few years, so we were proud to locate a small supply of seed. The fruit is smooth, large, and beautiful, being one of the darkest and prettiest of the purple types we have seen. They seem to have an extra dose of the complex flavor that makes dark tomatoes famous.
Big Rainbow 85 days. Huge fruit up to 2 lbs.; delicious and sweet tasting. These tomatoes are very striking sliced, as the yellow fruit has neon red streaking though the flesh. An heirloom preserved by members of Seed Savers Exchange.
Brandywine 80 days. The most popular heirloom vegetable! A favorite of many gardeners, large fruit with superb flavor. A great potato-leafed variety from 1885! Beautiful pink fruit up to 1½ lbs each!
Sauce/Paste Tomato
San Marzano 82 days The infamous sauce tomato, deserving every bit of its stellar reputation. Clusters of red, oblong fruits ripen uniformly to allow for small batch processing of your sauces and marinara. Superb flavor, very meaty with few seeds and juice, makes this one of the best canning tomatoes we offer. Try roasting them for an even more rewarding experience!
Cherry Tomatoes
Pink Bumblebee 60-70 days. A stunning cherry tomato, of recent breeding from Artisan Seeds. The fruit has a bright, sweet flavor, and the color is vibrant fire-engine-red with golden orange striping. Vigorous vines yield crack resistant fruit over a very long season. Tolerates cool nighttime temps and hot days. Salad will never be the same!
Black Cherry 75 days. Beautiful black cherries look like large, dusky purple-brown grapes; they have that rich flavor that makes black tomatoes famous. Large vines yield very well; very unique and delicious.
Sungold Intense fruity flavor. Exceptionally sweet, bright tangerine-orange cherry tomatoes leave everyone begging for more. Vigorous plants start yielding early and bear right through the season.
Spoon 65-70 days. Micro mini fruit, just the size of a tiny pea, and said to be the world’s tiniest tomato! A delightful edible ornamental, the tiny, fire engine-red fruit is arranged beautifully along super long trusses. What Spoon lacks in size, it makes up in flavor. This variety packs tons of bold classic red, tangy tomato flavor, which is another reason why it is a kid favorite! Spoon tomatoes pop in your mouth when you bite into them; they are a joy to eat and grow.
Black Strawberry 60 days. Fantastic, sugar-sweet tomato flavor, that is fruity, with a hint of grape and plum flavors. If you relish the experience of digging into a bowl of high-quality cocktail tomatoes, then the Black Strawberry is your tomato. This 1-ounce fruit is marbled in blue, scarlet and gold. A bowl full resembles a luminous and luxurious bunch of gems, and indeed the flavor is decadent and indulgent, with perfectly sweet and tart balanced flavor! This extremely productive and early variety makes it an obvious choice for gardeners and market farmers who want rugged, early-producing plants, and do not want to sacrifice eating quality.
Peacevine Cherry (75 days) Unbelievable cherry tomato. Produces tresses of small 3/4″ delicious red tomatoes. Just keeps on producing. Uniquely high in vitamin C, and gamma amino butyric acid, a body sedative that calms jitters!
Container Plants
Tasmanian Chocolate Delicious slicer for small spaces. A small plant with abundant flavor, Tasmanian Chocolate retains the superior qualities of its heirloom parentage. Unlike traditional heirlooms, it is well-suited for patios and containers (owing to its tidy plant habit and short stature) and only needs a standard tomato cage for support. These burgundy 4–6 oz., ribbed tomatoes are richly flavored and perfect for slicing onto sandwiches.
Jalapeno Lemon Spice A stunning burst of fruity flavor and vibrant color makes this a super exciting new hot pepper! This colorful jalapeño was introduced by New Mexico State University.This variety has major eye appeal and stands out in salsas and other fresh preparations; the color is stunning and really pops. Edible landscaping is a breeze with Lemon Spice; the sturdy plants are covered in sunny color. Great for mixed-bed or container planting.
Patio Baby Eggplant The best container variety. Bright purple flowers add beauty to this compact, edible ornamental. Well-suited for balconies, patios, and gardens and also ideal for pack sales and urban farming operations. Patio Baby is a true mini, maintaining proper proportions of fruit to calyx as it grows. Thin-skinned 2–3″ long fruit with tender flavor, perfect for grilling or roasting. Continuous set of spineless fruits make harvest pain- free and child-friendly.
Cupid Mini Bell Early, sweet, mini bell. Fruits are blocky to slightly pointed, snack size, avg. 2″ X 1 3/4″, and are particularly sweet when red. Large, well-branched plants protect the fruits from sunscald.
Sweet Peppers
Red Knight Bell Big, blocky fruits are early to turn red. Stronger disease resistance than King Arthur and a more compact, open plant. Flavor is fruity and sweet.
Sweet Sunrise Bell Blocky, dark green bell ripens to yellow/orange. Medium-large 3- and 4-lobed fruits are blocky to slightly elongated. The flavor is both fruity and sweet. A few days earlier than Flavorburst, Sweet Sunrise has a sturdier, medium-size plant with better leaf cover. Yields well and fruits ripen early, even in the North.
Purple Beauty Bell 75 days. Reliable and well-adapted plants produce high yields of this delicious onyx-colored pepper. These compact plants average 18 inches in height, with large, 4-inch black fruit that ripen to deep purple. These gorgeous peppers are flavorful, crisp and juicy with a thick wall, perfect raw or cooked. Note these peppers will lose their color in cooking.
Cupid Mini Bell Early, sweet, mini bell. Fruits are blocky to slightly pointed, snack size, avg. 2″ X 1 3/4″, and are particularly sweet when red. Large, well-branched plants protect the fruits from sunscald.
Jimmy Nardello 75 days. A customer favorite! This fine Italian pepper was grown each year by Giuseppe and Angella Nardiello at their garden in the village of Ruoti, in Southern Italy. In 1887 they set sail with their one-year-old daughter Anna for a new life in the U.S. When they reached these shores, they settled and gardened in Naugatuck, Connecticut, and grew this same pepper that was named for their fourth son, Jimmy. This long, thin-skinned frying pepper dries easily and has such a rich flavor that this variety has been placed in “The Ark of Taste” by the Slow Food organization. Ripens to a deep red, is very prolific, and does well in most areas.
Ajvarski Sweet Pepper 80 days. Two-foot, stocky plants are covered in 6- to 7-inch, broadly wedgeshaped pods that ripen from green to deep, rich red. These peppers are incredibly fragrant and tasty. When you throw half a dozen on your grill, everybody in your neighborhood will smell them! These thick-fleshed traditional peppers are roasted on flat metal stoves, peeled, then ground into a traditional relish called ajvar, which is eaten spread on bread, often with sirenje, a local cheese similar to feta. Nearly every rural household puts up a supply of ajvar for winter eating. In autumn, North Macedonians flock to the markets in fertile valleys in the east to buy bushels of the best aromatic roasting peppers from the local villages. The original seed was a gift from the students in the villages of Kalugeritsa and Zleovo.
Banana 60 days. We’re thrilled to offer this classic sweet wax pepper that has been grown by generations of gardeners. Sleek, tapered fruit reaches 6-7 inches long, 2 inches wide and a translucent ivory color when immature, ripening quickly to stunning red-orange.
Hot Peppers
Datil HOT Pepper BURSTING with fruity, hot goodness! Perfect for spicy salsas, sauces, and fabulous jellies! The renowned pepper originating from St. Augustine, Florida. Local legend says the peppers were brought there from Spain, where they do enjoy a following in Minorca. However, they may also have originated in Chile. Blazing hot, blunt little 3.5-inch fruit ripens to a brilliant orange yellow. The heat is vicious, being comparable to habanero types, but the flavor is more complex, sweeter, and more fruity.
Serrano Hot Pepper 75 days. An iconic chili hailing from the mountains of the Hidalgo and Puebla states of Mexico. Second only to jalapeño in popularity, serrano does have similar characteristics, except that the serrano averages 2-3 times hotter than jalapeños and are typically a bit thinner and shorter (approximately ½ inch thick and 3-4 inches long). This ubiquitous chili is easy to grow and prolific.
Jalapeno Craig’s Grande A delicious, fat jalapeño that is perfect for making lots of salsa. Perfect for anyone who loves jalapeños. It has thick, flavorful, hot flesh.
Jalapeno Lemon Spice A stunning burst of fruity flavor and vibrant color makes this a super exciting new hot pepper! This colorful jalapeño was introduced by New Mexico State University.This variety has major eye appeal and stands out in salsas and other fresh preparations; the color is stunning and really pops. Edible landscaping is a breeze with Lemon Spice; the sturdy plants are covered in sunny color. Great for mixed-bed or container planting.
Eggplant
Barberella Eggplant Dark purple Italian type with white halo. Tender fruits are nearly round, 4–5″ long by 4–6″ diameter, with some small spines. Good yields with excellent flavor. Uniform with a medium gloss.
Dancer Eggplant Deep-pink Italian type. Semi-cylindrical fruits are mid-sized (7–8″ long by 3–4″ diameter), mild, and nonbitter. Plants are strong and high-yielding.
Patio Baby Eggplant The best container variety. Bright purple flowers add beauty to this compact, edible ornamental. Well-suited for balconies, patios, and gardens and also ideal for pack sales and urban farming operations. Patio Baby is a true mini, maintaining proper proportions of fruit to calyx as it grows. Thin-skinned 2–3″ long fruit with tender flavor, perfect for grilling or roasting. Continuous set of spineless fruits make harvest pain- free and child-friendly.
The new year will bring a few big changes to our little farm.
The biggest being that we no longer have our Farmstand for vegetable & egg sales.
We will have our organic plants available by pre-order. You will be able to pick them up at our May Creekside Market Day. I will be putting a list together in the next week so you can get an early start in planning your garden. Because, who doesn’t love to dream about beautiful & tasty veggies?!
Mortgage Lifter
Our Creekside Market Day will continue as it has for the past couple of years.
We will continue to offer our handmade goat milk soap, body products, raw honey and alpaca products & a few “surprises”.
We are considering offering a few classes. Let us know what would interest you. The suggestions we have received so far are for canning, gardening & soap making.
Honey and soap are available throughout the year by appointment.
We will spend this week keeping the stand full of beautiful tomatoes, peppers and potatoes.
Desiree red potatoes (yellow flesh)
Heirloom tomatoes
Shishito peppers
Sweet Frying and bell peppers
Seranno, Poblano & jalapeno peppers
Our Creekside Market Day is this coming Saturday ( Sept. 17th) from 8 until 1. In addition to fresh produce, we plan to have fresh flowers, Fresh Salsa kits, fresh herbs, dried peppers, lavender bundles, our Creekside raw honey & hand made goat milk soap.
Next Creekside Market Day is September 17th from 8 until 1
Creekside Market Day is a great opportunity to see (& smell} some of the items that we don’t stock in the Farmstand. Our hand made goat milk soaps, body products, raw honey from our farm & Suri alpaca yarn.
We’ve been busy making soap so it will be cured and ready on Market Day. A couple of our favorite fall scents are back.
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Our Farmstand is open for the season. It will be stocked with fresh produce as it’s ready. Everything we sell is produced on our farm and raised organically. That means that we will only have what is currently in season.
We do not have the electric cooler this year so are using the large “ice chest” style cooler for things that need to stay cool. We are not selling eggs. Flowers will be out on the weekends. Our Raw honey is available by pre-order. Please contact us ahead of coming out.
pam@creeksidenaturalfarm.com
815-467-5259 (leave a message)
Message us on our Facebook page
Our Farmstand is self-service. We ask that our customers park along the driveway near the Farmstand and remain in that immediate area. There are electric fences to protect our animals & other hazards on a working farm. Please keep children with you and any pets in your vehicle (with the a/c running).
Roma tomatoes $3. per pint
New Potatoes $5. per bag (2 pounds)
Fresh garlic Jumbo $2. Large $1.50
Veggies that need to stay chilled. Beans, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers & eggplant
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Cut off the top of the head of garlic to expose the cloves, trimming about 1/4 inch off of the top of each clove. You may need to trim individual cloves along the sides of the head. Brush the cut cloves with a small amount of olive oil, then nestle the head into a piece of aluminum foil.
Bake in the preheated oven until the cloves are tender and nicely browned, about 1 hour. Remove, and allow to cool to room temperature.
Once cool, squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and into a mixing bowl. Mash well with a wire whisk, then add the sour cream, mayonnaise, green onions, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Whisk until evenly blended, then refrigerate 2 to 4 hours to allow the flavors to blend.
We have been busy getting things ready for our Creekside Market Day – this Saturday – July 9th from 8 until 1.
In addition to the dried lavender and fresh garlic, we will have our handmade goat milk soap & lotion bars, raw honey from our hives in several options, Fresh flowers, some succulent and herb plants and the start of the summer vegetables.
Garlic – ready to harvest
Garlic
Cleaned fresh garlic on top and curing garlic on the bottom
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Our next Creekside Market Day will be on Saturday, July 9th from 8 until 1
Lemony Sunflower soaps
We will be in our farmstand with our own seasonal produce, fresh flowers, raw Creekside honey, handmade goat milk soap & body products & plants (succulent & herbs).
This is your best opportunity to check out the different soap scents & pick up some honey since we don’t keep soap or honey in our self-service farmstand.
We will make an update of available produce as we get closer to the date.
Our Farmstand will continue to be closed until July 9th. We hope to have summer vegetables at that time and will keep the stand open through the summer.
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We will have organic plants in the Farmstand through the end of May.
Our self service farmstand is located along our driveway. We ask that you park along the driveway. This is a working farm with many things happening – large equipment, farm animals, electric fences, ect… . Please stay in the immediate area around the stand, keep your children with you and your pets in your vehicle.
We’ve added some large started dahlia plants & 3 sizes of aloe in clay pots.
Dig your hole deeper than what you will need to the size of your plant. Extra loose soil at the base of your plant will give your plants roots a great place to spread out. Tomatoes can be planted deeper than they were growing in their container & will send out roots all along the buried stem.
We add a handful of Bio-Cal to each hole and mix it with the loose soil. You can also use ground egg shells or other types of calcium. Calcium helps with blossom end rot & also works for peppers & eggplant.
Place your plant in the hole. If there are any leaves growing that will be covered with soil, you can pinch them off where they join the stem. If you’re planting in a biodegradable pot, be sure that the soil will totally cover the pot. Once I have the plant in place, I will pull in enough soil to hold the plant upright in the hole.
Fill the hole around your plant about half full with water. I add fish emulsion to our planting water.
When the water has soaked in around the plant, back fill the hole with your loose soil. I like to leave a small depression around the plant so my watering water will soak in rater than running off. Now you can water your plant one last time and you’re finished planting!
One of our tomato plants 4 days after planting & so happy to be in the ground!
The final step is to give our plant some support. Heirloom plants are indeterminate – which means that they will continue to grow until something (frost or disease) kills them. If you keep your plant healthy, it will be less susceptible to disease and will grow taller than our 5 ft tall cages! We also add a steel steak because these plants will be large and heavy with tomatoes.
Tomatoes do not require much additional water after the first couple of weeks. We very rarely water ours at all after that point. Too much watering will also water down the flavor of your tomatoes. If you do need to water because it’s been extra hot & dry, only water the soil around the plant – never the plant.
We are taking orders for mixed herb containers only.
All of our herbs are grown in our organic greenhouse – either from seed or from our own plants that we propagated.
We will also have a few larger plants that will be available on Creekside Market Day.
Send us an email pam@creeksidenaturalfarm.com
Send us a message on our Facebook page
Call us 815-467-5259 (leave a message)
Mini washtub planter holds either 2 or 3 plants. They make a great indoor planter for a sunny window. We have 4 combinations available – Oregano/rosemary/sweet basil, Mojito mint/Chocolate mint, Oregano/sweet basil/chives & lemongrass/lemon basil/opal basil $15. each
Herb Bowls are back! We have a Culinary bowl has Oregano/rosemary/sweet basil/cinnamon basil/chives. The Cocktail bowl has Mojito & chocolate mint/lemongrass/sweet basil/cinnamon basil. Both have a pansy plant. These planters can live outside or inside. $20. each
We also have individual herb plants in 3.5 inch containers for $3.50 each
All of these plus – Lemongrass, Cilantro, French Tarragon, Garden sage, thyme & chamomile.
Rosemary
Mojito & Chocolate mint
Lots of basil! Genovese, Opal, Lemon, Cinnamon & Cardinal
We will be taking orders for our organic plants & potato sets this year.
We have listed all of the available varieties on both our Facebook page and at www.creeksidenaturalfarm.com. We currently have a list of tomatoes, a list of peppers & a list of our potato varieties. These are all available for pre-ordering and we strongly recommend that since some of the items are very limited.
Tomato and pepper plants will be ready for our Creekside Market Day on May 7th.
You can pick up your potato order starting today
To order – email pam@creeksidenaturalfarm.com
Send us a message on our FB page
Or call 815-467-5259 (leave a message if we don’t answer)
Graig’s Grande jalapeno is a large jalapeno that can be used green or allowed to ripen to a more flavorful and hot pepper. It’s large size makes it a great stuffer.
Lemon Spice jalapeno can be used green or allowed to ripen to yellow. In it’s ripe stage, it is hotter than the average jalapeno. It is also a beautiful addition to your salsa or canned jalapeños.
Serrano peppers are hotter than a jalapeno – great for drying and makes a wonderful siracha sauce!
Poblano peppers can be picked green or allowed to ripen from brown to red. Ripe poblanos have a wonderful rich flavor.
Carmen is a sweet Italian frying style pepper. Perfect for sautéing and adding to a sandwich or raw as a snack or added to a salad.
Lunchbox yellow pepper is a sweet snacking pepper. It also works well stuffed with your favorite cheesy filling.
Flavorburst Bell pepper starts as a lime green pepper and ripens as a super sweet large orange bell
Red Knight Starts as a dark green bell and ripens to a sweet red. Large peppers with thick flesh.
We will have a very limited number of pepper plants available this year. We’ve chosen our favorites based of flavor and their productivity.
$3.50 each
Our plants are still happily hanging out in our warm greenhouse but will be ready to go to their new home on May 7th. Just because you see plants for sale in the big box stores does not mean it’s time to plant them in our zone (5b). Our last average frost date is May 11th.
When You Bring your Seed Home
Store the seed potatoes in a cool, dark place with some humidity.
Two weeks before planting, bring the tubers into a warm area (65˚-
70˚ F) out of direct light to let them wake up. This will make it easier to cut your potatoes into planting size chunks because the “eyes” will start to sprout. Preparing the Soil
Potatoes like any well-drained fertile soil. Prepare the soil by spreading
and working in compost or aged manure. You can also add some balanced granular fertilizer.
Planting Your Potatoes
Seed potatoes are subject to decay when they are exposed to hot, dry
soil or cold, wet soil. The soil temperature should have reached a temperature of about 50°F-70°F, or when the dandelions bloom.
You may either plant whole seed pieces about the size of a hen’s egg,
or you may cut larger tubers into pieces with 2-3 eyes each. Plant
fresh-cut seed pieces immediately into warm moist soil, 10”-12” apart
in furrows 4”-6” deep. Space the rows 32”-36” apart. Cover the seed
pieces with 2” of soil. If your soil is on the cool side, allow your freshly cut pieces to heal for about 24 hours before planting.
Use one pound of seed potato to plant 5-8 row feet, 2.5 pounds per
12-15 row feet, 5 pounds per 25 row feet, and 20 pounds per 100
row feet.
Hilling and Weed Control
Cultivate shallowly to prevent root damage. Create a hill of soil or
mulch around the potato plant where the new tubers can develop
between the seed piece and the soil surface. The potatoes will form above the original set so hilling is a very important part of getting a good harvest. When the plants are 6”-8”
tall, gently gather the soil or mulch up around the plant until just the
top of the plant is showing. When the plant again reaches 6”-8”, hill
again, building up a total of 12”-18” of soil or mulch around the
plant. Mulching thickly with hay after hilling will keep the soil cool
and weed-free.
Watering Your Crop
Potatoes are shallow-rooted and susceptible to water stress, especially
when they are bulking. Water plants adequately to ensure even soil
moisture throughout the growing season. Stop watering 2-4 weeks before harvest.
Controlling Pests and Disease
The insect that most affects potatoes is the Colorado Potato Beetle
(CPB). Several strategies are effective in controlling these pests:
• Plant your potatoes late enough to miss the emergence of the
beetles in the spring.
• Pick beetles from plants and destroy egg masses (yellow groups of eggs on the underside of leaves), beginning two weeks after they emerge.
• Watch for larvae; brush them into a container of soapy water.
Repeat daily.
• Entrust or Monterey Garden Spray – Contains a spinosad which is
effective on a wide range of insects including Lepidoptera caterpillars.
Both products are OMRI-approved for organic culture.
The most serious disease threat for potatoes is late blight, Phytophthora infestans, a fungus that thrives in moist conditions (50˚F-60˚F
and 95% humidity). This disease is aptly named, as it strikes in late
summer when the nights are cool and dewy and when the gardens and
crops are almost done. Late blight, which thrives on live plant material of the Solanaceae family (potato, tomato, eggplant, pepper, and
nightshade), can become firmly established very quickly, destroying a
crop in just 3 to 5 days. To control late blight:
• Plant clean, disease-free seed. Infected seed is a prime source
of inoculation, enabling the disease to get established early in
the season.
Do not plant your potatoes where you grew potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant or peppers last year. Harvesting Your Crop
You may begin harvesting any time after the plants bloom, about 60
days after planting. To find the delectable early tubers, gently rummage around under the plant, being careful not to disturb the roots.
These “babies” are your new potatoes; they’re not very big, but they
are delicious! Remember, though, that whatever spuds you steal
now will diminish your final harvest. When the tops start to die back
(senesce), the potatoes are mature. Allow the plants to finish dying
on their own, or mow or burn the tops to hurry the process along. In
about two weeks, when the tops are dead and the skins are set, dig
your potatoes. Storing Your Potatoes
After harvesting, allow the potatoes to dry thoroughly. Gently brush
off dirt, but do not wash tubers intended for storage. Discard green
potatoes. Damaged spuds are not suitable for storage, but they are
fine for the table when eaten right away. Store your crop in wooden
crates, baskets, or burlap bags where air can circulate freely. Place
the potatoes in a dark place in your root cellar. Potatoes store best
and longest at 38˚F-40˚F with 80%-90% humidity. Under the right
conditions, you can expect six months’ storage. Save your best storage
varieties for last. Enjoy your harvest!
We will have our organic tomato plants available for sale at our Creekside Market Day on May 7th. We have cut back on some varieties based on their performance (or lack of) in the past few years. We’ve also added a few new varieties to our list of favorites. Most are heirloom varieties. Sungold, Estiva & Jet Star (new this year by request) are hybrids that we grow because they are customer favorites. FYI – a hybridizing is not the same in any way as a genetic modification.
Although some of our varieties have changed – our price has not. Still $3.50 for a plant that’s grown from seed in our organic greenhouse!
Our plants are still happily hanging out in our warm greenhouse but will be ready to go to their new home on May 7th. Just because you see plants for sale in the big box stores does not mean it’s time to plant them in our zone (5b). Our last average frost date is May 11th.
Any medium size container that holds at least two or three gallons of soil can be used. Examples include baskets, 5 gallon FOOD GRADE buckets (drill plenty of holes in the bottom and lower sides & fill the bottom inch or two with gravel), Grow Bags or large plant containers/nursery pots. Make sure there are adequate holes for excess water to drain.
Fill the bottom of each container with a few inches of potting soil, which will be where potato roots will grow. The potatoes will grow upward from the level of your original potato piece (seed). That is the reason for adding more soil as your plants grow. Do not use soil from your yard in a container. It will become compacted and hard – 2 things potatoes hate. Mix in a scant handful of all-purpose or organic fertilizer. Place the container where it will get sunlight but not too much radiated heat from a wall or patio.
Plant the Seed Pieces
Cut your seed potatoes into chunks with at least 2 sprouts/eyes on each chunk. Smaller potatoes can be planted whole.
Plant your potato seed pieces in the soil. How many pieces you plant will depend on the size of your container. You can plant 4-6 seed potato pieces in a 10 gallon container or 2-3 in a 5 gallon container. Water well to get the plants started. Continue to water as needed to keep plants moist, not wet.
Cover Plant Stems as They Grow
Once plants begin to grow, gently pile new soil around the lower stems to keep them in total darkness. Continue weekly until the containers are almost filled. Continue to water down deep around roots, but do not keep the plants wet.
Harvest
When the leaves and stems start to turn yellow its time to cut back on the water. Your plants are finished growing. You could also move your containers to a more shaded spot – especially it they are in full sun and it’s hot outside. When the stems are totally yellow, you can harvest your potatoes!
It’s still too cold and wet to plant potatoes in the ground. But, you can start planning and building 1 or more of these Potato Grow Boxes. Potatoes are one of the easiest vegetables to grow in a container & this box is just one of several options.
We will have seed potatoes of Nicola and Desiree available for sale at our Creekside Market Day on May 7th.
I have been working on soap for the past few weeks so it will have plenty of time to cure before the May 7th Creekside Market Day. As it cures, some of the moisture evaporates and the saponification process (oils reacting to lye) continues – leaving a longer lasting mild & bubbly bar. All of our bars (except the sea salt bars) are made with local goat milk, olive, coconut & castor oils, shea & mango butter, tallow & Creekside honey.
Full size bars are $6.00 each
Bee hive bars are $4.00
*The bottom shelf is fully cured so if you are needing soap before May, those are ready now.
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Lets talk about one of my favorite vegetables – Potatoes!
We will be offering sets (seed potatoes) of my 2 most favorite varieties this year.
We ordered extra so we can offer them as sets for anyone wanting to grow their own. You will not find these varieties at the big box stores & likely not anywhere locally. Both of these varieties are productive and have great flavor.
It’s not time to plant them yet in our growing area. We will have the sets available for sale at our May 7th Creekside Market Day.
Favorite #1 – Nicola
Nicola potatoes are uniform tubers with an elongated, oval to oblong shape. The skin is smooth, thin, and light brown to yellow, with a few shallow eyes scattered across the surface. Underneath the skin, the flesh is firm, dense, and golden yellow. Nicola potatoes have a mild, nutty, and earthy flavor with a waxy consistency that develops into a smooth, fine-grained finish when cooked. The tubers also retain their shape when heated due to their low starch and high moisture content.
Nicola potatoes are somewhat resistant to disease, produce high yields. We have found it to be a great storage potato. We are still eating last years crop now in late March!
Nicola potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin B6 and C and are a good source of fiber, manganese, potassium, copper, and phosphorus. The tubers are also considered to have a low glycemic index, which means the flesh contains slowly digested carbohydrates that can help regulate insulin levels and prevent a spike in blood sugar.
Favorite #2 – Desiree
An heirloom released by the Netherlands in 1962, Désirée is excellent for salads, boiling, or mashing. Good drought tolerance, moderate resistance to scab, and good storage. Long, oval tubers with beautiful rosy skin and creamy yellow flesh bulks early with good size. An all-purpose potato, they have a tender texture with a neutral, rich, and earthy flavor.
Desiree potatoes are an excellent source of potassium, which is a mineral that can help regulate fluid levels in the body and vitamin C, which is an antioxidant that can strengthen the immune system. The tubers are also a good source of phosphorus, vitamin B6, calcium, and contain magnesium and vitamin A.
This will be a great week to finish up your shopping.
The weather will be a little warmer (which is good for honey pick-up).
To Order:
e-mail pam@creeksidenaturalfarm
message us on our Facebook page
call 815-467-5259 (leave a message and we will return your call)
We have limited quantities on some items and soap scents. We will mark items as they sell out.
3 pack of soap (you choice) with ribbon $15. 2 oz Honey bear $ Beehive soap packaged and tied with ribbon $6.
Chamomile & Lavender set 2 soaps – 1 flower w/chamomile & 1 lavender bar 1 cloth soap bag choice of either 1 lotion bar or 1 body butter (Lavender scent) $25. We have 5 of these available
In addition to the pre-made sets, we can make custom sets with items of your choosing.
Send me a list and I will have it ready (by appointment)
Raw & Local fluid honey 1 pound in glass or plastic with dispenser lid $13.
2 ounce Honey Bear $3.
Raw & Local Comb Honey $20.
Serrano pepper infused honey $10. 2 available
Chamomile infused honey $10. 1 available
Salve Calendula/olive oil, comfrey/coconut oil, Cocoa & Shea butter, Vit E, Honey, Sweet orange/grapefruit EO’s $8.
Facial Oil Argan, Jojoba, Evening Primrose, Meadowfoam seed, Vit E & Rose oils 1.5 ounces $24.
Salt Soak Epsom, Dead sea & Himalayan pink salts, baking soda, lavender EO Either with chamomile powder (yellow) or without (white) $5.
Creamy Body Butter $15.00 Sweet orange Ylang-Ylang 3 available
Lotion Bar Lavender has Cocoa & shea butter, coconut oil, beeswax, Vit E & EO Sweet orange/Bergamot/ Ylang Ylang has Mango butter rather than Cocoa $15. Lavender or Sweet orange Ylang-Ylang
Raw sugar scrub Organic raw & granular sugars, Cocoa butter, babassu, Jojoba, Sweet Almond, Meadowfoam seed, & Calendula/olive oils, E-wax, Optiphen (preservative), Lavender EO $10.
Bee hives w/ honeycomb fragrance $3.
All bar soap is $5.00 per bar
Rosemary/lavender/ Spearmint SOLD OUT
Lemon/lemongrass
Lavender
Wild Rose with rose clay SOLD OUT
Peach prosecco
Peony with rose clay SOLD OUT
Autumn Fig w/ madder root SOLD OUT
Neem oil w/rosemary, eucalyptus
Ylang/Ylang/ginger/bergamot w/mango butter
Sweet orange/geranium/bergamot w/pink sea salt
Sweet orange/grapefruit/ginger/patchouli
Oatmeal with no scent
Raw Honeycomb
Yarn from our Suri alpacas Various weights ranging from fingering to sport Some are 100% Suri & some are 80/20 Suri/Merino 200 yards pre skein $20. each
We are busy preparing for our Creekside Holiday Market Day!
December 4th from 9am until 2pm
We’ve started soap making and will soon move on to body butter, lotion bars, sugar scrub, salt soak, facial oil & a couple of extra surprises!
Raw sugar scrub
Salt soak
Creamy Body Butter
Lotion Bar
We will have pre-made gift sets as well as the option to choose your own items for custom gifts.
In addition the the bath and body products, we will have several honey options from our own raw honey, alpaca yarn from our own Suri alpacas and some beautiful succulent plants.
Raw & Local Honey
2 ounce Honey Bear
Suri alpaca yarn Parabella, Freedom, Chikillia, Bronson
Core Spun Yarn Super bulky Suri alpaca spun over a cotton core yarn
The farmstand is full of all of the End of the Season things.
NOW is the perfect time to plant garlic, preserve peppers for winter recipes, bake a winter squash, enjoy the last flowers & bring home a succulent plant to brighten your winter.
The farmstand will be open until we get a hard freeze (probably the end of Oct) – or until we sell out.
Succulent plants will be in the stand until Wednesday of this week. Looks like the temps will drop after that.
If you are looking for our honey, contact me ahead of coming out and I will put your order in the farmstand for pick-up.
Flowers $10.
Poblano peppers 5 pound bags for $5.
Bell Peppers 5 pound bags for $5.
Pie pumpkins, mini white pumpkins (great for painting or decorating), hard neck & soft neck garlic. Garlic is good for eating or planting.
Butternut squash & succulent plants
Ripe poblano peppers are a special treat. I like to roast & freeze them for future recipes.
1 pound ripe jalapeno peppers, stems cut off , ½ pound ripe serrano peppers – stems cut off, 4 large cloves of garlic- peeled,
3 tbl. Of brown sugar or honey, 1/3 cup of water, ½ cup or white vinegar
Chop jalapeno and serrano peppers, retaining seeds and membranes, and place into a blender with garlic, brown sugar, salt, and water. Blend until smooth, pulsing several times to start. Transfer puree into a large glass container such as a large jar or pitcher. Cover container with plastic wrap and place into a cool dark location for 3 to 5 days, stirring once a day. The mixture will begin to bubble and ferment. Scrape down the sides during each stirring. Rewrap after every stirring and return to a cool, dark place until mixture is bubbly. Pour fermented mixture back into blender with vinegar; blend until smooth. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a saucepan, pushing as much of the pulp as possible through the strainer into the sauce. Discard remaining pulp, seeds, and skin left in strainer. Place saucepan on a burner and bring sauce to a boil, stirring often, until reduced to your desired thickness, 5 to 10 minutes. Skim foam if desired. Remove saucepan from heat and let sauce cool to room temperature. Sauce will thicken a little when cooled. Transfer sauce to jars or bottles and refrigerate.
