Whole lotta veg.

By dennis

With late summer in full swing, the count down till the first snow begins.  Veggies galore now, the best time of the year, really. Everything ripens to their seasonal best and with the nights cooling down a bit as well, plants get some rest at night and get to bring out their best.

Our veggie boxes are loaded now with all the fruits of the field. All grown for their right season and not artificially created in green houses. Some very tasty melons and watermelons coming up too.  We got some seed for the French Charentais melons, and we grew a bunch. Apparently the tastiest melon on the planet, but who are we to decide. But we will add it to your veggie box so you can decide.
Let us know as well, we like to hear you feedback.

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Root down.

By dennis

This is a photo of a seed potato about  two weeks after planting. You can see the root system has already developed well and the white bean sprout like shoots are about to come out of the ground. This one is dug up so the shoots are blanched and white like white asparagus, but they will turn green as soon as they see sun light and leafs will form. A good root system is essential for a plant to establish well, so it is the first thing they develop when they grow to absorb water and nutrients for the growth of the plant and new potatoes.
Planting vegetables from root cuttings  is a safe way to get the exact same offspring as the mother plant, it’s like a clone. Planting from seed may result in cross pollination, but may create new varieties that could be staple food in the future.
Potatoes are almost always grown from a cutting or a piece of potato, but if you want to experiment and play with nature, save the seed of the berries that produce ofter flowering and seed them the year after. they will produce potatoes, but all with a new character. They may become your new favourite.

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Sort it out.

By dennis

We keep our potatoes stored at 4°C until the Hokkaido potato supply starts to run low. To put them on the market they have to be sorted by size and shape. Medium is 80-100 grams, medium-large 101-120 grams, large 121-190 grams, extra large 191-250 grams.  A bit hard to to this by hand, so we have this old potato sorting machine that does it all a lot quicker. Here is a you tube video of how it works.

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Potato harvest.

By dennis

September and time for digging up our potatoes. Always a bit of a surprise to see what’s underneath all that dirt.                          We started out with our organic potatoes to get them ready for the Organic Festival in Sapporo this weekend.

The Toya and Kita Akari looked good, above expectation. The excessive rains this summer didn’t do much to please our spuds. Their life got terminated a bit early, but the yield was pretty good.

New potatoes are delicious, so come and get some this weekend in Sapporo or come and get them on the farm.

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Asa ichi.

By dennis

This Sunday in Sapporo The Life Stock organizes the Farm Fresh market. We will pick our veg at dawn to guarantee the ultimate freshness. A great chance to experience that incredible taste. Start is at 09.00.

We are bringing lots of zucchini, lettuce, potatoes, jalapenos, coriander and other organic delights.

The Life Stock. Odori West 23. Tel: 011-631-1233

http://www.hokkaidolife-d.com/thelifestock/

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NGF going to market.

By dennis

Niseko Green Farm potatoes on the Sapporo wholesale market. Unfortunately this era calls for large markets like this to supply millions of mouths with food. At Niseko Green Farm we prefer to go local and sell directly to the customer. Farmers markets are good for the community and supports biodiversity in food. That makes a better planet.

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In bloom.

By dennis

The potatoes are still in bloom and giving the Niseko region a bit of colour beside the vibrant green. Niseko Green Farm potatoes are still available and for sale now at the Sekka veggie stand.

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Start of the farmers market in Sapporo.

By dennis

Niseko Green Farm is starting the farmers market season this Sunday in Sapporo, in Pivot. From 10am our organic produce will go on sale. Purple/ sweet/ lemon/ lime basil, coriander, zucchinis, cucumbers and potatoes.It is the start of the season. Come and say hello to the farmer and join us for a beer at the world cup finale at TK6 afterwards. Go Holland!

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Getting sorted.

By dennis

We still have 3500kg of last years potato harvest left in our fridge. Not really having the time to sort them out by hand, we got some mechanical help and did it all in 1 day. Now all our potatoes are sorted S,M,ML,L,LL. Some will make it to the market as the last of the Hokkaido spuds available.

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Kita akari.

By dennis

The potatoes are getting ready to do their thing and slowly getting bigger. Niseko Green Farm has got 3 potato varieties this year. The most popular Danshaku, the tasty Kita Akari and the healthy and increasingly more popular local Toya. New spuds will be available from late September, October. Until then we keep some in our fridge.

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