tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875172591395775622024-03-13T11:41:49.667-04:00Growing Ideas with Johnny's Selected SeedsHere's what's growing on at Johnny's Selected Seeds! We'll answer your questions, let you know what's happening at the farm, and give you plenty of ideas for growing and gardening.the webmaster at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135283615190851799noreply@blogger.comBlogger663125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-23024149521922218682016-08-24T16:51:00.006-04:002016-08-26T18:12:11.722-04:00Dig a little deeper. . . into Tomato & Pepper Breeding<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>by Emily Rose Haga • Johnny's Plant Breeder</b></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Greetings, growers! My name is Emily Rose Haga, and I manage the tomato and pepper breeding programs here at Johnny's, along with my breeding team.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In both programs, we are focused on creating special, new varieties for market growers that combine heirloom flavor and quality with specific traits that improve adaptation to variable growing conditions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It can be challenging to grow these warm-season, heat-loving crops organically, and in short-season growing conditions like ours in Central Maine, but by breeding varieties directly under such conditions for traits like earliness and disease resistance, we can help direct evolution towards development of crop varieties that are more resilient under these conditions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is the most exciting time of year for my team (and most of us on the research farm), because much of what we do the remainder of the year revolves around the crops and analysis that are now coming to fruition. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The tomato and pepper programs really come to life after the plants are in the ground. Early in the growing season, we are in the field, placing pollination barriers over plants to prevent undesired cross-pollination; rogueing off-types from our seed-increases; and sampling leaf tissue to help us identify disease-resistant plants.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Later in the season, once the crops mature (August–September), is prime time for evaluations. You will find us rating the crops and taking notes, harvesting fruit for yield, flavor or other sensory qualities, and flagging individual plants for possible seed harvesting.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><i>In August we welcomed the Fifth Annual Student Organic Seed Symposium (SOSS) to Johnny's for a full-day tour. (That's me, crouched next to the pepper plants, intently discussing our trials!)</i> </span><br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kSGZnaUtXq8/V74NiKHp1UI/AAAAAAAAA5U/Zh4wO5pXz_AsvqgHYPRxlqMrGpR5aTVEwCLcB/s1600/20160806-emily-haga-peppers-soss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kSGZnaUtXq8/V74NiKHp1UI/AAAAAAAAA5U/Zh4wO5pXz_AsvqgHYPRxlqMrGpR5aTVEwCLcB/s320/20160806-emily-haga-peppers-soss.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><i><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-press-release-soss.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="padding-bottom: 5px;">»</span> Read more about the SOSS here</a></i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The plants in our breeding nurseries — where we make our selections — are doing generally well this year, but showing signs of water stress in this abnormally dry growing season. As a breeder, the silver lining for me is that I can select plants with better tolerance to stress and drought (to an extent). Ultimately, I may one day be able to help farmers better adjust to these extreme weather patterns.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Late summer is also when the trials we've placed with university and farmer-cooperators across the country begin to mature. These are on-farm trials of our new, experimental varieties, designed to determine how they perform in different regions and collect valuable, real-world feedback from growers to inform our breeding and commercialization decisions. This year I'm visiting some of our trials in Maine, Connecticut, New York, Wisconsin, Oregon, and California — and enjoy seeing how things look!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the off-season, we stay busy analyzing information from prior seasons, coordinating the logistics of our new product introductions, and preparing for the next growing season. A significant part of what we do to prepare involves operating a year-round breeding greenhouse to create seed for testing. My team carries out thousands of hand pollinations in the spring and winter months to make new test crosses, develop breeding populations, and increase trial seed for the following season. Having the ability to do this counter-seasonally in Maine is a big asset for our program, because it affords us an extra crossing cycle per year and speeds up the breeding process, which on average takes 8 to 10 years from start to finish.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Breeding Technician Brett Johnson, busy in the greenhouse with one of many tasks required to bring our on- and off-site breeding nurseries to life during the growing season...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bearing in mind that classical plant breeding is a slow-going, long-term process of directed evolution, Rob Johnston and Janika Eckert deserve continued our recognition for their mark on these programs, which will continue to show up for many years to come. It's an honor to have inherited their breeding programs, and I'm excited to continue their fine work, as well as embark on my own creative projects — which are now beginning to take root! I look forward to sharing our work with you as we continue to introduce outstanding varieties to our offerings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Senator Scott Cyrway, representing Maine Senate District 16, recently visited and presented Johnny’s Selected Seeds with a certificate of congratulations from the people of Maine.</span></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrOswruaOqo/V74D-rmmhXI/AAAAAAAAA44/uhN48HdTTGsCBuOKGtL1w5V2UaQm7BFywCLcB/s1600/20170817-janika-maine-state-congratulations-certificate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrOswruaOqo/V74D-rmmhXI/AAAAAAAAA44/uhN48HdTTGsCBuOKGtL1w5V2UaQm7BFywCLcB/s320/20170817-janika-maine-state-congratulations-certificate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: #274e13;">From L to R: </span><span style="color: #274e13;">Brett Johnson, Rob Johnston, Aneta Jacobs, Janika Eckert, Sen.Scott Cyrway, Emily Rose Haga</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i>The certificate reads:</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "calibri light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">"Be it known to all we, the members of the Senate
and House of Representatives, join in recognizing Johnny’s Selected Seeds of
Winslow, whose 'Cornito Giallo' F1 and 'Escamillo' F1 peppers were selected as 2016
AAS Vegetable Award Winners by All-America Selections. All-America Selections
is an independent, nonprofit organization that tests new varieties of flowers
and vegetables and names only the best garden performers as AAS Winners. We
extend to everyone at Johnny’s Selected Seeds our congratulations and best
wishes. And be it ordered that this official expression of sentiment be sent
forthwith on behalf of the 127<sup>th</sup> Legislature and the people of the
State of Maine."</span></span></td></tr>
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Johnny's Seeds Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229888291481809516noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-75953237830653101162016-03-02T09:57:00.000-05:002016-03-02T10:02:42.315-05:00Celebrating the Last of Our Long-Storing Kabocha Squash<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b><i><span style="color: #274e13;">by Pete Zuck, R&D, Vegetable Product Manager</span></i></b></h3>
<b><br /><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-video-recipe-miso-glazed-kabocha-squash.aspx" target="_blank">» Watch Pete's New Video-Recipe for Miso-Glazed Kabocha Squash</a></b><br />
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Just as we reach the last few weeks of another Maine winter,
our once seemingly boundless supplies of storage crops are dwindling. For those
of us whose <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-storage-crops.aspx">storage conditions</a> are less than ideal, some of the fussier items are in serious jeopardy by
now. The basement is a few degrees too warm? Perhaps your potatoes have begun
to sprout. The fridge’s “crisper” is a bit too dry? Maybe the carrots have lost
their crunch. As for those storage onions, you never know what you might find
when you slice them open.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8799-winter-sweet.aspx" target="_blank"><img alt="Winter Sweet Kabocha Squash" border="0" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2QPfYUFSlhU/VtSZ-BUnSyI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/XczWQagPbp0/s320/JUL_4973.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="Winter Sweet Kabocha Squash" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8799-winter-sweet.aspx" target="_blank">Johnny's-Bred 'Winter Sweet' Kabocha Squash</a></b></span></td></tr>
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One crop that is easy for almost anyone to store successfully,
however, is <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-410-winter-squash.aspx">winter
squash</a>. A good butternut or kabocha will stay delicious well into the
spring, stored at what most Mainers consider “room temperature” for this time
of year – about 60ºF/16ºC. In fact, some of the longer-storing varieties are
just beginning to reach peak flavor as the dark nadir of the winter solstice
sets in — refer to our <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-winter_squash_eating_guide.aspx">Winter
Squash Curing & Storage Chart</a> for specifics.</div>
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Because it’s so reliable, we Mainers tend to put up a lot of
squash each fall. While it’s great to have a dependable, highly nutritious food
source on hand, by March it gets to be a little redundant on the menu. Winter
staples like mashed butternut and squash soup use up a lot of material, but they
can get tiresome. With each passing potluck, our friends grow more indifferent
to our offerings.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mNdBbO2Bpp4/VtSaOVhwHiI/AAAAAAAAAvU/sCU7M15HVIs/s1600/DEC_4647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mNdBbO2Bpp4/VtSaOVhwHiI/AAAAAAAAAvU/sCU7M15HVIs/s320/DEC_4647.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;">Pete Zuck, Johnny's R&D Vegetable Product Manager</span></b></td></tr>
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The key, I’ve found, is to break away from our traditional
vision of squash. Let’s face it; many Americans still equate squash with baby
food — maybe they’ve only ever had it one way — <i>mashed</i>. And even then, it is often not the most flavorful type or
variety, or given the simple enhancements it needs to really impress. We tend
to stick with butternut as our go-to storage squash. While there is nothing
wrong with this type (and a well-bred <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-547-butternut-squash.aspx">butternut</a> can
be delightful on its own — our award-winning <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-9533-butterscotch-pmr.aspx">Butterscotch</a>,
for instance), most butternuts are better suited as ingredients in a broader
recipe, whereas other types are actually much better as stand-alone dishes.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gmNMeu6HI4w/VtSZ07OpR9I/AAAAAAAAAvM/5M1SZNeKVcI/s1600/DEC_4625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gmNMeu6HI4w/VtSZ07OpR9I/AAAAAAAAAvM/5M1SZNeKVcI/s320/DEC_4625.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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A couple of years ago, I really discovered <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-574-kabocha-squash.aspx">kabocha squash</a>.
It helped that I was working for a company known for producing some of the
best-eating varieties, with vast fields of them just a short walk from the
break room. I credit our company founder, Rob Johnston, with turning me on to
kabocha. When I started working here, Rob would often sit down to lunch with a
big wedge of <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8799-winter-sweet.aspx">Winter
Sweet</a> or another of his elegant creations, adorned with nothing but salt,
pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. As I adopted this practice myself, I
quickly began to appreciate how different and wonderful kabocha squash is. The
dry texture ate more like a baked potato than like the mealy mush I was used
to. There were subtle flavors in the background that reminded me of maple syrup
and spiced rum. It was sweeter than butternut, and I didn’t even have to peel
the skin off!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ogk7q3iKaQ/VtSafWcdHXI/AAAAAAAAAvY/oAkUVl5OR_U/s1600/DEC_4664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ogk7q3iKaQ/VtSafWcdHXI/AAAAAAAAAvY/oAkUVl5OR_U/s320/DEC_4664.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-video-recipe-miso-glazed-kabocha-squash.aspx" target="_blank">Miso-glazed Kabocha Squash</a><br />Quick, Easy, Nutritious, DELICIOUS!</span></b></td></tr>
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This time of year, I cook a big kabocha most Sunday nights,
then pop it in the fridge and reheat it each morning for a simple
squash-and-eggs breakfast. I just follow Rob’s simple recipe (although I prefer
butter to olive oil), and I find it’s great fuel for the morning routine. It’s
a sort of sweet twist on hash browns, with perhaps a healthier starch profile,
too.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It is not surprising that kabocha is the squash-of-record in
Japan. The Japanese market is <i>very</i>
particular about eating quality in vegetables. The sweet corn must be tender
and highly sweet, with just a hint of a floral accent. The tomatoes, preferably
pink, must be low in acid and high in <i>umami</i>,
a flavor concept embodying “pleasant savoriness,” first defined in Japan over a
century ago. It is a gourmand culture, and their chosen winter squash is
kabocha. (To learn why some winter squash and edible pumpkins taste so much better
than others, read <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-eating_quality_in_winter_squashes.aspx">Eating
Quality in Winter Squashes</a>, with an explanation by Dr. J. Brent Loy, a
classical plant breeder with whom Rob Johnston has collaborated for over three
decades.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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In searching for ways to experience squash the way they do
in Japan, I’ve been trying a few variations on miso-glazed kabocha. The concept
is simple and the recipe adjustable, and it highlights everything that’s so
great about this squash. It incorporates the core flavors of sweet, sour, salty
— and probably <i>umami</i> (but I’m not
qualified to say for sure). And, it’s the perfect way to share and celebrate the
last of last year’s winter squash, as we plan for the upcoming planting season.
I hope you enjoy it enough to try it six different ways.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-video-recipe-miso-glazed-kabocha-squash.aspx" target="_blank">» Get Pete's Recipe for Miso-Glazed Kabocha Squash</a></b></div>
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Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-13479734116930501132016-03-01T11:28:00.002-05:002016-03-02T09:44:33.278-05:00Johnny’s Attends 8th Organic Seed Grower’s Conference: Cultivating Resilience<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>by Joy Longfellow</i></b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="color: #274e13;">R&D
Breeding Team, Johnny’s Selected Seeds</span></i></b><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Early February saw several members of Johnny’s Research, Breeding,
and Sales teams head west for the Organic Seed Alliance’s 8th Organic Seed
Growers Conference: Cultivating Seeds of Resilience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Pacific Northwest is a
powerhouse for seed production in the US, and Johnny’s has many loyal customers
and seed producers there. The <a href="http://www.seedalliance.org/">Organic
Seed Alliance</a> (OSA) is a strong voice in the conversation around organic
seed production, and over 500 farmers, plant breeders, seed producers,
researchers, and others came together for the four-day event at the Oregon
State University campus in Corvallis, Oregon.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Five Highlights from the Johnny’s Crew</span></span></b></h3>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Finding Our Place in Resilient Seed Systems</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Much of the conversation during the
conference revolved around building resilient seed systems at local and
national levels. As our food systems come under increasing pressure from
changing climate, changing politics, and changing regulations surrounding seeds,
the need grows for systems that can withstand future shocks and stresses.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">One highlight was the keynote address by Cary
Fowler, author of</span><i style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Shattering: Food,
Politics and the Loss of Genetic Diversity</i><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. Cary Fowler is also the motivating
force behind the Svalbard Seed Vault, the world’s largest secure seed storage
facility, located north of the Arctic Circle in Norway. Fowler spoke about the
increasing need for preservation of genetic resources, reminding us that “We
protect what we love.”</span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bvybneAeH70/VtWViWoTC0I/AAAAAAAAAwI/JCcspuJh2vA/s1600/Seed%2BExchange%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bvybneAeH70/VtWViWoTC0I/AAAAAAAAAwI/JCcspuJh2vA/s320/Seed%2BExchange%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some of the many seeds available at the Seed Exchange,<br />held the last night of the conference</span></td></tr>
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<b style="color: #38761d; font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><b style="color: #38761d; font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Making Valuable Connections</b></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Lindsay Wyatt</b>, Squash and Pumpkin
breeder at Johnny’s, made contact with cooperators for conducting butternut
squash trials this upcoming summer season.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>John Navazio</b>, Root Crop and Leafy
Greens breeder, and <b>Myra Manning</b>, Product Technician, paid visits to several
trial sites and cooperators on the west coast.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CM7YuoGHCqw/VtWUdAHk_tI/AAAAAAAAAv8/EuP0EW6Q6to/s1600/Cooperator%2BVisit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Lainie & John share a laugh with farmer-cooperators" border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CM7YuoGHCqw/VtWUdAHk_tI/AAAAAAAAAv8/EuP0EW6Q6to/s320/Cooperator%2BVisit.JPG" title="Lainie & John share a laugh with farmer-cooperators" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lainie Kertesz & John Navazio <br />evaluate kale and purple-sprouting broccoli<br />(and share a laugh) at an off-site<br />trial cooperator's farm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Trialing our products with farmer–cooperators
connects us with a community of expert growers with whom we can evaluate
prospective new releases.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--></span><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Sharing Our Knowledge</span></b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">John Navazio</b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">, </span><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Lindsay Wyatt</b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">, </span><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Lainie
Kertesz</b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">, and </span><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Brenna Chase</b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">
combined forces to give a talk titled </span><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Perspectives
of a Successful, Independent Seed Company</b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> — discussing Johnny’s history as
a seed company and contributions to the field of plant breeding. It was a
fitting tribute to the work done by </span><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Rob
Johnston</b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">, </span><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Janika Eckert</b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">, and so
many others over Johnny’s long and successful history.</span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0grOfR4BmEQ/VtWUcCQ6MOI/AAAAAAAAAvw/Dth5TpELpPM/s1600/Lainie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0grOfR4BmEQ/VtWUcCQ6MOI/AAAAAAAAAvw/Dth5TpELpPM/s320/Lainie.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lainie Kertesz discussing Johnny's contributions<br />to the field of plant breeding</span></td></tr>
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<li><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Rob Johnston</b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> and </span><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">John Navazio</b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> were both
invited to participate on a panel of </span><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Seed
Elders</b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">. Panel members included Carol Deppe and Frank Morton, among others
recognized for their valuable contributions to the fields of plant breeding and
sustainable seed systems. Rob Johnston, unable to attend due to personal
reasons, was notably missed.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Getting the Update on Organic Seed
Production & Plant Breeding</span></b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">The
Organic Seed Alliance announced some results from their most recent assessment of
organic seed production in the United States. The </span><a href="http://seedalliance.org/main_menu_header-2/advocacy/state_of_organic_seed" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">State
of Organic Seed</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> 2016 report showed an increase in growers using organic
seed on their farms, but also stressed the reality that many farmers still face difficulty in sourcing organic seed in large quantities or for specific varieties.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Some
interesting facts from the report:</span></li>
</ul>
<div important="" left="" style="float: right;" text-align:="">
<table border="0" cellpadding="3px" style="vertical-align: top; width: 75%px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="left" colspan="4"><strong><em>Greatest barriers to farmers using organic seed</em></strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top"></td>
<td align="left" colspan="3" valign="top">• Specific varieties unavailable as organic seed</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" valign="top"> </td>
<td align="left" colspan="3" valign="top">• Organic seed not available in sufficient quantity</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left" colspan="4" style="text-align: left !important;"><strong><em>Top vegetables requested for breeding improvements</em></strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" valign="top"></td>
<td align="left" valign="top">• Tomatoes</td>
<td align="left" valign="top">• Brassicas</td>
<td align="left" valign="top"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" valign="top"></td>
<td align="left" valign="top">• Squash</td>
<td align="left" valign="top">• Sweet corn</td>
<td align="left" valign="top"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" valign="top"></td>
<td align="left" valign="top">• Peppers</td>
<td align="left" valign="top">• Lettuce</td>
<td align="left" valign="top"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left" colspan="4" style="text-align: left !important;"><strong><em>Top traits farmers requested for breeding improvements in above crops</em></strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" valign="top"></td>
<td align="left" valign="top">• Disease resistance</td>
<td align="left" valign="top">• Yield</td>
<td align="left" valign="top"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" valign="top"></td>
<td align="left" valign="top">• Flavor</td>
<td align="left" valign="top">• Quality</td>
<td align="left" valign="top"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" valign="top"></td>
<td align="left" valign="top">• Appearance</td>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" valign="top"></td>
<td align="left" valign="top"></td>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left"></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">This
kind of feedback from growers is critical to making sure our efforts match what
our customers need. Events like the Organic Seed Alliance conference give us
the opportunity to get a sense of the market and calibrate our breeding and
research efforts accordingly.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Engaging & Eating!</span></b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Much
of the conversation during the week revolved around to how to involve people
from the whole food system — from breeding to eating.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">The
OSA coordinated several “tastings” over the course of the event, giving
participants a chance to taste and evaluate several varieties of cabbage,
chicory, barley, and squash. A favorite was the raw Black Futsu Squash salad
with anchovies and chicory.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C_crSNBCPLg/VtWUc_Mop6I/AAAAAAAAAv0/N9nZcDsT18o/s1600/Squash%2BSalad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C_crSNBCPLg/VtWUc_Mop6I/AAAAAAAAAv0/N9nZcDsT18o/s320/Squash%2BSalad.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tasting ... Black Futsu Squash Salad</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Johnny’s
crew met with Lane Selman from Oregon State University to discuss the </span><a href="https://culinarybreedingnetwork.wordpress.com/" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Culinary Breeding Network</span></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> —
an exciting venture working to connect farmers, chefs, and plant breeders in
the efforts to breed and distribute flavorful vegetables. If you are a chef,
keep an eye out for new varieties from Johnny’s!</span></li>
</span></ul>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span></div>
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<h4>
<b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Discussion Continues…</span></b></h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Additional conference talks we attended covered such interesting topics as:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Hybrid
development and use in the organic seed community</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">GMO
contamination and regulation</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Intellectual
property rights in plant breeding and seed production</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Plant
breeding for organic systems</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
conference provided opportunities for Johnny’s crew to hear and participate in
some of these conversations. While yielding more information than can fit into
a short blog post, we came away with much to think about and some ideas for how
we at Johnny’s can contribute to building resilient seed systems.</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><i style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">What issues related to seed production and
seed systems are important to you?</i></li>
<li><i style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Where do you see the need for more work in
seed research and plant breeding?</i></li>
<li><i style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">How are you “cultivating resilience”?</i></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thanks for reading — and best of luck to you, in
whatever ways you are cultivating resilience!</span></i></b></div>
Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-83865553639649216332016-01-20T14:40:00.000-05:002016-02-24T14:20:09.728-05:00Trip Notes from the 2016 Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 15.3333320617676px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bonita Nicolas, </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 15.3333320617676px;">Johnny's Selected Seeds Quality Assurance Manager, shares her trip notes from the 2016 </span><a href="http://www.seregionalconference.com/" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 15.3333320617676px;"> that she attended with <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-commercial-sales.aspx" target="_blank">Southeast Territory Sales Rep, Rod Heyerdahl</a>.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Johnny’s booth was in a great high traffic area, and we
had a constant stream of visitors. Friday was the day several young
farmer groups, Future Farmers of America (<a href="https://www.ffa.org/home" target="_blank">FFA</a>) and the like, attended the show. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 14.7200002670288px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They all signed up for the drawing for the $100 gift certificate and were happy to have the free shipping coupon available. Many of the young growers are following in their parents' footsteps for farming as a lifestyle. They are incredibly aware of variety names and know what they can sell to the fresh market farm stands, as well as restaurants.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 15.3333320617676px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This young grower was very proud of his <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6634-great-white.aspx" target="_blank">Great White tomato</a> crop, which he sold to a local chef who made absolutely beautiful stuffed tomatoes.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rod greeted all visitors by their first name and
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<span style="line-height: 15.3333320617676px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This was clearly the best dressed person at the show. A good friend of Rod’s and a good grower, he went over several pages of the catalog in detail with Rod.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rod’s
wife Linda in the background, but believe me she is an integral part of the
booth! She is a great supporter of Rod, and Johnny’s.</span></span></td></tr>
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Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-41093505864347918652015-10-26T13:59:00.001-04:002015-10-26T13:59:37.840-04:00Canadian Greenhouse Conference and Indoor Ag-Con By Andrew Mefferd, Johnny’s Selected Seeds<br />
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October was a busy month for me, with two major, consecutive greenhouse conferences taking place mid-month — the Canadian Greenhouse Conference and the Indoor Ag-Con. They looked to be great events so I wanted to make sure and get to both of them — even if it made for a travel-packed schedule.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wtqa0jnnV7U/Vi5nyS6PPWI/AAAAAAAAAtw/I4E307UXkRo/s1600/CAN%2BGreenhouse%2BConf%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wtqa0jnnV7U/Vi5nyS6PPWI/AAAAAAAAAtw/I4E307UXkRo/s320/CAN%2BGreenhouse%2BConf%2B1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Canadian Greenhouse Conference at the Scotiabank Convention Center</span></td></tr>
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First I went to beautiful Niagara Falls, Ontario, the week of October 5th, for the Canadian Greenhouse Conference. The Canadian greenhouse industry is highly advanced, so I knew there would be good information and vendors. The highlights included the many developments underway in the use of beneficial insects to control pests, with an informative discussion on how to identify pests and the best biocontrols to combat them without the use of harmful chemicals.<br />
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There was also a lot of talk about how to make greenhouses more efficient. In addition to hearing about the many ongoing developments in LED lighting and other technologies to increase energy efficiency, I sat in on a great presentation on a program by the Dutch government that is working towards having zero water and fertilizer emissions from greenhouses.<br />
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It is not a new idea that the ideal greenhouse would be one that produces no emissions whatsoever, and the technology is now catching up with the idea. In a country like Holland with a big greenhouse industry, reducing or even eliminating the amount of greenhouse emissions could have a big impact on improving the environment. As the technology comes on line to accomplish this, the Dutch government is tightening emissions standards to prompt growers to install newer, more efficient technology. It is exciting to see the technology being developed for cleaner greenhouses, because the Dutch tend to come up with a lot of the greenhouse innovations that end up being adopted worldwide.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Great looking produce and flowers</span></div>
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Other useful workshops included how to train and motivate workers, how to understand soil and water tests, and how to mix your own custom fertilizer solution. Overall, a very good conference that is worth attending for greenhouse growers.<br />
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The next week I went down to New York City for the first East Coast Indoor Ag-Con. This conference has been held three times in the past in Las Vegas, and is branching out into Asia with a conference in Singapore in January 2016, and is being held again in Las Vegas in April 2016.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sG05VQZATy8/Vi5om0KexXI/AAAAAAAAAuA/MKEKRxnpcF4/s1600/Indoor%2BAg%2BCon%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sG05VQZATy8/Vi5om0KexXI/AAAAAAAAAuA/MKEKRxnpcF4/s320/Indoor%2BAg%2BCon%2B1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you look closely you can see that Johnny's was an event sponsor for Indoor Ag-Con!</td></tr>
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This was a visionary conference, in that it focused on technological innovation leading the vanguard of protected agriculture. It provided a forum for those working on next-generation greenhouse technology to present their work and perspectives. Examples of topics that get a lot of attention include use of LED lighting, aquaponics, vertical greenhouses, aeroponics, and urban greenhouses.<br />
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I feel this conference gives us a glimpse into the future of indoor agriculture. Even if all of the innovations don’t become commonplace, chances are some of the new technologies being discussed will become standards in the future. The conference sold out, so maybe they will consider a multi-day format on the East Coast as they have in the past the West. Overall, it was a very informative and inspiring conference.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indoor Ag-Con in NYC</td></tr>
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Both conferences got me excited about the potential for improving protected agriculture, though they did make for a very busy October! Visit our <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-growers-library-index.aspx" target="_blank">Grower’s Library</a>, where you can read more about attracting and putting <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-attracting-beneficial-insects.aspx?source=W_GrowersLibIndex_102015" target="_blank">beneficial insects</a> to work; as well as <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-protected-culture-greenhouse-trials-recommended-varieties.aspx?source=W_GrowersLibIndex_102015" target="_blank">controlled environment agriculture</a>, including Johnny’s greenhouse trialing program, what to look for when choosing which varieties to grow under protected culture, and recent advances in protected culture crop production.
Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-18403965282124199932015-08-11T11:17:00.000-04:002019-05-02T16:59:07.510-04:00Sweet Potatoes Trial • Summer Update<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please visit our Grower's Library to read our full, illustrated article: </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/vegetables/growing-tips-sweet-potatoes-from-slips.html" style="text-indent: 48px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Tips for Starting Your Sweet Potato Slips — Easy-to-follow Recommendations from Our Field Trials...</b></span></a>Johnny's Seeds Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229888291481809516noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-1789909241690989812015-07-02T13:37:00.000-04:002015-07-02T13:37:09.693-04:00Visit to Leamington, Ontario, Canada – Greenhouse Capital of North AmericaBy Andrew Mefferd, Johnny’s Selected Seeds<br />
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During the week of June 15 I traveled to the town of Leamington, Ontario, Canada to see the latest greenhouse varieties. I went to this particular location because it lies at the center of the largest concentration of greenhouses in North America. Leamington is farther south than any other town in Canada, since it is on a point in Lake Erie. Even before greenhouses were popular, there was a lot of field tomato production in the area, so it is Canada’s “Tomatoville.”<br />
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Here is a selfie of me with the tourist info booth in
Leamington, which is a giant tomato. Unfortunately, it wasn’t open when I was
there — or there would be a helpful person inside the giant tomato.</div>
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This proximity to such a large body of water gives the area a “lake effect” climate, which helps smooth out the spikes and dips in temperature, making it a good area for growing all kinds of crops. Because of the high number of growers in the area, this is where newly developed greenhouse varieties are trialed and demonstrated. For tomato nerds like myself, this is an exciting place to be because the demonstration greenhouses act as a “living catalog” where I can see new varieties growing and taste them and determine if they are something that Johnny’s customers would be interested in.</div>
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Unfortunately, because these demonstration greenhouses receive so many visitors, I was not allowed to take pictures in most of them. Biosecurity is taken very seriously, as pests or pathogens could be brought in on almost any object that has also been inside other greenhouses. Even the people have to cover up — see my photo below. Even if not taken to this extent, having some kind of plan to keep diseases out of the greenhouse is a good idea for every grower. This is especially important for growers who have field and greenhouse operations on the same farm. It is very easy for workers to bring pathogens into the greenhouse if they go straight from working on one crop in the field to working on the same crop in a greenhouse.<br />
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Luckily, I was able to take photos in some places, even if
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It is always interesting to go to field days and see the new developments. Breeders are constantly working to help overcome the production problems of growers by developing new varieties that are more resistant to pests and diseases, and have better flavor. These kinds of visits also provide a great opportunity to learn and share ideas with other growers, find out what their difficulties are and how they are able to overcome them.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-48AJ3-Yvhbo/VZVyxb0ylaI/AAAAAAAAAtA/NANvJ3pe2tw/s1600/AM%2BBlog%2B3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-48AJ3-Yvhbo/VZVyxb0ylaI/AAAAAAAAAtA/NANvJ3pe2tw/s320/AM%2BBlog%2B3.png" width="236" /></a>
In this greenhouse, I was allowed to get some photos of the new varieties on display. Also, I was able to get someone else to take a picture of the type of precautions that are taken to ensure that no diseases make it into the greenhouse.
There were some very nice new varieties this year, including new cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes. Many of the new cucumbers for greenhouse production have resistance to cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), a disease which is becoming more and more common in greenhouses in North America.<br />
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There were also some nice new tomato varieties on display. I am particularly excited about a very sweet and flavorful grape tomato for greenhouse production which may be available soon.<br />
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After three days in “Tomatoville,” I left town with many new growing ideas and potential new varieties in mind. It’s always great to visit and enjoy the warm hospitality of my Canadian hosts. For updates on these varieties, stay tuned to your next <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/?source-B7.2.2015" target="_blank">Johnny’s catalog</a> to see if any of them make the cut in our trials this year and make it into the catalog.Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-44105805140103086572015-06-26T15:39:00.000-04:002019-05-02T16:56:07.175-04:00Planting Out Sweet Potato Slips <div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-indent: 48px;">Please visit our Grower's Library to read our full, illustrated article:<br /><b><br /></b></span><a href="https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/vegetables/growing-tips-sweet-potatoes-from-slips.html" style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-indent: 48px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Tips for Starting Your Sweet Potato Slips, Easy-to-follow Recommendations from Our Field Trials...</b></span></a>Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-3128465394473684082015-06-22T11:18:00.001-04:002019-05-02T16:58:49.802-04:00Arrival & Preplanting Care of Sweet Potato Slips <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please visit our Grower's Library to read our full, illustrated article: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/vegetables/growing-tips-sweet-potatoes-from-slips.html" style="text-indent: 48px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Tips for Starting Your Sweet Potato Slips — Easy-to-follow Recommendations from Our Field Trials...</b></span></a>Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-50939092771352201642015-06-16T10:13:00.001-04:002015-06-16T10:47:50.504-04:00Update on our Asparagus Crown Planting: Part III<h3>
<b>Our Final Asparagus Crown Planting Update </b></h3>
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<b>May 2015</b><br />
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Here’s the last update ‘til fall for our newly planted <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-9-asparagus.aspx">asparagus</a></b> crown bed. At the end of <b><a href="http://growingideas.johnnyseeds.com/2015/05/update-on-our-new-asparagus-planting.html">the last post</a></b>, we mentioned that as the spears grow, you will gradually fill in your furrow with soil until its top surface is even with the surrounding soil line. We have been doing this since our <b><a href="http://growingideas.johnnyseeds.com/2015/05/update-on-our-new-asparagus-planting.html">last post</a></b>, adding the final layer of soil to finish filling in the furrow today.<br />
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Filling the Furrow</td></tr>
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The process is the same as before: Gently pull soil into the furrow, while not completely covering any buds that are still emerging. Yesterday a large afternoon thunderstorm had already started to fill the furrow with surrounding soil. We used a <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-845-collinear-hoes.aspx">collinear hoe</a></b> to once more level out the rest of it. You might notice in the photos that some of the crowns are establishing faster than others and those spears have already grown well above the soil line. This is okay – some are just slower to snap out of their stay in cold storage than others and will catch up eventually.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yfBI1yU9iqw/VYAsUYVO87I/AAAAAAAAAl0/yZ1twnHm1R0/s1600/DSC_0069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yfBI1yU9iqw/VYAsUYVO87I/AAAAAAAAAl0/yZ1twnHm1R0/s200/DSC_0069.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leveling Out the Furrow</td></tr>
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Now that the soil level is where it should be, the next step is to cover the bed with mulch to suppress any weeds that might begin to grow. Keeping your asparagus bed free of weeds will not only save you a lot of labor, but support nutrient and moisture availability to the crowns. We use straw to mulch our bed, but other materials that allow water to percolate through, such as composted leaves, can also be used. Leave a couple inches of soil surface open around the line of spears down the center, of the bed, or keep the mulch layer thin in this area, especially if there are any crowns with spears that have not yet emerged above the soil line.<br />
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<b>See photos below:</b><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XMV0eeDagmg/VYAtTIWJFnI/AAAAAAAAAmE/E8QFYJiG_EI/s1600/DSC_0074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XMV0eeDagmg/VYAtTIWJFnI/AAAAAAAAAmE/E8QFYJiG_EI/s200/DSC_0074.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EJtlZClU51A/VYAtTPllTBI/AAAAAAAAAmA/8wddPKRNHkQ/s1600/DSC_0076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EJtlZClU51A/VYAtTPllTBI/AAAAAAAAAmA/8wddPKRNHkQ/s200/DSC_0076.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Your <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-9-asparagus.aspx">asparagus</a></b> bed is now well set until fall — but keep an eye on it, and keep the soil moderately moist throughout the hot summer months.<br />
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In the fall, when the fronds have died back, cut them off at soil level, and be sure to remove all the debris, to eliminate potential habitat for <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-9-asparagus.aspx">asparagus</a></b> beetles. Fall is also the time to add more compost, if needed, and to freshen up the mulch for the winter ahead.
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<br />Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-76340866374334772422015-05-22T07:30:00.000-04:002015-05-26T09:23:41.388-04:00Update on Our New Asparagus Planting: Part II<h3>
Update on Our New Asparagus Planting: Part II </h3>
<br />
May 2015,<br />
<br />
From our last post you’ll recall that we planted a new bed of <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-9-asparagus.aspx">asparagus crowns</a></b> at Johnny’s Research Farm in Albion on May 4th. Prior to planting, we dug an 8”-deep trench, but following planting did not fill the trench back up to the soil line. Now that the spears have started emerging from the soil, it’s time to add another layer of soil.<br />
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<img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BVyR71-OYMU/VV4_3-eQdeI/AAAAAAAAAkg/tJFIpWnhVV4/s200/DSC_0004.JPG" width="200" /> <img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qq_KEpb8itI/VV4_3ykdSMI/AAAAAAAAAkc/MUnJqU7-4xg/s200/DSC_0009.JPG" width="200" /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BVyR71-OYMU/VV4_3-eQdeI/AAAAAAAAAkg/tJFIpWnhVV4/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"> </a></div>
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This is a fairly simple process. All you need to do is use some sort of gardening tool — a rake, a stirrup hoe, a small pitchfork — and gently add soil to the furrow. We used a <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-845-collinear-hoes.aspx">collinear hoe</a> </b><i>(see image below)</i>. Do not cover the spears all of the way; leave the top of the bud still showing above the soil.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OZ4vQp7dCFc/VV5B6IiIcgI/AAAAAAAAAlM/GO4n91qmbx0/s1600/DSC_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OZ4vQp7dCFc/VV5B6IiIcgI/AAAAAAAAAlM/GO4n91qmbx0/s200/DSC_0016.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Do Not Totally Cover Spears</b></td></tr>
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The furrow still won’t be completely filled in at this point; you are only adding one more layer of 2–3” of soil. In another week or so, after waiting for the spears to emerge again, you will need to add more soil back into the furrow. Repeat until the amount of soil in the furrow is even with the soil line. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Collinear Hoe</span></b></td></tr>
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Although you’ll be eager to begin harvesting, establishing an asparagus bed requires patience. It is not until a full year after planting that the spears will be of harvestable size. Even then, your first harvest will be short. The reward for waiting, if you maintain the asparagus bed properly, is it will continue to produce well for upwards of 15 years!<br />
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Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-81261301202779200612015-05-19T11:05:00.000-04:002015-05-21T16:25:37.961-04:00Putting in a New Bed of Asparagus Crowns — Part I<i>By Lindsay Spigel, R&D, </i><br />
<i>Johnny’s Selected Seeds</i><o:p></o:p>
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<br />
<b>May 2015 </b><br />
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Following the late arrival of spring here in Central Maine — and hopefully the last few weeks of frosts — we were able to put in a new bed of asparagus crowns for our Research trials. Many of you have likely already received your crowns and planted them, but for those still waiting on the weather to break, now’s a great time to prepare the bed. Here’s a walk-through, with some tips for success.<br />
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<h3>
<b><u>How we made our bed: </u></b></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a-L3t4zbphE/VV4-8khjuzI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/Ov4N7gvz7QY/s1600/DSC_0063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a-L3t4zbphE/VV4-8khjuzI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/Ov4N7gvz7QY/s200/DSC_0063.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">May 2015 Asparagus Trial</span></b></td></tr>
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The first step in planting asparagus is to ensure that the site you've chosen meets all the requirements<br />
to keep the plants healthy for many years to come. If you chose a location that is less than ideal, there are workarounds to improve the site, but in the long run it will be more work.<br />
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Choose a location that receives full sun or part shade. As you can see in the pictures, our asparagus trial is out in the open, with little shade from nearby trees. It is best to check your soil pH the fall before you plant; you’ll be able to apply any amendments at that time so it can reach the ideal pH of 7.0 for spring. Proper bed preparation in the spring is key — it is much easier to rid the area of weeds before you have planted than to fight weeds throughout the life of the asparagus bed.<br />
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After you ensure that your planting location is weed free, dig a furrow 5–8” deep. If your soil is heavy, a shallow furrow is better, to prevent the crowns from becoming waterlogged. We have well-drained soil at our Research farm, and you can see here that our furrow is about 8” deep. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_R9_JhdIPdE/VV4-R8L5dpI/AAAAAAAAAkA/mabGV04F_PE/s1600/DSC_0006AA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_R9_JhdIPdE/VV4-R8L5dpI/AAAAAAAAAkA/mabGV04F_PE/s200/DSC_0006AA.jpg" width="142" /></a> <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-9-asparagus.aspx"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AG42BgcDq7E/VVtOIDSJeYI/AAAAAAAAAic/SYlhhhRFWqU/s200/DSC_0062.JPG" width="133" /></a> <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-9-asparagus.aspx"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wr26q5vFQJg/VVtOIzWi4tI/AAAAAAAAAik/Ee0KrrKbRys/s200/DSC_0067.JPG" width="133" /></a> </div>
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<b><u>Planting our crowns</u></b> </h3>
The crowns will look dry when you pull them out of the box, but that is completely normal. Because we had our crowns before we were ready to plant, we opened the box and removed the band from the bundle of crowns to inspect them. Mold that sometimes forms during shipping is easily wiped off with a damp cloth, and shouldn't affect the health of the crowns. If they appear to have dried out during shipping, sprinkle the crowns with a bit of water. After inspecting the crowns, we placed them loosely in the box, then loosely closed the box and placed it in a standard refrigerator. We checked on them every few days to ensure they remained healthy until we were ready to plant.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PfTf0uvAos0/VVtOuATx_aI/AAAAAAAAAi0/uwbhym3qgMY/s1600/DSC_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PfTf0uvAos0/VVtOuATx_aI/AAAAAAAAAi0/uwbhym3qgMY/s200/DSC_0017.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Asparagus Trial Spacing</span></b></td></tr>
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When the timing is right — 3–4 weeks before the last average frost — and your furrow is dug, it’s time to plant. Our planting date this year was May 4th. Place the crowns 12” apart in the furrow. If you’re planting <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6719-purple-passion.aspx">Purple Passion (F1)</a></b>, the in-row spacing should be slightly closer, 6–8” apart, to avoid overly thick spears. Splay the roots out as best you can while keeping the crowns upright time to plant. <br />
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Although the furrow is deep, at this time you will only cover the crowns with 2–3” of soil. Water the crowns until the soil is damp, and keep them moderately moist throughout the establishment period. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--lsxL3FnRi8/VVtPwnD93cI/AAAAAAAAAjM/x2ijV4JNtUw/s1600/DSC_0027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--lsxL3FnRi8/VVtPwnD93cI/AAAAAAAAAjM/x2ijV4JNtUw/s200/DSC_0027.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cover the Crowns with 2-3" of Soil</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9CCXHUbph3E/VVtPwtJBJiI/AAAAAAAAAjI/vjMcZCLFnLI/s1600/DSC_0044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9CCXHUbph3E/VVtPwtJBJiI/AAAAAAAAAjI/vjMcZCLFnLI/s200/DSC_0044.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gradually Fill in the Furrow</b></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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Now you wait — it can take a couple to a few weeks for the crowns to become established and start growing. As spears appear, you will gradually fill in the furrow as they grow — check back in a couple of weeks to see images of how our new asparagus bed is growing!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7MWdc6DhIJ8/VVtPxZhXCzI/AAAAAAAAAjc/OPODAtg0FSE/s1600/DSC_0053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7MWdc6DhIJ8/VVtPxZhXCzI/AAAAAAAAAjc/OPODAtg0FSE/s200/DSC_0053.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Check Back This Friday for<br />An Update!</b></td></tr>
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<h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-9-asparagus.aspx"><b>View our Asparagus »</b> </a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/assets/information/asparagus-production-8971.pdf">Read our Asparagus Production Tech Sheet »</a></b></li>
</ul>
</h3>
Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-9414434977575962722015-04-27T11:16:00.000-04:002015-04-27T11:16:11.830-04:00Johnny's Donates to FoodCorps<b><a href="https://foodcorps.org/" target="_blank">FoodCorps</a></b> members are making a huge difference nationwide to revitalize garden space; from September through March of the 2015 school year, they have built or revitalized the equivalent of 8.6 NBA basketball courts worth of garden space! <br />
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<a href="https://foodcorps.org/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o6O-l3kwwa4/VTjsNfAuDHI/AAAAAAAAAhw/YCjOHZvUUIM/s1600/revitalizedgardenspace_FC.png" height="70" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
Our <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-charitable-giving.aspx?source=Blog04.23.2015" target="_blank">Charitable Giving Committee</a></b> recently partnered with <b><a href="https://foodcorps.org/" target="_blank">FoodCorps</a></b> to supply their members with pre-made kits of easy-to-grow seeds.<br />
<br />
We can’t wait to see the outcome of their seed kits!<br />
<ul><a href="https://foodcorps.org/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;" target="_blank"><br /></a></ul>
<br />
<ul><a href="https://foodcorps.org/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IhvhTP9kBXU/VTjsNbtlhQI/AAAAAAAAAhs/C5nR8CirB0c/s1600/FC_2.png" height="182" width="200" /></a>
<li>Learn about the <b><a href="https://foodcorps.org/" target="_blank">FoodCorps</a></b> organization <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: dark2;">»</span></li>
<li>Visit <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/foodcorps">FoodCorps' Facebook</a></b> page to stay up-to-date with their work <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: dark2;">»</span></li>
<li>Find out more about our <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-charitable-giving.aspx?source=Blog04.23.2015" target="_blank">Charitable Giving Committee</a></b> <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: dark2;">»</span> </li>
<li>See what else is <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-in-the-news.aspx?source=Blog042015" target="_blank">In The News</a></b> at <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-in-the-news.aspx?source=Blog042015">Johnnyseeds.com</a></b> <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: dark2;">»</span></li>
</ul>
<br />Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-27648546266787341052015-04-25T07:00:00.000-04:002015-04-25T07:00:05.800-04:00Visit to MOSES Organic Farming Conference in LaCrosse, Wisconsin<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=687517259139577562" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><o:p>By </o:p>
Andrew Mefferd, Johnny's Selected Seeds</div>
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<span class="msoIns"><b>DAY 2 — MOSES 2015 Conference</b></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9AqO4n6kjm8/VS1sJ0WMr-I/AAAAAAAAAOE/jJGE4M3QMSI/s1600/2015-johnnys-moses-booth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Johnny's booth at MOSES" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9AqO4n6kjm8/VS1sJ0WMr-I/AAAAAAAAAOE/jJGE4M3QMSI/s1600/2015-johnnys-moses-booth.jpg" height="240" title="Johnny's booth at MOSES" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;">Johnny's at MOSES 2015</span></b></td></tr>
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The next day I headed to the <a href="http://mosesorganic.org/conference/" target="_blank">MOSES (Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Services)</a> Conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I had packed my plaid, since I'd heard that was the thing to wear to the MOSES conference. And, indeed, there was a lot of plaid being sported. Though it’s hard to say if there was more than any other gathering of farmers.<br />
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The first thing that really impressed me was the size of the conference. Organizers said there were more than 3500 attendees over the three days. Besides the sheer number of participants, I was impressed by their positive energy and enthusiasm. There were a lot of good ideas and sharing going on, both at the trade show and at the many workshops scheduled for the conference.<br />
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<b style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Upper Midwest Territory Sales Rep, <br />Ken Fine shares some of the finer points<br />of Johnny's pumpkins
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My first stop was the Johnny’s booth, where our upper Midwest sales rep, Ken Fine was manning the booth and talking to customers. One of the best things about trade shows is the opportunity to spend time at the booth meeting our customers. I learn more about growing by talking to customers, and finding out what their challenges and questions are, than any other way.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=687517259139577562" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Though of course there were many other, more formal ways to learn as well. MOSES had organized many educational workshops for growers both days of the conference, plus a pre-conference “Organic University” for those who really wanted to go in-depth.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=687517259139577562" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Sandy Dietz, <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=687517259139577562#editor/target=post;postID=2815338402140865270;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=1;src=postname">whom I had visited the day before</a>, gave a good presentation along with her husband, Lonny, about how to transition out of off-farm jobs and into farming full time. They speak from experience, as they both have made the transition.<br />
<br />
I also went to an excellent presentation by Adam Montri of Michigan State University, called “Are You Making Any Money in Your High Tunnel?” He pointed out how even though almost anything grows faster and bigger in a high tunnel, profitability is not assured. He presented some practical strategies farmers can use to track expenses and set prices to make sure they are profiting off their high-tunnel produce.<br />
<br />
This was a great conference that I would consider attending again in the future. The food was great, and MOSES made every effort to source the food from local farms whenever possible. The other learning and networking opportunity was the huge tradeshow, which took up the entire floor of a basketball court and spilled out into the arena. I headed back to Maine exhausted and at the same time energized by the people I had met and all I learned, ready to put it to good use this coming season.<br />
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Sometimes a great conference is just what I need to get ready for another season.<br />
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<em>Learn more...</em>
<br />
<ul>
<li>
Visit our <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-commercial-sales.aspx">Commercial Sales</a> hub to learn more, meet your territory sales representative, or view our upcoming tradeshow calendar »<br />
<br />
</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=687517259139577562#editor/target=post;postID=2815338402140865270;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=1;src=postname">Read Andrew's Day 1 Minnesota Blog Post • Visit to Whitewater Gardens' Geoexchange Greenhouse in Altura, MN »</a></span></b> </h3>
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Johnnys Selected Seeds - News+Viewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234019123671852704noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-28153384021408652702015-04-23T07:00:00.000-04:002015-04-23T07:00:05.069-04:00Visit to Whitewater Gardens’ Geoexchange Greenhouse in Altura, Minnesota <div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=687517259139577562" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=687517259139577562" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=687517259139577562" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>
<o:p>By </o:p>
Andrew Mefferd, Johnny's Selected Seeds</div>
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<span class="msoIns"><b>DAY 1 — Whitewater Gardens’ Geoexchange Greenhouse,
Altura, Minnesota</b>
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Earlier this year, I flew out to La Crosse, Wisconsin to attend the Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Services (MOSES) annual
conference. On the way in to the conference, I stopped by to visit with Sandy
Dietz at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Whitewater-Gardens-Farm/349854475789">Whitewater
Gardens Farm</a> in Altura, Minnesota. <br />
<br />
I was interested to see the farm because they are
incorporating a number of cutting-edge greenhouse
techniques in order to grow vegetables in short-season Minnesota as efficiently
as possible.<br />
<br />
While they have several other
greenhouses plus areas for field production (all under
a blanket of snow at the time), what I was really there
to see this visit was their brand new 46'x126' geothermally
heated greenhouse.<br />
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<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lV9UbgbDQbw/VSVVMU-WDzI/AAAAAAAAAgA/dMJ_QahFHlc/s1600/WinonaMNFire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lV9UbgbDQbw/VSVVMU-WDzI/AAAAAAAAAgA/dMJ_QahFHlc/s1600/WinonaMNFire.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></td>
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<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;">Altura, MN in Winona County</span></b></td>
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This greenhouse represents the wave of the
future when it comes to energy efficiency. The entire perimeter of the greenhouse is protected by a frost wall extending 4' down into the ground. This wall minimizes the amount of cold that
penetrates through to the greenhouse, a worthwhile measure for reasons that were obvious on the freezing day that I
visited. Insulation laid 4' down under the floor further
reduces the amount of cold that seeps through the ground into the
greenhouse.<br />
<br />
One of the most unusual features of this greenhouse is that geothermal
energy is the primary source of fuel for its heating
system. <i>Ground-loop geothermal heating</i> is a technology that takes heat from the earth and builds it up to usable levels with a <i>heat pump</i> (also known as a <i>ground source heat pump</i>, or GSHP). The water is heated and then circulated through tubes in the floor, which
literally heats the greenhouse from the ground up.<br />
<i><br />
</i>(Equally notable is that <i>geoexchange technology</i> allows for excess heat to be transferred back into the ground — or, for cold air to be pumped to a cold-storage
area, for example — as well as for heating.)<br />
<br />
When more heat is necessary than the geothermal can provide,
a forced-air propane backup system kicks in to make up the difference. What
I will be interested to learn after a few seasons of operation
is what proportion of the required heating
the geothermal can provide versus how much the propane backup
system will have to supply.<br />
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<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VoRmfDc90xo/VSVUJq8fFKI/AAAAAAAAAf4/KJw5gL3Ruyw/s1600/2015-whitewater-geothermal-greenhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VoRmfDc90xo/VSVUJq8fFKI/AAAAAAAAAf4/KJw5gL3Ruyw/s1600/2015-whitewater-geothermal-greenhouse.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td>
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<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;">Whitewater Geothermal Greenhouse</span></b></td>
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To date, there are very
few geothermal greenhouse systems in the United States. But based on the fact
that energy is the second-largest cost for
many greenhouse growers after labor, I would be surprised if we don’t see more
growers following the Whitewater Gardens lead.<br />
<br />
Another innovation Dietz is pursuing is to install Solawrap
greenhouse covering this spring. Most heated greenhouses using flexible plastic
coverings have two layers of plastic inflated by a small fan. The air
between the layers of plastic provides a layer of insulation, greatly
increasing the heat-trapping properties beyond a single layer of plastic.<br />
<br />
Instead of using a fan to inflate the layers
of plastic, Solawrap uses two layers of plastic with bubbles in between to form
the insulative layer. It looks like a giant sheet of bubble wrap. The advantage
is that it maintains the air layer, without having to constantly run a fan to
keep it inflated. The product is from Europe and not widely used in the US at
this point.<br />
<br />
I look forward to checking back in with Sandy in the future
to see how all these innovations are working out on her farm. I really enjoyed
the visit and am always impressed with the things I can learn about from our
customers.<br />
<br />
<em>Learn more...</em><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>For more details on SolaWrap: <a href="http://growingideas.johnnyseeds.com/2014/10/new-concepts-for-winter-harvest.html">Eliot Coleman’s blog post on New Concepts for Winter Growing</a> »</li>
<li><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-controlled-environment-agriculture-merle-jensen-phd-introduction.aspx" target="_blank">Controlled Environment Agriculture : Dramatic Changes to Greenhouse Crop Production</a>, by Merle Jensen, PhD »</li>
<li><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-winter-growing-guide-high-tunnel-scheduling.aspx" target="_blank">Johnny’s Winter Growing Guide</a> »</li>
<li><a href="https://www.geoexchange.org/" target="_blank">Geothermal Exchange Organization</a> »</li>
<li><a href="http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/WinterGrowing2014/WhitewaterGardens_Geothermal.pdf" target="_blank">Slideshow: Whitewater Gardens Geothermal Greenhouse</a> »<br />
<br />
</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #666666;">Check back for our next blog entry —<br />
Day 2 of Andrew's Trip to Michigan & Minnesota</span></b></h3>
</div>
Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-50063837371698338322015-04-22T14:45:00.001-04:002015-04-22T15:10:42.541-04:00Happy Earth Day!<div style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-weight: bold;">Happy Earth Day 2015</span><span style="color: #141823;"> from all of us here at <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/" target="_blank">Johnny's!</a> </span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">How are YOU celebrating today? <i>Leave a comment under this post and let us know.</i></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
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<div style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="color: #141823;">Ever wonder how </span><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Earth Day</span></b><span style="color: #141823;"> started? This observance arose from an interest in gathering national support for environmental issues, from San Francisco activist John McConnell and Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson.</span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, lucida grande, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><a href="http://earthday.org/" target="_blank">Visit Earthday.org to find out more</a> </span></span></li>
</ul>
Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-42829645063167242062015-04-15T09:57:00.000-04:002015-04-15T09:57:25.649-04:00Enter Our Farm Dog Photo Contest<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>CONTEST ALERT! </b></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">We want to see photos of your farm dog! A lot of our customers have 4-legged companions on their farms, so we've teamed up with </span><a class="profileLink" data-gt="{"entity_id":"47926098709","entity_path":"\/pagelet\/pageletserver.php:PagePostsPagelet"}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=47926098709" href="https://www.facebook.com/planetdog1997" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-decoration: none;"><b>Planet Dog</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">to give away dog toys from their <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/JohnnySeeds/app_208195102528120?ref=page_internal" target="_blank">Orbee-Tuff® Produce Line</a></b>.</span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Click the <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/JohnnySeeds/app_208195102528120?ref=page_internal" target="_blank">photo below</a></b> and follow the instructions on how to enter:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/JohnnySeeds/app_208195102528120?ref=page_internal" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J18bdNEO_SM/VS5tKRDKAXI/AAAAAAAAAhE/7PyHMwSE2hU/s1600/FarmDogContest%2B(3).jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i>Contest ends April 27th, good luck!</i></b></div>
</div>
Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-73473862546766553122015-04-06T16:23:00.000-04:002015-04-06T16:23:20.114-04:00Sign Up for a FREE National Young Farmers Coalition Membership<br />
Sign up for a <b><i><span style="color: red;">FREE</span></i></b> <a href="http://www.youngfarmers.org/" target="_blank">National Young Farmers Coalition membership</a>- sponsored by <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-young-farmers-signup.aspx" target="_blank">Johnny's!</a><br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-young-farmers-signup.aspx" target="_blank">Visit Johnnyseeds.com and sign up today >>></a></b></h3>
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<a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-young-farmers-signup.aspx" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SfLA-cyfbbE/VSLqwf5SksI/AAAAAAAAAfk/lMPKVfL4BJQ/s1600/NYFC_SignUp_4.7.2015.png" height="106" width="400" /></a></div>
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Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-71964793236589378132015-03-25T08:53:00.000-04:002015-03-25T08:53:30.594-04:00Canadian Farmers: Share your Feedback<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Calling all Canadian Farmers!</b></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.youngfarmers.org/"><b>The National New Farmer Coalition</b></a> and the <a href="http://umanitoba.ca/"><b>University of Manitoba</b></a> have put together a survey to assess the needs of new farmers in Canada where it concerns policy and educational opportunities... </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And they want to hear from you!
</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The results from this survey will be used to develop a National New Farmer Policy Platform that we aim to share with all levels of government.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/newfarmersurvey" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Take the 20-30 minutes survey here</a>></h4>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/newfarmersurvey"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UDia3bRq5JA/VRGnp6wPSUI/AAAAAAAAAfE/TlTc5xObRRo/s1600/CanadianFarmers_032015.png" height="251" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">All respondents will be entered into a drawing for cash and other prizes, including $500, $200, and $100 and non-cash prizes of: </span><br />
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">A wide selection of food and agriculture books from</span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><b><a href="http://www.chelseagreen.com/" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Chelsea Green Publishing</a><span style="font-style: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">,</span><span style="font-style: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><a href="http://ecosociete.org/" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Éditions ÉcoSociétés</a></b><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">and the</span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><a href="http://www.cog.ca/" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><b>Canadian Organic Growers</b></a><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Full access digital subscriptions to</span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><b><a href="http://www.growingformarket.com/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Growing for Market</a><span style="font-style: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">.</span></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Copies of the movie</span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><b><a href="http://www.permacultureorchard.com/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Beyond Organic: The Permaculture Orchard</a><span style="font-style: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">.</span></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Gift certificates for downloadable ebooks from the</span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><a href="http://www.lifeinthesoilclasses.com/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 30.6000003814697px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><b>Soil Foodweb </b></a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Gift certificates for</span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><b>Johnny’s Selected Seeds</b></a><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 30.6000003814697px;">One $100 gift certificate for</span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><a href="http://www.bogsfootwear.ca/shop/index.html" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><b>Bogs</b></a><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">A free webinar from</span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><a href="http://www.smallfarmcentral.com/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><b>Small Farms Central</b></a><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">entitled <b>“Using the Internet to Drive Farm Sales”.</b></span></span></li>
</ul>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">The survey is also available as a PDF that can be emailed or mailed to you. Please contact </span><a href="mailto:julia.laforge@umanitoba.ca" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">julia.laforge@umanitoba.ca</a><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> or </span><a href="mailto:newfarmercoalition@gmail.com" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">newfarmercoalition@gmail.com</a><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> for details.</span></i><br />
<div style="color: black;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="color: black;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></i></div>
</div>
Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-50262930990524868382015-03-20T07:00:00.000-04:002015-04-14T15:58:23.954-04:00Culinary Trends in 2015: Collards<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">
<span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Johnny’s Product Managers are weighing in on the </i><a href="http://www.restaurant.org/News-Research/Research/What-s-Hot" style="color: #7d181e; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="color: windowtext;">National Restaurant Association</span></i></b></a><b style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><i>’s</i></b><i style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"> list </i><i style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">of this year’s top </i><i style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">culinary trends. Last week, Vegetable Product Technician, Steven Rodrigue, discussed <b><a href="http://growingideas.johnnyseeds.com/2015/03/culinary-trends-in-2015-micro-greens.html">Micro Greens</a></b>. The week prior, </i></span></span><i style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Vegetable Product Technician, Steve Bellavia, covered the topic of <b><a href="http://growingideas.johnnyseeds.com/2015/03/culinary-trends-in-2015-hot-peppers.html" style="color: #7d181e; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Hot Peppers</a></b></i><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">. This week, Vegetable Product Technician, Julius Koenig, will be sharing his thoughts on <b>Collards</b>:</i></span></span></div>
<h3 style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in; position: relative;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></b></h3>
<h3 style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in; position: relative;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Collards</span></h3>
<h3 style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in; position: relative;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> By Julius Koenig</span></b></h3>
<h3 style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in; position: relative;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Vegetable Product Technician</span></b></h3>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-801-collards.aspx?source=blog04142015">Collards</a></b> (</span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Brassica
oleracea</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">) have been a staple vegetable for the southern U.S. for many
decades. Now <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-801-collards.aspx?source=blog04142015">collards</a></b> are becoming haute cuisine in many dining establishments
across the country. The reason behind this interest could be the nutritional
content; <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-801-collards.aspx?source=blog04142015">collards</a></b> are packed with vitamins and minerals, also providing a great
source of fiber. There has also been the comparison between kale and <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-801-collards.aspx?source=blog04142015">collards</a></b>,
which has many people debating which vegetable is their favorite.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cAFR9uQ4QMU/VS1wMQ9b6dI/AAAAAAAAAgw/3vOPBVbg-yU/s1600/Flash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cAFR9uQ4QMU/VS1wMQ9b6dI/AAAAAAAAAgw/3vOPBVbg-yU/s1600/Flash.jpg" height="200" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5719-flash.aspx?source=blog04142015">Flash</a></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">At <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-801-collards.aspx?source=blog04142015">Johnny's</a></b>, we offer three varieties of <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-801-collards.aspx?source=blog04142015">collards</a></b>. Whether you’re looking for a Georgia type, known for
savoyed leaves, or the Vates types with leaves that are smooth and flat, we have the selection to meet your needs. <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5738-top-bunch.aspx?source=blog04142015">‘TopBunch F1’</a></b>, a lightly savoyed Georgia type that is very quick to mature in 50 days.
<b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5719-flash.aspx?source=blog04142015">‘Flash F1’</a></b> is a Vates type, with a beautiful dark green smooth leaf. <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6224-champion.aspx?source=blog04142015">‘Champion’</a></b>, our open-pollinated option, is a Vates type with large dark green
leaves, but is also the best choice for baby leaf.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Long-time Johnny’s Product Technician Steve Bellavia, who
has trialed Brassicas for more than 15 years, says, “I prefer <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-801-collards.aspx?source=blog04142015">collards</a></b> to kale,
due to their sweetness.” Interested in trying <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-801-collards.aspx?source=blog04142015">collards </a></b>yourself? A simple Google search will yield you hundreds of
recipes to try; from the traditional steamed collards to collard sushi. When
cooking <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-801-collards.aspx?source=blog04142015">collards</a></b>, don’t neglect the fibrous stem, which can be steamed or
sautéed minutes before the leaves are thrown in the pot. </span></blockquote>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-align: center;">Shop </span><span style="text-align: center;">our selection of </span><b style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-801-collards.aspx?source=blog04142015">Collards</a></b><span style="text-align: center;"> at </span><b style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-801-collards.aspx?source=blog04142015">Johnnyseeds.com</a></b><span style="text-align: center;"> ></span></li>
</ul>
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Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-72966109774539346732015-03-16T08:00:00.000-04:002015-04-14T15:30:24.641-04:00Culinary Trends in 2015: Micro Greens <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Johnny’s Product Managers are weighing in on the </i><a href="http://www.restaurant.org/News-Research/Research/What-s-Hot" style="color: #7d181e; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="color: windowtext;">National Restaurant Association</span></i></b></a><b style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><i>’s</i></b><i style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"> list </i><i style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">of this year’s top </i><i style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">culinary trends. Last week, Vegetable Product Technician, Steve Bellavia, covered the topic of <b><a href="http://growingideas.johnnyseeds.com/2015/03/culinary-trends-in-2015-hot-peppers.html" target="_blank">Hot Peppers</a></b>. The week prior, Vegetable Product Manager, Pete Zuck and Plant Breeder, John Navazio discussed <b><a href="http://growingideas.johnnyseeds.com/2015/02/culinary-trends-in-2015-root-vegetables.html" target="_blank">Root Vegetables</a></b>. This week, Product Technician, Steven Rodrigue, will be sharing his thoughts on Micro Greens:</i></span></span></div>
<h3 style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in; position: relative;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></b></h3>
<h3 style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in; position: relative;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Micro Greens</span></h3>
<h3 style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in; position: relative;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">By Steven Rodrigue</span></b></h3>
<h3 style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in; position: relative;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Vegetable Product Technician</span></b></h3>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EJmiqU3sZgU/VS1nlzOQGXI/AAAAAAAAAgc/o1zjcGbIz4Q/s1600/SpicyMicroGreens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EJmiqU3sZgU/VS1nlzOQGXI/AAAAAAAAAgc/o1zjcGbIz4Q/s1600/SpicyMicroGreens.jpg" height="200" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8401-spicy-micro-mix.aspx?source=blog04142015">Spicy Micro Mix</a></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Many growers
have found </span><b style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-48-micro-greens.aspx?source=blog04142015">micro greens</a></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> to be a worthwhile addition to their offerings at
farmer’s</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">markets and directly to chefs. Not only are they easy to grow, but the
quick turnaround from seeding to harvest is a major advantage. The attributes
of <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-48-micro-greens.aspx?source=blog04142015">micro greens</a></b> that are pleasing to the eye and the palate allow for
versatility in the kitchen and inspire chefs with their ability to enhance the
presentation of any dish.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Using <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-48-micro-greens.aspx?source=blog04142015">micro greens</a></b> in place of finely chopped, full-size greens and herbs allows the
consumer to see where the flavor in their meal is coming from. By garnishing
with <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-48-micro-greens.aspx?source=blog04142015">micros</a></b>, your dish becomes elegant, refined, and subtly sophisticated.
Diverse flavor profiles provide <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-48-micro-greens.aspx?source=blog04142015">micro greens</a></b> with additional potential beyond
garnish. Many of the <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-48-micro-greens.aspx?source=blog04142015">micros</a></b> grown from herbs complement desserts superbly with
flavors ranging from sweet to tart to licorice-like. In addition to flavor,
color and texture are qualities to consider when pairing <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-48-micro-greens.aspx?source=blog04142015">micro greens</a></b> with a
particular dish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are
limitless ways for how <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-48-micro-greens.aspx?source=blog04142015">micro greens</a></b> can accompany your next meal, but here are
just a few:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pQEWO_zw3R0/VS1nl4fvlmI/AAAAAAAAAgY/OOe8SmjGfV0/s1600/BullsBloodBeet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pQEWO_zw3R0/VS1nl4fvlmI/AAAAAAAAAgY/OOe8SmjGfV0/s1600/BullsBloodBeet.jpg" height="200" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8688-beet-bulls-blood.aspx?source=blog04142015">Bull's Blood Beet</a></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">As
the scaled-down version of herbs and vegetables, use <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-48-micro-greens.aspx?source=blog04142015">micros</a></b> on scaled-down
versions of meals. Top your miniature burgers with the<b> <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-48-micro-greens.aspx?source=blog04142015">micro green</a></b> of your
preferred flavor, texture, and color. </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Plan
for the </span>holidays<span style="font-family: inherit;">: use bright reds and greens for Christmas and a</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">rrange </span><b style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-48-micro-greens.aspx?source=blog04142015">micros</a></b><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">on your hors d'oeuvre. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Add
a whole new level of garnish and flavor to your cocktails. </span></li>
</ul>
Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-78039503776036030412015-03-09T08:00:00.000-04:002015-03-09T09:59:32.024-04:00Culinary Trends in 2015: Hot Peppers<div style="text-align: right;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Johnny’s Product Managers are weighing in on the </i><a href="http://www.restaurant.org/News-Research/Research/What-s-Hot" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">National Restaurant Association</span></i></b></a><b style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><i>’s</i></b><i style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"> list </i><i style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">of this year’s top </i><i style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">culinary trends. Last week, Vegetable Product Manager, Pete Zuck and Plant Breeder, John Navazio, covered the topic of <b><a href="http://growingideas.johnnyseeds.com/2015/02/culinary-trends-in-2015-root-vegetables.html">Root Vegetables</a></b>. The week prior, Vegetable Product Manager, Lauren Giroux, discussed <b><a href="http://growingideas.johnnyseeds.com/2015/02/culinary-trends-in-2015-fresh-peas.html">Fresh Peas</a></b>.This week, Product Technician, Steve Bellavia, will be sharing his thoughts on Hot Peppers:</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Hot Peppers</span></h3>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> By Steve Bellavia </span></b></h3>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Vegetable Product Technician</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-394-hot-peppers.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015"><b>Hot peppers</b></a> come in all shapes, sizes,
colors, and degrees of heat. They are widely used in some of the best and most
interesting cuisines in the world, including Mexican, Thai, Korean, and Indian
or Pakistani.</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></b></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-534-anchos-poblanos-peppers.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015">Poblanos</a></b> are the mildly spicy, heart-shaped
peppers used at the green stage for the famous Mexican dish ‘Chile rellenos.’ When
dried they are called anchos and
ground into powder for mole and other Mexican dishes. Use the powder in any
recipe calling for “Chile powder” or “Chile flakes”.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></blockquote>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u8AsQ7qAl3A/VP2mXHHMP2I/AAAAAAAAA00/8pzGEg6Sgi8/s1600/KrimzonLeePepper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u8AsQ7qAl3A/VP2mXHHMP2I/AAAAAAAAA00/8pzGEg6Sgi8/s1600/KrimzonLeePepper.jpg" height="200" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6325-krimzon-lee.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015">Krimzon Lee Pepper</a></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6581-habanero.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015">Habanero peppers</a> </b>are used in the
Caribbean for jerk sauces, salsas, and other hot sauce concoctions. They offer
wonderful floral notes backed by intense heat. If you can’t take the heat, try <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-9540-numex-suave-orange.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015">‘NuMex Suave Orange’</a> </b>— it offers all of
the floral notes with just a wee bit of heat.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The hot and spicy <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-977-cayenne-chile-peppers.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015">cayennes</a></b> can be used both green red, fresh or dried and made into
flakes or powder. There are many cayenne varieties so one can tailor the heat
of dishes by variety selection and the quantity used in a recipe. Cayenne
powder is used in kimchee, the famous fermented Chinese cabbage dish of Korea.</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></b></blockquote>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6325-krimzon-lee.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015">‘Krimzon Lee,’</a> </b>a hot<b> </b>paprika type pepper is great sautéed,
roasted, in salsas, and even spicy salads. The thick walls are sweet and mildly
hot.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then of course, there is the<b> <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-535-jalapeno-peppers.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015">jalapeno</a></b>, the king of all peppers in
the United States and Mexico. It’s used
for salsas, pickling, cooking, stuffing, and many other uses. If allowed to
become red and smoked they become chipotles.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If jalapenos </span>aren't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> hot enough for you</span><b style="font-family: inherit;">,</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> consider the </span><b style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-581-serrano-peppers.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015">serrano</a></b><span style="font-family: inherit;">. They are narrower, darker green, and hotter than </span><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-535-jalapeno-peppers.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015">jalapenos</a></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and can be substituted for </span><br />
<b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-535-jalapeno-peppers.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015">jalapenos</a> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">in any recipe calling for them.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">For a Spanish flair try using <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7531-padron.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015">padrons</a></b> as a tapas, a type of appetizer.
They are harvested at the immature green stage when 1-1½” long, and have an
excellent flavor when sautéed with a little olive oil, salt<b>,</b> and if you are a garlic lover, a few garlic gloves. Most padrons will
be mild but about 5% will have some heat. If they grow to around 3” then all
the fruits will be quite hot!</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></b></blockquote>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-558-anaheim-numex-peppers.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015">Anaheim</a></b>, also called <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-558-anaheim-numex-peppers.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015">numex</a></b>, peppers are sometimes stuffed but also roasted and sautéed.
Traditionally, they are used green, but they are also good when red ripe.</span><i style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xesgO3hZqAY/VP2ljujsThI/AAAAAAAAA0k/9kq7om28x0k/s1600/PadronPepper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xesgO3hZqAY/VP2ljujsThI/AAAAAAAAA0k/9kq7om28x0k/s1600/PadronPepper.jpg" height="200" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7531-padron.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015">Pedron Pepper</a></b></td></tr>
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<ul style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Explore our selection of <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-394-hot-peppers.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015">Hot Peppers</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> ></span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Visit <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/" style="color: #7d181e; text-decoration: none;">Johnnyseeds.com</a> ></b></span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Learn more about <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-growing_tips_for_successful_pepper_transplants.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015">transplanting Peppers</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> ></span></span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Shop all <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-40-peppers.aspx?source=HotPeppersBlog032015">Peppers</a> ></span></li>
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Johnny's Seeds Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229888291481809516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-35030982346215609142015-02-19T16:18:00.001-05:002015-02-19T16:18:27.073-05:00Culinary Trends in 2015: Root Vegetables<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oHCTe-elvWI/VOZOO6H9eeI/AAAAAAAAAeI/rBGAmXYG_hc/s1600/Albion_Parsnip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oHCTe-elvWI/VOZOO6H9eeI/AAAAAAAAAeI/rBGAmXYG_hc/s1600/Albion_Parsnip.jpg" height="200" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8363-albion.aspx">Albion Parsnip</a></b></td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Johnny’s Product Managers are weighing
in on the </span></i><a href="http://www.restaurant.org/News-Research/Research/What-s-Hot"><b><i><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">National Restaurant Association</span></i></b></a><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">’s</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> list </span></i><i>of this year’s top
culinary trends. Last week, Vegetable Product Manager, Lauren Giroux, covered
the topic of Fresh Peas. The week prior, Vegetable Product Manager, Pete Zuck,
discussed Heirloom Tomatoes. This week, Pete, along with Johnny’s Plant
Breeder, John Navazio, will be sharing their thoughts on Root Vegetables:</i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Root Vegetables</span></b></h3>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">By Pete Zuck, Vegetable Product
Manager, and John Navazio, Plant Breeder</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Root
vegetables remain a strong trend because of their high nutritional content,
sweet flavor, and ability to store well into the winter months. They have been
a huge factor in helping growers provide locally-grown food during northern
winters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">One
thing that is often misunderstood about root crops is the outer layer, or “skin.”
There is a misconception out that the skin of a root crop vegetable contains a
high concentration of nutrients, and that it should be left on the root for
more nutritious eating. In fact, there is nothing particularly special,
nutrient-wise, about the outer skin of a carrot or beet or parsnip. It does,
however often contain high levels of off-tasting compounds like terpenoids,
which give carrots a metallic flavor, and geosmin, which makes beets taste like
dirt. So go ahead and peel your carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips… You will
enjoy them much more without sacrificing nutrition!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nW188jw12eY/VOZORLyVihI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/bCpLrx60XaE/s1600/Hakurei.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nW188jw12eY/VOZORLyVihI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/bCpLrx60XaE/s1600/Hakurei.jpg" height="200" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7922-hakurei.aspx">Hakurei Turnip</a></b></td></tr>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Explore
our selection of </span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-11-beets.aspx" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Beets</span></b></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> ></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Shop
for </span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-53-turnips.aspx" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Turnips</span></b></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> and </span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-38-parsnips.aspx" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Parsnips</span></b></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> ></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Visit <b><a href="http://johnnyseeds.com/">Johnnyseeds.com</a> ></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Learn more about <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-carrots-multicolor-rainbow-flavor-quality.aspx">Carrot flavor</a> in our <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-carrots-multicolor-rainbow-flavor-quality.aspx">recent article</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> ></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Shop all <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-18-carrots.aspx">Carrots</a> ><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></span></li>
</ul>
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<br />Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-33698247413346195752015-02-13T15:00:00.000-05:002015-02-16T09:00:20.194-05:00Culinary Trends in 2015: Fresh Peas<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hTrQL9gJvr8/VOH0aLYtzpI/AAAAAAAAAd4/64_iZMy5q9o/s1600/PetiteSnapGreens_Peas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hTrQL9gJvr8/VOH0aLYtzpI/AAAAAAAAAd4/64_iZMy5q9o/s1600/PetiteSnapGreens_Peas.jpg" height="200" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-9666-petite-snap-greens.aspx">Petite Snap-Greens</a></b></td></tr>
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<i style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Johnny’s Product Managers are weighing
in on the </span></i><a href="http://www.restaurant.org/News-Research/Research/What-s-Hot"><i><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration: none;">National Restaurant Association</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">’s</span></i><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> list of this year’s top
culinary trends. Last week, Vegetable Product Manager, Pete Zuck covered Heirloom Tomatoes. This week, Johnny’s
Vegetable Product Manager, Lauren Giroux, will be discussing</span> Fresh Peas<span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></i></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Fresh
Peas</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">By Lauren Giroux, Vegetable Product
Manager<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Let’s
think about the significance of peas. For many babies, </span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-39-peas.aspx"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">peas</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> were one of the first foods introduced,
for better or worse. They are mild, sweet, and healthy. When most people think
of </span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-39-peas.aspx"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">peas</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">, they are probably thinking about
shell peas, and they are probably most familiar with the frozen form. They
might also recognize the snow peas used in Chinese food. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Today,
peas are much more exciting. We still have the standard snap peas of gardens
past — varieties like ‘</span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7519-sugar-snap.aspx"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sugar Snap</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">’
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">and ‘</span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5622-sugar-ann.aspx"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sugar Ann</span></b></a>’<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">— that you eat right in the
garden, or pack as a snack in your lunchbox. Then there are pea shoots
which make not only an appealing garnish option for many dishes, but also add
great flavor to salads. The real beauty of pea shoots is the ability to
experience fresh pea flavor all year round, in less than two weeks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And
now, </span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-39-peas.aspx"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">peas</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> are coming in different colors and with
interesting leaf patterns. There are yellow and purple pods, and the most
tender shoots and interesting leafy “tendrils.” These shoots and tendrils make
perfect additions to salad mix, or to garnish a plate. Don’t forget, the
flowers, make another great addition to your spring salad. So, eat your </span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-39-peas.aspx"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">peas</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> — the whole plant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MEGTMogXFwQ/VOH0ZT_HfAI/AAAAAAAAAdw/K_9HZItK8cA/s1600/RoyalSnow_Peas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MEGTMogXFwQ/VOH0ZT_HfAI/AAAAAAAAAdw/K_9HZItK8cA/s1600/RoyalSnow_Peas.jpg" height="200" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-9337-royal-snow.aspx">Royal Snow</a></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">*Learn
about Pea Selection at Johnny's: </span></h3>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </b><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -24px;">·</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -24px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-selection-pea-seed-quality.aspx" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The Story of Sugar Ann</a></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> ></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">*</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Discover
our selection of 16 varieties of </span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-39-peas.aspx" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Peas</span></b></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> at Johnnyseeds.com:</span></h3>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Shop
for </span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5622-sugar-ann.aspx"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sugar
Ann</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -24px;">></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Shop
for </span><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7519-sugar-snap.aspx">Sugar
Snap</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -24px;">> </span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Shop
for </span><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-9337-royal-snow.aspx">Royal
Snow</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -24px;">></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Shop
for </span><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-9039-golden-sweet.aspx">Golden
Sweet</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -24px;">></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Shop
for </span><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-9666-petite-snap-greens.aspx">Petit
Snap Greens</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -24px;">></span></div>
<br />Andrea at Johnny's Selected Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271977033642296675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687517259139577562.post-86641940003349514892015-02-05T15:28:00.000-05:002015-02-16T08:41:06.073-05:00Culinary Trends in 2015: Heirloom Tomatoes<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7942-rose.aspx" target="_blank">Rose</a></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">At the turn of the New
Year, the </span><a href="http://www.restaurant.org/News-Research/Research/What-s-Hot" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b>National
Restaurant Association</b></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
releases its predictions for the coming year’s top culinary trends. The list is
the result of a survey of professional chefs, indicating which items you can
expect to be on your menu when you dine out, or to inspire creations in our own
kitchen. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><b>It should come as no surprise that for
the past four years, local food has taken the top ranking</b>. From year to year,
the remainder of the list has been in flux, with one trend overcoming or
falling victim to another. For horticulture-based trends, especially for local food, the source
all comes back to seeds and how the food is grown. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The <b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-research-farm-quality-assurance.aspx" target="_blank">product managers</a></b> at Johnny’s
reviewed this year’s list and offered up their thoughts on a few of their
favorite trends. Each week for the next 5 weeks, we will be covering a
different topic within a blog post. <b>Leave a comment and let us know your
thoughts on each of the trends we cover</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Heirloom Tomatoes</span></b></h3>
<h3>
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: #cc0000;">By Pete Zuck, Vegetable Product
Manager</span></span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
allure of an </span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/search.aspx?filterurl=/match/add_attr?attr_val=category~heirloom%20tomatoes&session=39061532&last_seq=89822567&searchterm=tomatoes"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">heirloom
tomato</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> has always
been its exceptional flavor. While still very popular with consumers, </span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/search.aspx?filterurl=/match/add_attr?attr_val=category~heirloom%20tomatoes&session=39061532&last_seq=89822567&searchterm=tomatoes"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">heirloom
tomatoes</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> have
recently lost a little ground to other trends. They are also slipping in
popularity with growers because they tend to produce far fewer marketable
fruits than more modern tomatoes, and do not have the same disease resistances
as hybrid varieties to keep them producing vigorously throughout the season. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6320-black-prince.aspx" target="_blank">Black Prince</a></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">With
that in mind, modern breeding has begun to catch up with </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/search.aspx?filterurl=/match/add_attr?attr_val=category~heirloom%20tomatoes&session=39061532&last_seq=89822567&searchterm=tomatoes">heirloom tomatoes</a></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">.
Varieties like ‘<b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-9318-marnero.aspx" target="_blank">Marnero</a></b>’ and ‘<b><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-9319-margold.aspx" target="_blank">Margold</a></b>’, available exclusively from Johnny’s,
have solved a long-confounding puzzle: how to wed the incomparable eating
quality of </span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/search.aspx?filterurl=/match/add_attr?attr_val=category~heirloom%20tomatoes&session=39061532&last_seq=89822567&searchterm=tomatoes"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">heirlooms</span></b></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> with the commercial performance of
modern hybrids The results are outstanding: fruits that retain
every bit of the flavor and beauty of the old </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/search.aspx?filterurl=/match/add_attr?attr_val=category~heirloom%20tomatoes&session=39061532&last_seq=89822567&searchterm=tomatoes">heirlooms</a></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> on plants that can
produce 2-3 times the yield.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Explore
additional resources on Heirloom Tomatoes:</span></b></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/assets/information/tomatoes-heirloom-comparison-chart.pdf" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Heirloom
Tomato Comparison Chart</a> ></span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-10_tips_for_heirloom_tomatoes.aspx"> 10 Tips for Heirloom Tomatoes ></a></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
Johnny's Seeds Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10229888291481809516noreply@blogger.com1