Quest for the Perfect Tomato

When January rolls around it's time for the annual search for the tomato of my childhood memories; a big, soft, deep red beauty just bursting with that tangy tomato flavor.  For years I've remembered it as the Rutgers tomato (hybridized in 1934 by Rutgers agricultural college, now University) and every year I've planted seeds only to be disappointed at harvest.  Don't get me wrong, the Rutgers hybrid is a nice tomato, but it isn't quite THE tomato I remember.  So every winter, I pore over the catalog descriptions, study the photos and order a few likely prospects in the heirloom category in hopes of finding a suitable substitute for THE one.  I've found some great tomatoes along the way - Brandywine, Japanese Truffle, Black Krim and Persimmon - but none of them were IT.

I've also tried the local and wildly popular Hanover tomato, but I just don't get it.  Perhaps it is because I'm a Jersey (tomato) girl at heart; the Hanover, while meaty and succulent, doesn't even come close to the best in flavor for me.  The skin is a tad bit tougher than I like too.  I guess that's not a bad thing since we're growing in Powhatan soils, not Hanover soils, which according to enthusiasts is the raison d'etre (le terroir mon cherie! a.k.a. location, location, location) for their tomatoes.  Therefore, I can't really grow true Hanovers anyway.

This year I decided to do a little internet surfing and stumbled on the Jersey Tomato Project .  YES!!!  Ramapo, it has to be Ramapo!  This tomato looks exactly like I remember and the softness of the fruit is even listed as a flaw --- Ha!  Not a flaw in my book!  The clincher?  It was hybridized in 1968 by...drum roll please...Rutgers!  Much to my chagrin, it may not be possible to get seeds this year, but you'd better believe I'm on the waiting list!

Here's to the Jersey Tomato!

Peeps

The little monsters are growing like weeds.  Today was Marek's vaccination day.  It looks easier to do than it actually is.   The peeps are soooo tiny.

At six days old their wing feathers are starting to come in and I'm getting a hint of how they will look.   The splash marans peeps vary from soft buttercream color to heavier blue penciling. 

Splash Marans peep showing light penciling of wings.

Splash Marans peep with deeper blue in wings.

Leghorn cross with fuzzy cheeks.  I think this may be an EE cross too.

Mystery chick.

The daddy of my mystery chick is a silver duckwing leghorn roo but I have no idea who its momma may be.  I have one black australorp and one gold penciled black hen.   With the copper patch above this chick's eye, I'm leaning toward the gold penciled hen.

Happy Hatch Day

It seemed forever in coming but it eventually did -- Hatch Day.    I started with 34 eggs, set 27, locked down 20 and now I have ten peeps in the brooder.   On the assumption (from internet research) that serama eggs only take 19 days to hatch, I added those three days after the others.  None of them have pipped yet.   Since all of the hatchlings have been moved to the brooder, the incubator is going into another lock down in hopes that the serama eggs will still hatch.  In the meantime, enjoy the pictures!

First pip & zip

Almost there!

Finally made it.  Welcome to the world little chicken.

Fuzzy butts in the brooder.

Silver leghorn cross

I love when they suddenly fall asleep, even standing up.

No, not dead --- just soaking up the rays!

Pretty blue color on this blue splash marans chick.

Hatching!

It's day ten of my very first attempt to hatch chickens.   Of the thirty-four I started with, candling indicates 27 are still viable and progressing nicely.    Can't wait to see how many hatch.   So far the mix includes seven serama eggs, one d'uccle, two sizzles, splash marans and some of my "mutt" eggs.

Eggs in the 'bator.  Marans to the right.

The tiny serama eggs are hiding under the guts of the machine and right over the water well so they get plenty of humidity.

The splash marans are a very pretty and lay dark brown eggs.  This particular group came from a color project so the depth of color in the eggs still needs work.   I plan to purchase a black copper maran rooster in the spring to get deeper brown eggs and possibly blue wheaten marans offspring.

The seramas were not originally part of the plan but a bonus batch of eggs.  After doing some research on this breed of chickens I became fascinated.  Serama are a tiny pet chicken roughly the size of a parrot.  They are very friendly and strut their stuff with a cocky attitude.   If you'd like to see pictures here is a link to the Feathersite page on  Serama

I will also be adding a pair of Cream Legbar chicks from Greenfire Farms as soon as the Virginia permit is granted after the new year.  Also ordered to accompany those two peeps will be a straight run group of Marraduna Basque chickens (Euskal Oiloas)  The Legbar is a British breed of auto-sexing chicken that lays blue eggs.  The Euskal Oiloas is a friendly farm breed developed in the Basque country (between France and Spain in the Pyrnees.)  They are supremely suited to free range husbandry.

Bantam white silkies are also on my list of chickens to acquire for 2012.  They are a small breed that don't fly, are considered "lap chickens" and best of all, they are broody.   Silkies will be my natural hatchers.

The remaining breeds on my wish list are Lavender Orpingtons, Barred Hollands and White Laced Red Cornish.  I will also add Narragansett turkeys, but I suspect that might not be until 2013.   An additional coop will be required for them which takes time to build.

Wishing you all a safe, prosperous and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The Bee Journey Begins!

The hive and supers arrived on Thanksgiving morning compliments of my in-laws who were kind enough to pick everything up from Dadant's Chatham location.   It is an 8-frame hive with two deeps, a cypress base and a copper topped "garden style" hive cover.  Absolutely beautiful. 

A beehive in multiple boxes

While most people were slogging to the mall at the crack of dawn or earlier, my Black Friday was spent staining the hive bodies.  At first I tried making a pattern of large diamonds but I discovered that stain isn't the best medium for that so I ended up making a huge mess on the edge of the first hive body and covering the diamond pattern.  You can still see it if you look.  I think it looks pretty cool so I'm leaving it.   The second hive body went much better.  Only five medium supers left to stain!

Two deep hive bodies stained and drying.  Yes, they are both the same size.

Of course I had to put the whole thing (except the frames) together to see how it looks.  Pretty smart I'd say :)    I'm still debating on whether I am going to stain the cover green or just polyurethane it in the event the copper top ends up oxidizing to verdigris.  What do you think?  Going to leave the cypress base its natural color.  Also purchasing a screened bottom board that will be stained green too.  Can't wait to bring the bees home in the Spring!  

Assembled hive

A New Roo

One of my neighbors is getting rid of her excess roosters so I brought one home.    This is the little guy I chose.  He is a six month old Silver Penciled Leghorn.  The girls are already sizing him up.   Hopefully I will get some fertile eggs to try incubating soon.

Autumn Artistry

Sunday was a beautiful day to enjoy the autumn weather.   Here are just a few photos of nature's artistry.

Mushrooms on an old oak stump.  Beautiful striations.

Golden maple leaves.

Pixel watching the dogs play.

Miscanthus zebrinus.

River Birch hybrid.  Love the colors in the bark.  Photo doesn't do it justice.

Hope everyone is taking the time to enjoy the little miracles all around us.