Winter Mushrooms
One may not normally think of December as a transition month on the farm. But at Merry Lea Sustainable Farm, December has been just that, with lingering fall crops inside the greenhouse despite the blast of outdoor cold killing all remnants of the market garden for the season. Our chickens and guineas continue adjusting to their winter home in the barn, with occasional opportunities to scratch around the barnyard by day.
But even with life stirring at the farm, winter has definitely arrived. The Kesling Wetland between Rieth Village and the farmstead began freezing around Thanksgiving and has remained frozen solid all month! It seems early for such serious cold, but the early cold has enabled excellent conditions for lunchtime broomball pick-up games for our staff. The sight of prairie strips and forest edges covered in snow has been a treat for those of us new to Merry Lea.
Observing greenhouse conditions this month has been educational. High temperatures climb above freezing by day, and dip below freezing by night, and our cold-hardy plants seem not to mind. Chard, broccoli, kale, and collard greens have fared well, even with no heat being supplied. Parsley has managed to hang tight and produce some slow new growth as well. The resilience of these plants is astounding.
The most exciting greenhouse experiment was the successful first fruiting of our shiitake mushroom logs. During a mild spell, shiitake logs were soaked for 24-hours in cold water, brought inside the greenhouse and placed under tables covered with black weed barrier fabric, then watered daily to keep bark moist. Sure enough, on the 13th of December, a crop of shiitakes had popped, with capped mushrooms emerging from the holes drilled into the logs where inoculum was stuffed and sealed last spring. We are proud of their success. Hopefully more will be on their way in 2014.
– Jon Zirkle, Farm Manager