To Market, To Market!

Hopefully we can remember how to put the market tent up....

Considering that the next part of that line in the nursery rhyme is 'to buy a fat pig', perhaps I should have tried to think of another blog post title, given the current world attitude towards swine. However, that line has been humming in my head for days now, as we are less than a week away from Opening Day of the Astoria Sunday Market. 

Yikes!

I never understand how time seems to moves so fast, as I'm pretty sure we just took down our tent on Twelfth Street for the last time of the season a few weeks ago.  Yet here we are again, with a greenhouse and nursery loaded with plants (SO many cool tomatoes!) and so many other good things on the way, and next Sunday at 7 am we will be pulling into our spot in front of Lucy's Books, sleepy but excited. Opening Day always feels like the first day back at school to me- seeing old friends for the first time in months, swapping stories and checking out what everyone grew or made for this year.

We'll be spending the week getting as many of the last minute details sorted out as we can (I know we'll forget something), as well as continuing to get more seeds started, more transplants transplanted and more plants in the ground. So much to do, but somehow everything that needs to get done seems to get done in the end.

Spring  greens are ready to plant!

Do come out and see us this Sunday, because you know that what your Mom really wants for Mother's Day are some gorgeous heirloom vegetable and herb plant starts, grown right here on the coast, with maybe a few flower plants mixed in to attract the beneficial insects and make everything look colorful and bright.

And maybe you need a few wonderful tomato plants for yourself, too.

 Garden fresh tomatoes are always worth the effort

Keep your fingers crossed for sunshine, and come say hello!  We've got stories to tell about the winter, and we want to hear yours.  We look forward to a great day, and a wonderful season. 

See you soon!

Ostman Farm Tomato List 2007

This is a list of the tomato varieties that we are growing for the 2007 season. Many of these varieties are very popular, and we can’t guarantee availability- we advise you to buy the ones you want early to avoid disappointment, or contact us to have plants put on reserve. All plants are sold in 1 gallon size containers

CHERRIES

Sungold 65 days. Hybrid. Indeterminate. Early season
We could not imagine a summer without Sungold tomatoes. Our favorite cherry tomato by far, this vigorous vine produces abundant clusters of deep orange-cherry tomatoes that explode with tangy sweetness. Great in salads, if any make it back to the kitchen. Most of ours get eaten right off the plant. Bred to be resistant to Fusarium and Verticillium wilt.

Black Cherry 64 days Indeterminate Early season Organic seed
This tall, vigorous plant produces abundant crops of 1” deep mahogany brown fruits. The only truly ‘black’ cherry tomato around. Delicious and sweet, with the rich flavor that ‘black’ tomatoes are known for.

Koralik 61 days Determinate Early season Organic seed
This is a prolific cherry tomato from Russia. Known for its early maturity and huge production, the 1” fruits are bright red and tasty. Borne in clusters of 6-8, the fruits all ripen at once, making for some wonderful presentation possibilities.

PEAR, PLUM AND GRAPE

Black Plum 82 days Heirloom Indeterminate Mid-season Organic seed
A lovely little Russian variety that produces a nice steady crop of 2” plum shaped tomatoes. They turn a mahogany-red with green shoulders when ripe, and have a delicious sweet and tangy taste. Lovely in salads.

Yellow Pear 75 days. Indeterminate Mid season Organic Seed.
This old-time favorite is a great addition to your tomato garden. It produces an abundance of small 1-2” pear-shaped fruits that are a lovely deep yellow color. Mild tasting and low in acid like all yellow tomatoes, it has good flavor and looks great mixed with other color tomatoes in a salad. Good for snacking.

Principe Borghese 80 days Heirloom Indeterminate Mid-season
In Tuscany this is the preferred tomato to grow for drying, and it is our favourite one for that use as well, although here in Oregon we have to use a dehydrator rather than the sun. Principe Borghese produces generous clusters of small 1-2” red fruits that have a nice tomato flavor when fresh. The flavor is greatly intensified when dried.

Thai Pink Egg 75 days Determinate Mid-season Organic seed
A most popular tomato in the Kingdom of Thailand, this lovely little grape tomato is gaining a strong following in America for its abundant production of dark pink egg-shaped fruits. The 1-2” fruits burst with candy sweet flavor, and they resist cracking, even in heavy rain seasons. We are excited to be trying this one out this season- let us know what you think!

REDS

Stupice 52 days. Heirloom. Indeterminate. Extra-early season. Organic Seed.
This potato-leaf heirloom from Czechoslovakia is one of our most reliable tomatoes. It is a cold-tolerant tomato that bears an abundant crop of small 2-3” fruits over a long season. For us, it is the first one to bear fruit, and the last one to still be producing in October. Delicious sweet/acid flavor balance. Grows very well on the North Coast.

Oregon Spring 60 days Sort of Determinate Early season Organic seed
The classic tomato for Oregon! Developed at OSU by Dr. James Baggett, this tomato has earned a strong following in Oregon for its tolerance of cool summers. Small 2-3” fruits are produced on bushy plants that can still grow pretty big, so plan on supporting them. The early fruit production means more chance of ripe fruit- so you can enjoy the sweet, juicy, tasty tomatoes all summer long.

Gill’s All Purpose 75 days Determinate Mid-season Organic seed
A bit of Northwest history, re-introduced by Territorial Seeds. This cross between Wasatch Beauty and Pepper tomato was first bred in 1947, in Portland, Oregon by the Gill Brother’s Seed Company. A great ‘all-purpose’ tomato, it’s good for canning, juicing, slicing and just eating fresh off the vine. Determinate vines are said to be quite disease resistant. We’re trying it out for the first time this year, so let us know what you think.

COLORFUL AND UNUSUAL

Paul Robeson 74 days. Heirloom Indeterminate Mid-season Organic Seed
This is one of our favorite tomatoes- tasty and beautiful. Bred by Moscow seedswoman Marina Danilenko, it is named for the acclaimed operatic artist and social activist of the 1920’s, Paul Robeson. The slightly flattened round fruits grow up to 4 inches. A deep burgundy red with dark-green shoulders when ripe, the flesh is dark red and delicious. This tomato won ‘Best in Show’ at the 2000 Carmel Tomato Fest, and we fully understand why.

Green Zebra 75 days Heirloom Indeterminate Mid-season Organic Seed.
One of Ostman Farm’s Head Farm Girl Teresa’s favorite tomatoes. Developed in 1985 by tomato breeder Tom Wagner, Green Zebra is considered an ‘heirloom’ among tomato growers for its unique qualities. The 2” round fruits ripens to a yellow-green gold with dark green stripes. The flesh is lime green, the flavor is tangy and delicious. Great mixed into salads or on a tomato tart.

Eva Purple Ball 70 days Heirloom Indeterminate Mid-season Organic seed
We are growing this one in honor of the Ostman’s daughter Eva, and her granddaughter Eva Sophia. A gorgeous heirloom from the Black Forest region of Germany, dating from the 1800s, Eva Purple Ball produces round, 2-3” fruits that are a dark purple-pink color. Said to be delicious, and a big producer! Let us know what you think.

Brandywine 80 days Indeterminate Mid season Organic seed
A tomato with it’s own cult following, Brandywine is the famous Amish heirloom that has been grown since the 1800’s. This large, potato-leaf tomato plant produces beautiful reddish pink fruits that average 12 ounces, but have been know to grow up to 2 pounds. A challenge for the Oregon coast, as larger fruit is harder to ripen, but we love a challenge, and we know many of you do too! This one has to be tasted fresh off the vine to be believed.

The Best Tomato Starts on the North Coast

Tomato plants will be on sale at our farm booth at the Astoria Sunday Market starting on May 13th , 2007, and at the Tillamook Farmers’ Market starting on June 9th, 2007. Quantities are limited, and many varieties do sell out early. If you are particularly interested in any, please contact us through our website to arrange to have plants put on reserve. We cannot hold plants for long, but we will try to make sure you are able to get the ones you want.