Year of Crop Losses 2009

The Northeast summer rainstorms have brought our haymaking to a halt - one day of sunshine and it is off to the clouds again and again. Hay is not only important as a source of income for our farm, but it is integral to keeping cattle and horses in these parts. When the snow comes there is nothing else for these animals to eat except hay. I am feeling real stressed right now at the thought of these animals lacking for food this winter. I had the unfortunate exposure just last week to a pony who had been starved by some real cruel people, and the animal had to be put down by it's new owners. Starvation is a scary thing. With the recession on, people are abandoning horses regularly because they can't afford the upkeep any longer. Add to that the shortage of hay because of this summer of rain, and we could end up with a very bad situation. It is unfortunate that in our capitalist society people with hay will likely up the price for those without. Paying through the nose for items where supply is less than demand really takes advantage of a bad situation. We saw that with the price of oil and the rising profits of oil companies during the same period.

Second to our hay shortage in the Northeast is the tomato late blight that has swept across here. We grow thousands of heirloom tomato plants with wonderful harvests every year, so to have this crop fail is another surprise setback. Just last week we saw the first signs of it devastate healthy plants more rapidly than anything I've ever seen. We are not likely to get any tomatoes. Since this is one of the loveliest of fruits, it is hard to believe still. And yet even with all the greenhouse and labor costs and my own 2 months of nonstop work into it, the thousands of stakes pounded into the ground, and resulting bursitis - even with this major setback it is nothing in the scheme of things. No one will starve because we don't have tomatoes this year. It's not the same as the potato famine because we have so much else to eat these days. But certainly we will remember the summer of 2009 without the sweat flavor of our pomme amore!

Love is Never Ending

Love is never ending - Love of a newborn to love of a lover. Passion. Devotion. Dedication. Witness to many strong forms of love including my own parents who raised a family with love at the core. When tragedy strikes - you witness real love. Crushed by the death of her son, my mother never recovered. The years spent to nurture and love and grow a newborn into a strong loving young man abruptly ended at 15. Thrown from a car in an accident, his head struck a tree and he was killed instantly. Thirty years later, I am witness to another strong loving young man who was struck by a fallen tree. So far, he has survived and is being cared for vigilantly by his loved ones. They are never home - constantly by his side in hospitals with healthcare workers responsible for his care - all of part of this network of caring individuals striving to impart their goodness to the recovery of their charge. Caring for a parent, my sisters love is never ending as she visits the nursing home each day to feed and care for our mother. People with long term or terminal illnesses need care. In all of this, I see the strength in people that is never ending - you know it must be for love. I see that it motivates and provides strength of will and endurance, uncharacteristic of normal human behavior. It is "super human", beyond mere mortal capability. It is the most admirable thing of all.

For Diana, who loved elvis music, one of the most beautiful women

HEIRLOOM TOMATO PLANTS GROWN SUSTAINABLY

Our farm grows only heirloom tomatoes and this year we are offering heirloom tomato plants custom grown for us in Oneida, Madison, and Chenango Counties from heirloom seeds we provide them. This year our varieties include:

Marmande- Popular old French variety developed by the Vilmorin Seed Co. Scarlet, lightly ribbed fruit, have the full rich flavor
Pantano Romanesco -Roman heirloom The fruit are large and are deep red. The flesh is very rich, flavorful & juicy.
Rutgers -Determinate large red 8 oz. globes. Good yields and flavor, large vines. A fine New Jersey heirloom.
Tonadose Des Conores -heirloom cherry tomato from France, the very red fruit have an orange tinge inside,lingering flavor.
Striped Roman - Stunning and unique. These long, pointed red fruit have wavy orange stripes! It’s a specialty grower’s dream
Cherokee Purple - pre-1890 variety; beautiful deep dusky purple-pink color, superb sweet flavor, and very large sized fruit.
Black Krim Dark -red-purple fruit, rich sweet flavor. winner in tomato taste trials. It’s very juicy. An heirloom from Russia

We have limited supply and will sell on a first come reserved basis - you will pickup at points in NJ and NYS
please email us to reserve yours and schedule a pickup: ambrosiafarmsny@yahoo.com or phone 1.800.221.9755

About Ambrosia Farms

Ambrosia Farms is located in the Central Valley of NYS bordering the counties of Otsego, Oneida, Chenango, and Madison. This area of UpState New York is largely agricultural - dairy farms and Holstein cows dot the hillsides. Known as the Leatherstocking region, evoking memories of historic settlers to Native American lands of Oneida Indians. You'll live for a time in the Leatherstocking tales of James Fenimore Cooper. There is a richness of nature and vast blue sky panoramas where children and adults become one with the Earth.

The landscape is defined by ice age glaciers. The quiet and spaciousness of these rural hamlets are unaffected by modernization. There is a time passage back to the early 1900s. Farmers appear in tractors to plant cornfields and later in small parades of antique cars on Sunday drives through the winding roads. Elsewhere, riders on horseback enjoy miles of beautifully preserved bridal paths. Freshly grown food - great tasting to appetites stimulated by country air and activity. Children quickly participate in the chores of the farm for the opportunity to care for the vast array of animals. Yours too will ask "When can we go back to Ambrosia Farms?"

Ambrosia Farms is building a network of small farmers growing for Farmers Frozen Foods, a regionally processed frozen foods product of sustainable heirloom flash frozen vegetables. In 2005, we were awarded a SARE (sustainable agriculture research and education) grant.

Articles on this work have appeared in Cornell Small Farms Quarterly, Fruit Growers News, Vegetable Growers News. We are a unique agritourism destination, and have grown and raised heirloom vegetables and heritage breeds for over 20 years.
Our work has a very large philanthropic purpose - dedicated to saving small family farms in the Northeast, genetic diversity through seed saving and cultural traditions, natural nutrients, fine arts, and preservation of natural ecosystems including land, water, and wildlife.

The Man Who Planted Trees

Better Days, Baby!