Fruit, Vegetables, Herbs and Plants
Organic agriculture is the natural way for Four Springs Farm to operate. MANY OF OUR CROPS ARE CERTIFIED ORGANIC through Vermont Organic Farmers and the Real Organic Project. Plant production, with the inherent seasonal cycles of the land, the necessary health of the soil, the purity of the water, the rotation of crops and nature's timing results in some dramatic differences from one season to the next and comprise the central activities of this farm's business. They feed the soul.
Greenhouses • The first production time of the annual growing cycle is in our greenhouses. The farm produces an early pansy crop to sell throughout the region at Co-ops and garden centers to bring cool weather color to everyone.
Next the greenhouses produce vegetable starts, herbs starts and flowers for sale and for our own fields. These are sold April through June at the Norwich Farmers Market or at the farm by appointment. After that you can find our specialty Hot Pepper plants throughout the summer.
Greenhouse work is a delightful way to dispel the mud season blues and begin to smell the soil before it is time to work the land. Come visit us!
Photo by Will Cleland
Photo by Orah Moore
Photo by Will Cleland
Fruit • Fruit is one of the few long-term crops on the landscape and a special love of Jinny’s. immediately upon her tenure of the property, she began to explore and identify the wild fruit and discovered a wealth of usable plants both familiar and new --- grapes, choke cherries, blackberries, Highbush Cranberries, elderberries, apples and crabapples.
Over the more than 20 years of farming at this location lots of fruit has been planted. Gradually both red and black raspberries, red and black currents, rhubarb, blueberries, pears, plums and more apples came into production. Others only recently began producing such as sour cherries, a quince tree and cultivated elderberries. Still maturing are Northern kiwis, cultivated blackberries, cherry plums, a Dolgo crabapple tree and June berries. New things to try are always being planted and Jinny will most likely not give up on peach and apricot trees.
A selection of other fruit has also been produced on the farm one year or another along with the vegetables – cantaloupe and watermelon, strawberries, and ground cherries
Most of the fruit harvest goes into an extensive line of jams and jellies coming out of the farm kitchen. Jinny enjoys pairing crops and adding her own ginger but makes sure to have the straight-up varieties as well. The line has around thirty options for customers. There is always some fruit for fresh eating at Four Springs Farm from June through the late fall.
Herbs • Culinary herbs are a featured part of the spring greenhouse plants and produce bountifully throughout the season in both our annual and perennial gardens. Any of them can be cut with a farmer to add to our guests' cuisine. Herb drying begins in spring and continues through late fall to provide a wide range of culinary herbs all year.
Four Springs Farm Product List PDF
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