Hello from the farm,
Back in spring I decided it would be lovely to grow corn and a few other things for Cocina. Not broadacre farming levels of corn. Just some beautiful green, red and blue ancestral varieties that looked extremely photogenic in seed catalogues.
So I raised gorgeous little seedlings in the glasshouse and eventually planted everything out into the vegetable garden. Thankfully I was running behind schedule and accidentally avoided that terrible late frost.
But once planted, the corn was immediately identified by the deer as a premium dining experience. At one point they actually destroyed part of the fence to get to it. Some of the corn was eaten down to disappointing little stalks, so eventually I covered the whole thing in nets.
Once protected, the corn recovered beautifully. Then came pollination. Now intellectually, I understand how corn pollinates. Wind and insects move pollen from the tassels onto the silks. Very efficient; Except apparently not when you've wrapped everything in protective netting. Because after all that effort, many of the cobs produced approximately one kernel each.
One! A truly outstanding return on investment. So after months of watering, fencing, protecting and optimism, I essentially grew two decorative husks.
Meanwhile, the chillies for Cocina have been thriving in the glasshouse with almost no attention whatsoever. I'm growing varieties we can normally only buy dried, like poblano and guajillo. I may have purchased 1,800 chilli seeds across about 15 varieties. Eventually the plan is to grow enough in a poly-tunnel to actually supply the restaurant.
My citrus trees, in my glasshouse, are also thriving, so at this point with the jalapeños also doing brilliantly, I'm beginning to suspect I may simply be better suited to growing ingredients for margaritas than tortillas.
