Firefly Farm & Mercantile

09/08/2026

A pretty greasy bean that my friend had show up in his garden last season. We grew it out to test it this season. A greasy that has a dark bean is pretty rare.

09/07/2026

Pink Tip Fall Bean - Fall Beans are a southern treasure but they can be grown anywhere. Our crop is looking beautiful and in a few weeks, we should have our first seed packets ready.

09/06/2026

When will you ripen!

09/03/2026

Update: I put his farmer clothes on and told him to round up his friends or he is next.

Harvesting carrots, beans, tomatoes at the moment and this guy decided to come along for the ride! 2 legs and 2 arms so he is Carrot Man!

08/31/2026

Everyday we publish a new garden guide. We write How to's, Plant Bios, Informational Articles and more. Today's article helps you discern buying or using older seeds. With all the sales going on, it's good to know what to look for. PS buying seeds in clearance in a greenhouse setting may not be as good as buying them from a climate controlled store.

Learn how to test if seeds are still good with simple methods. Discover seed viability tests, storage tips, and when to discard old seeds.

08/23/2026

Share those sauerkraut recipes! I have tried various methods of sauerkraut with just salt and cabbage as the ingredients and this year was the best success ever! Canning salt and weighing the cabbage so I can add 2% of salt in weight was key. I did a little over just to be sure! 1 cabbage made 2 giant jars! I admit I am a little addicted which I assume is my body telling me it's good for me! Math hack is 500 grams of cabbage needs 10grams of salt. I did 11 just in case!

08/16/2026

A Connecticut Heirloom! Dark Purple Basil. This strain comes from a family who first started growing it in 1953, 1 year after the seed was available! Genetics makes a huge difference and of all the purple basil, this one is by far the best looking this late into the season. In a few weeks, we will be harvesting seed.