What Magic Awaits…

Santa welcomes us to our International Christmas Shop

In my opinion, the International Christmas Shop looks better than it ever has! It’s always a little bittersweet moving from the greenhouse to the building; the loss of all the sunshine and working with the herbs is expected, and yet still I’m sad to see my herb section get smaller and smaller.

Now I’m in the International Shop and WOW! I’m so proud of the work that has been put into the room. We are still working on some of the finer details of our displays, but getting the room set up in only 2 weeks is a record for Liz and me. I’m sure you will see the difference when you come in!

We have an incredible selection from Jim Shore

We carry gifts, decorations, and ornaments from Estonia, Sweden, Italy, Vietnam, the Philippines, Kenya, India, Lithuania, 

Lithuania houses

Bangladesh, Haiti, Poland, Egypt, 

Egyptian Giraffe

China, Russia, Indonesia,

Indonesian duck

Germany, Uzbekistan, the UK, Turkey, the Holy Land, and the USA. 

Green Tree Jewelry Made in the USA

 This year, we have more countries represented than we have had in a long time!

I think my favorite section is the Holiday Table, but I’m a total foodie!

Lots of food items in front of German nutcrackers, smokers, cuckoo clocks, Polish ornaments, and so much more. 

Liz and I have picked out just a few of our favorite items to share with you; come in and share your favorite items with us!

Jen, our herb and seed buyer, is also our International Christmas Shop manager. Stop in and say hi to her and her partner in crime, Liz. 

 

Pumpkins

Pumpkins! From the tiniest baby gourd to this year's 1852 lb. behemoth, named My Man Mason, pumpkins are an important part of Valley View Farm's history. 

Bill Foard and son Andy were the original pumpkin hunters

Way back in the seventies, when I was helping out at the cash registers, we were selling "all you could carry" pumpkins for $1. Talk about entertaining; watching families load up stacks of pumpkins into Dad's arms was hysterical. Watching him walk to the registers carrying all that weight was even funnier. Years later, we stopped the practice after the price had risen to $14.99 an armload. Was it the broken, smashed pumpkins all around the store that finally taught us to price them individually?

The seventies also brought school buses full of young students coming out to one of our planted fields, now the home to Hunt Valley Town Center, to pick out their very own pumpkin. Their next stop was Valley View Farms to get a fresh cup of apple cider. 

Gordon Thomson 1989 World Record 755-pound Pumpkin

In 1989, we had a 755-pound pumpkin, grown in Quebec by Gordon Thomson, on display through October, which was then the largest pumpkin ever grown. As we do now, we cut open the giant orb, counted the seeds, and offered a prize to the person who had guessed the correct (or closest) number of seeds. We then cleaned the seeds off and sent them back to Thomson to try growing another giant pumpkin.  

Ian and Stu Paton

This year, the world's largest pumpkin was grown by twin brothers in England, weighing in at 2819 lbs.

Laurie and Tom Tasselmyer with Pumpkin Hunters Andy Foard and Matt Stromberger

Andy, a few years back, Jeff M in the background

 Our own, My Man Mason, is 1852 lbs, huge by any standard. We have asked Tom Tasslemyer to count the seeds on Saturday, November 1, at noon. This is usually a family affair for Tom; Laurie, all four sons, and their wives may be here to help. We will send the seeds back to the grower as usual. The pumpkin remains will go to The Whispering Rise sanctuary, where rescued pigs will dine on the finest of foods. 

A few years ago

2025 Tasslemyers with Andy and Tim


It's your turn to guess the number of seeds in this year's giant pumpkin, My Man Mason. Guesses must be in the book on the podium next to the pumpkin by noon on November 1

Spotlight on Swiss Chard

Not actually Swiss, but classified by a Swiss botanist, Swiss chard is a millennia-old green that packs a vitamin-filled punch!

Swiss chard leaf ready for the pan

I have only ever used Swiss chard as a leafy green vegetable, adding it to salads for its different texture and color. It has always been a popular choice with our customers, who buy both plants and seeds.

As I mentioned previously, Swiss chard isn’t actually Swiss. Instead, its ancestors grew wild along the coastlines of the Mediterranean. It is high in vitamins and minerals and holds up better than spinach when cooked.

Usually, I grow the baby leaf variety since that is what I use. This is the first time I’ve ever bought chard. Reading the history of the plant and seeing the benefits laid out before me, I knew I wanted to try something new.

Swiss chard with Chickpeas

I picked a couple of recipes online to try out. First, I decided on a cooked green recipe. Cooked greens are not my favorite, but they were once recommended by a coworker; I looked for a recipe to try.

Swiss Chard w/ Chickpeas

Dinner ended with this exchange with my father:

“Is there any more of the burnt stuff?”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t burn anything!”

“The burnt stuff. What was it? Charred?”

“It wasn’t burnt; it was Swiss Chard…oh!”

And off Dad went, cackling like the evil genius he is.

Plate ready

 Mom and Dad found the cooked greens delicious, but I knew I needed a backup plan since I didn’t want to waste food, and Mom is not big on leftovers.

Hummus

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. It’s not super-pretty, but it was tasty and I’m excited to have it in my “snackle box” for the week. I think it would also be a great spread for sandwiches. I even brought some in for my coworkers to try.

Delicious hummus

My last foray into the world of Swiss chard led me to pickled Swiss chard stems. I almost made them. I was prepared to, but I wanted a way to use them up without them sitting in the fridge to just be tossed later. Enter Swiss chard relish.

Swiss chard stems relish

It was the perfect topper for the hummus, especially since I forgot to add the lemon juice when I was making it. I’m excited to share it with a few coworkers on Monday to top our hot dogs with a sriracha ranch sauce.

Ready for dipping and sharing

 Just the facts:

Swiss chard is a member of the beet family; the stems taste like a cross between celery and beets.

High in vitamins A, C, and K; high in magnesium, potassium, and iron.

 Growing Tips:

Plant in spring and again in late summer; chard prefers cooler temperatures. With protection, it could also overwinter.

 Swiss chard prefers loose, well-draining soil.

 While it can tolerate partial shade in hot climates, chard performs best in full sun.

 Harvest outer leaves while leaving the rest of the plant to grow for continual harvesting.

This blog and the recipes were created by Jen Kostick. Jen curates the herb transplants we carry as well as the phenomenal selection of garden seeds sold at Valley View Farms. An excellent cook, Jen shares her gifts of food with friends and coworkers at Valley View Farms. We are so lucky!

September Seminars and Workshops

 Our classes are open to the public, with no need for reservations. Join us for fall classes and workshops. 

Bonsai---Unusual Styles        September 6, 9am

Martha Meehan shares her love of literati and cascade style bonsai. Spruce and Chamaecyparis are the Plants of the Month

Fall Garden and Container Workshop            September 6, 11 am

Plant a Fall Container with a combination of perennials, grasses, herbs, and autumn annuals that will last through the season. The approximate cost of $60 includes a planter, soil, fertilizer, and 5-7 plants. Ruth leads the class. 

 

Ornamental Grasses and Fall Blooming Perennials        September 13, 11 am

Learn about perennial grasses and late-fall perennials, including native plants. Fall bloomers provide shelter and food for migrating butterflies, hummingbirds, and birds. Join Baltimore County Master Gardener Lexie Leeser for more information.

 Houseplant Care and Feeding        September 20, 11 am

After spending the summer outside, our houseplants will need to be moved indoors. Things to consider: How can we prevent insects from entering indoors? Should we repot? How do we provide lighting for our indoor plants? What’s the best way to acclimate our plants for indoor health?

Eric will answer these and other questions during the seminar. 

Fall Lawn Clinic        Sept 27, 9 am

Fall is the BEST time to seed a new lawn or repair an existing one. Our experts will discuss fertilizer, seed,  weed control, and timing to achieve fantastic results. Join Brian and John for the information. 

Stay tuned for our October events and classes. See you soon!

New Annual Varieties from Cultivate '25 and Penn State Trials

 July was a busy month, ordering varieties of plants for our farm to grow next year and connecting with our other growers.

Our team at Cultivate: Tim, Carrie, Jen, and John

Cultivate '25 is an international trade show and educational event held in Columbus, Ohio. Valley View Farms sent four key people: John, our grower, Tim, our GM, Jen, buyer for seeds, herbs, and annuals, and me. We met several times during the event, then went our separate ways according to our interests. Important to all four of us was the New Plants Showcase and the companies that breed and produce many of them.

Leave a comment about any plants that you find particularly interesting. 

Many new houseplants are entering the market as interest remains for this group of plants

Perennial flowering and foliage plants 

New introductions from Hilverda

Ball FloraPlant is a primary supplier for our greenhouse

Plants Nouveau brings many plants to market, including Hydrangeas

Terra Nova is a source for our perennial growers

AAS tests varieties in nationwide trials

After 3 days at Cultivate and hundreds of photos later, we head to Penn State's Annual Field Trials in Landisville to compare the many new plants in 'real world' conditions of weather. John went a week ahead of us. We came back with the same conclusions about the plants we were judging. You'll see some of these and more in 2026!

Yelena and Leah joined me in evaluating the flower trial

Looking for combinations to grow in our larger pots

Many Sunbeckias were trialed. We've sold them this summer.

Many, many coleus varieties looked beautiful! 

Ageratum Monarch Magic lives up to its name.

New colors of Vnca were on display.

We love the ruffled petals of this vinca.

A look across the trial field. 

Amazing tropical colors!

Lots of Calibrachoa and Petunias!

Nice summer combo

New colors of popular Sunpatiens

Impatiens and begonias are grown in shade and sun for comparison. Most did equally well.

Our job isn't finished yet. John will work to find the plants we have asked for from growers, marketers, and breeders and schedule them for growing in 2026. 

 We would love your feedback on what you are looking for in next year's garden for containers and color.