{"title":"Hill Creek Farm","description":"\u003cp\u003eHill Creek Farm is in East Coventry (Pottstown), PA. Dorene Pasekoff and Frank Desimone care for the land with an enthusiastic team that loves the outdoors, specialty produce and seeds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur seed production philosophy is modeled after Dorene’s Pennsylvania Dutch grandfather, an itinerant carpenter who always saved seed from interesting plants, then propagated those that did well in his Western Pennsylvania garden. Like Roy Brown, we’re always looking for what grows best and tastes even better in the Mid-Atlantic region.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor near-daily photos of life on a small specialty farm in Southeastern Pennsylvania, follow us on Instagram at @\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hillcreekfarmpa\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ehillcreekfarmpa \u003c\/a\u003eor drop us a line through our website at \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/hillcreekfarmpa.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eHill Creek Farm – Proven Heirlooms Environmentally Grown (hillcreekfarmpa.com)\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"zhong-shu-6-tomato","title":"Zhong Shu #6 Tomato","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis \"old-timey heirloom tomato\" tastes how a tomato should taste, according to Dorene Pasekoff, who has been growing it for 20 years now. In 2001, the Farmer Cooperative Genome Project sent her this tomato, which had been donated to the United States Department of Agriculture from China in 1988.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe round, red fruits are under a pound and they look like stereotypical slicing tomatoes, with reliable productivity and a taste that keeps people growing it. It does well here in Southeastern PA and seems to be disease-resistant (except to bacterial spot).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOh, and the name? According to Dorene's gardener friend from China, the name translates to \"Chinese Vegetable Company #6.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe stats: Mid-Season (80 days), regular leaf, indeterminate, fruits round, red, and between 8 ounces and a pound.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooking back further: the word for tomato comes from the Aztec word \"xitomatl\" or \"tomatl.\" Tomatoes have been cultivated as food in what is now Mexico since at least around 500 BC, and originate in western South America.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDays to maturity:\u003c\/strong\u003e 80\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeeds per pack:\u003c\/strong\u003e 25\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGermination rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e 97% on 11\/04\/2025\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePlanting \/ harvesting notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStart seeds 6-8 weeks before the last frost and transplant into garden well after the danger of frost. We recommend you prune the suckers that form in the crotches of the branches by the main stem. Water tomatoes at the soil level, keeping the leaves dry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSeed keeping notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTomatoes are generally self-pollinating, though we isolate different varieties by 35-50 feet, in hopes that flying insects will not cross pollinate them unexpectedly. Tomato seeds are ripe when the fruits are ready to eat! Cut the fruit at the equator and squeeze or scrape out seeds from each of the cavities. In a cup or bucket, add a little water (1\/2\" is probably plenty) to your seeds and pulp to keep them from drying out, and allow them to ferment away from direct sunlight. Ideally, you will stir the concoction every day for 3-5 days. In the end, add more water to fill the vessel, stir one final time, and allow to settle. Pour off the floating material and then strain the seeds through a strainer. Sometimes, you will need to add more water and pour off the floating material several times until the water is clear and you can see the seeds sunken at the bottom. Squeeze dry the strained seeds in a towel, and then lay out to dry on a labeled screen or paper product in a ventilated place away from direct sunlight for a week or two.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hill Creek Farm","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":37474312978590,"sku":"TOM-029","price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2406\/3467\/products\/ZhongShuNumber6.jpg?v=1611202075"},{"product_id":"canestrino-di-lucca-tomato","title":"Canestrino di Lucca Tomato","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom our friend and grower, Dorene Pasekoff, who insisted this tomato would be an important addition to our catalog: Canestrino di Lucca is an outstanding paste tomato from the Lucca province of Tuscany.  Canestrino means “little basket” in Italian and these puckered-top paste tomatoes can be stood up on their ends like baskets.  Flavor and color are deep and rich and since they are dry with few seeds, they turn into sauce (or tomato paste) quickly.  I had a waiting list for sauce-makers to buy this tomato at my farmers’ market – it’s that wonderful.  If you want the best possible Italian-style tomato sauce, you want to grow this tomato.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooking back further: the word for tomato comes from the Aztec word “xitomatl” or “tomatl.” Tomatoes have been cultivated as food in what is now Mexico since at least around 500 BC, and originate in western South America.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDays to maturity:\u003c\/strong\u003e 85-90\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeeds per pack:\u003c\/strong\u003e 25\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGermination rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e 81% on 05\/12\/2026\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePlanting \/ harvesting notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStart seeds 6-8 weeks before the last frost and transplant into garden well after the danger of frost. We recommend you prune the suckers that form in the crotches of the branches by the main stem. Water tomatoes at the soil level, keeping the leaves dry. Stake tomatoes so that their leaves and branches are kept off the ground, for good airflow between plants, and for easier harvest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSeed keeping notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"product-description rte\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTomatoes are generally self-pollinating, though we isolate different varieties by 35-50 feet, in hopes that flying insects will not cross pollinate them unexpectedly. Tomato seeds are ripe when the fruits are ready to eat! Cut the fruit at the equator and squeeze or scrape out seeds from each of the cavities. In a cup or bucket, add a little water (1\/2\" is probably plenty) to your seeds and pulp to keep them from drying out, and allow them to ferment away from direct sunlight. Ideally, you will stir the concoction every day for 3-5 days. In the end, add more water to fill the vessel, stir one final time, and allow to settle. Pour off the floating material and then strain the seeds through a strainer. Sometimes, you will need to add more water and pour off the floating material several times until the water is clear and you can see the seeds sunken at the bottom. Squeeze dry the strained seeds in a towel, and then lay out to dry on a labeled screen or paper product in a ventilated place away from direct sunlight for a week or two.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"social-sharing is-clean\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/trueloveseeds.sbs\/products\/moyamensing-tomato\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hill Creek Farm","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":37474349088926,"sku":"TOM-028","price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2406\/3467\/products\/20200814_133116.jpg?v=1611202627"},{"product_id":"long-island-cheese-pumpkin","title":"Long Island Cheese Pumpkin","description":"\u003cp\u003eShaped like a wheel of cheese, this ribbed, tan-skinned, long-storing winter squash has delicious deep-orange or \"burnt sienna\" flesh that is \"dense, sweet, earthy, and savory.\" Two fruits per vine, 6-10 pound fruits.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to our seed grower, Dorene Pasekoff, the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin is the best winter squash for the Mid-Atlantic region. She adds: \"excellent flavor (traditional pumpkin pie), keeps for over a year, solid stems (no vine borer!), and no matter what the weather throws at it (heat, drought, torrential rains), there is always a crop.\" Harvest when color is well developed and rind is hard. Cure for a week in a dry place in the sun. For long storage, keep cured fruits in a cool, airy, but relatively dark place. They should keep at least a year and often longer. It's good enough that you'll want to have a pie at Thanksgiving and keep eating them through Easter!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.fondazioneslowfood.com\/en\/ark-of-taste-slow-food\/long-island-cheese-pumpkin\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eSlow Food USA\u003c\/a\u003e lists this variety as a historically important variety in their Ark of Taste. They describe how in the 1800s, cookbooks and farmers' almanacs from towns on the Long Island Sound mentioned the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin as a local favorite. Introduced commercially by Bernard McMahon in 1807, it was promoted as the best pie pumpkin. By the 1960, seed companies and local farmers mostly stopped saving and sharing this heirloom. Ken Ettlinger grew up on Long Island in the 1950s, and by the 1970s he realized this regional variety was quickly disappearing and so he began saving their seeds. In 2012, thanks to Ken Ettlingers seed stewardship, Steph Gaylor of Invincible Summer Farms on Long Island, other local seed stewards, and Ken Green of \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/hudsonvalleyseed.com\/blogs\/blog\/long-island-cheese-pumpkin\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eHudson Valley Seed Company\u003c\/a\u003e were able to start the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.lirsc.org\/about-the-project\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eLong Island Regional Seed Consortium\u003c\/a\u003e to help preserve this important variety.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSlow Food adds that \"it is very versatile and most parts of the plant are edible – shell, flesh, seeds, and flowers. Ripe flesh can be boiled, baked, steamed, pickled, or roasted, and enjoyed in soups, purees, desserts, preserves, pasta, and stews.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDays to maturity:\u003c\/strong\u003e 100\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeeds per pack:\u003c\/strong\u003e 30\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGermination rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cspan\u003e74% on 04\/17\/2026\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePlanting \/ harvesting notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDirect sow in warm soil after the last frost, or seed indoors 2-3 weeks beforehand and transplant. Plant 3 seeds per hill spaced several feet apart, or seed in rows, one plant every 2-3 feet. Vines grow at least 10' if not much longer, so allow them space to sprawl. If grown in corn, you may need to train them so they won't pull it down! Avoid downy mildew by watering only at the base of the plant (not on the leaves!). Harvest when the stem begins to turn brown and woody and the fruit becomes hard, leaving a couple\/few inches of stem. Cure in a dry or sunny place for a week, and then store in a cool (45-50 degrees) room for up to 5 months (however, keep an eye on it and use it at earliest sign of softening if not before).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSeed keeping notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSquash is insect pollinated and requires about 1\/2 a mile of isolation from other varieties of the same species, which in this case is C. moschata. The seeds will be fully mature on any squash when the stem of the fruit has turned brown and woody, so when you eat your squash, the seeds should also be ready for harvest. Separate the seeds from the flesh, rinse them, and dry them on a screen or paper product away from direct sunlight in a ventilated place. The plumpest and hardest seeds will be most viable.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hill Creek Farm","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":37671070990494,"sku":"CUC-018","price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2406\/3467\/products\/LongIslandCheesePumpkin.jpg?v=1613611132"},{"product_id":"drotts-yellow-ground-cherry","title":"Drott's Yellow Ground Cherry","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Drott's Yellow' is the sweetest ground cherry we've eaten.  Slightly smaller than the standard, 'Aunt Molly,' it more than makes up for it with a sweet, fruity flavor that excels in raw use. Use as an accent in salads or sell in pints or half-pints at the farmers' market for quick, tasty and nutritious \"eat right now\" fruit snacks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeed Savers Exchange member Thomas Jerde acquired this variety in 1986 when he bought a home in Minneapolis from the Albert Drotts family and found the ground cherry growing in the garden.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGround cherries are sweet cousins to tomatoes and tomatillos. Kids of all ages love finding tiny wrapped packages and eating the yellow fruits like candy right in the garden, or several weeks later in fruit salad or over ice cream, as they store well in their husks. Naturally high in pectin, they make great preserves and pies as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDays to maturity:\u003c\/strong\u003e 55\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeeds per pack:\u003c\/strong\u003e 100\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGermination rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e 90% on 12\/31\/2025\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePlanting \/ harvesting notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSow indoors 1\/4\" deep around 6 weeks before the last frost date. Germination can take as long as 20 days, but can be sooner if set on a heat mat with a temperature between 75 and 80 degrees F. Transplant in the garden in rows about every 18-24\". Plants will form blousy bushes like tomatillos. Keep well weeded until they fill in the space in order to best find the fallen fruits later in the season; some growers put down weed barriers (plastic, cloth, or newspaper) under the plants to prevent those weeds and more easily see the fallen fruits. Harvest when the husks turn brown and the fruits are yellow. For winter use, store the fruits unhusked in a dry, airy place (like a basket). To eat, remove the husk and eat the yellow fruit raw or bake in pies or stew with sugar for jam.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNote: Unripe, green ground cherries and their leaves and husks are bitter and toxic. Do not eat!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSeed keeping notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGround cherries are self-pollinating, but different varieties of the P. pruinosa should be isolated by several hundred feet to prevent unwanted cross-pollination. Seeds are ready for harvest when fruit is ripe. A single fruit can have 100 seeds! You can remove seeds by hand, rinse, and dry. We use a blender on the lowest setting with plenty of water. When the fruits have been broken open, pour the mixture into a large container and add water. Allow the fruits to float and the seeds to sink. Pour off everything except the seed (you may have to add more water and repeat this process a few times) and then strain and rinse the seeds, and dry. However, you may never need to replant ground cherries after your first year - they tend to reseed themselves!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hill Creek Farm","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42578975031534,"sku":"PHYS-007","price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2406\/3467\/products\/DrottsYellowGroundCherry.jpg?v=1647221042"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2406\/3467\/collections\/Dorene_HillCreekFarm.jpg?v=1611264600","url":"https:\/\/trueloveseeds.sbs\/collections\/hill-creek-farm.oembed","provider":"Truelove Seeds","version":"1.0","type":"link"}