New to the Grab-n-Go cooler this week are Roselle Greens - a refreshing, tangy leafy green loaded with nutrients like Vitamin C and antioxidants! This summertime staple can be eaten raw by finely chopping into a salad, or sauteed and paired with your favorite fish or meat! As part of the hibiscus family, this plant will soon grow into a large bush and produce pods that can be used to brew your own hibiscus tea! Stay tuned for updates as we begin selling the pods later this summer.

Flower bouquets continue to be a steady source of joy and are beaming with the most vibrant colors of zinnias! If your Spring garden is coming to an end and you are looking to fill it before planting Fall vegetables, we highly recommend tossing in zinnia and sunflower seeds, as they are easy to germinate and will quickly fill your garden space with beautiful blooms!

As we have hit some of the hottest days of summer so far, our crop rotation has narrowed down to only the most heat tolerant varieties. This week more long beans have germinated while our current succession is producing in abundance! Farmer Matt is preparing more growing space for okra by broad forking the bed - which so far is his favorite farm task even in the heat of the summer!

In Season : Patty Pan Squash, Zucchini, Cucumbers, Okra, Long Beans, Basil, Peppers : Banana, Shishito, Green Bell, Sweet Bell, Jalapeno, Mad Hatter, and Poblano, and Flowers

A new crew has arrived at Sunset Farm and they are excited for the opportunity to steward the land and serve the community of Jordan Ranch! A native Texan, Josie (pictured sitting), comes to us with agricultural experience fostered from a young age of cultivating home gardens and growing pasture-raised chickens. Josie has also worked at another Houston agrihood and brings a breadth of knowledge and passion to serve as the new Farm Manager.

Matthew (pictured standing) hails from the Northeast and more recently moved from Ohio to set roots in Texas. He is a professional chef by trade and has experience working in high-end and Farm-to-Table restaurants, managing meals for school districts, and everything in between. Matthew is also a personal trainer and looks forward to becoming more in-tune with the physicality of farming as well as experiencing the origins of food before it hits the hands of chefs! Be sure to stop by the Farm Stand this Saturday from 9am - 12pm to meet our new team members!

This week we tackled a bigger farm project of re-mulching the oldest blackberry row in our fruit orchard. These plants, along with the other two rows planted by volunteers this Spring, are thriving and the extra layer of mulch should prevent weeds from growing alongside them. Our sunflower patch is also in full bloom and a spectacle to see! Pollinators from butterflies to bees and wasps are bustling at the buffet of flowers!

In Season : Patty Pan Squash, Zucchini, Cucumbers, Okra, Long Beans, Basil, Peppers : Banana, Shishito, Green Bell, Sweet Bell, Jalapeno, Mad Hatter, and Poblano, and Flowers

These tiny blossoms in the fruit orchard belong to the Jujubee tree! Commonly coined as the "Texas Apple," Jujubees are small fruits with a thin skin and crisp apple-like flesh, only a bit drier and sweeter. This is the first fruit load for these trees and will likely be a smaller harvest. However, Jujubee trees can grow to be about 50ft tall and bear a significant amount of fruit!

After a whopping harvest of over 30lbs of cucumbers from our new variety called "Diva," we are excited to be planting more in our high tunnel this week! These cucumbers have a thin skin making them perfect for a summertime snack. Our favorite way to enjoy cucumbers on the farm is by including several slices in our water throughout the day - the perfect natural flavoring to encourage hydration on hot days!

Coming soon to the Grab-n-Go cooler are Cantaloupe and Korean melons! Stay tuned for updates as we wait for melons, zucchini, and a new variety of peppers to ripen. Be sure to stop by the Farm Stand this Saturday from 9am - 12pm to get your fill of summertime veggies and take home a beautiful flower bouquet!

In Season : Patty Pan Squash, Cucumbers, Okra, Long Beans, Basil, Peppers : Banana, Shishito, Green Bell, Sweet Bell, Jalapeno, Mad Hatter, and Poblano, and Flowers

The unique shape and versatility in the kitchen has made Patty Pan Squash a fan favorite during the Spring and Summer season! Veggie lovers enjoy this squash prepared in many ways like dicing and roasting, slicing fresh into a salad, and coring the middle to stuff with your favorite meat or rice. We are also excited to restock the Grab-n-Go cooler with tunnel-grown cucumbers! These fruits are slender, long, and crispy - perfect for a summer salad or sandwich.

This week we also enjoyed a very small taste of orchard fruits that are in abundance and slowly ripening. Freshly harvested figs warmed by the summer sun taste like a spoonful of sweet jam! These early harvests are sparse and must be caught before the birds find them, but we are hopeful for bigger harvests soon that will be sold in the Grab-n-Go cooler!

Be sure to stop by the Farm Stand this Saturday from 9am - 12pm to get your fill of summertime veggies and flowers! In coming weeks we plan to fill the field with more beautiful sunflower varieties that will bloom in late summer. For now, the birds are feasting on many sunflower heads in the field that have made delicious seeds!

In Season : Patty Pan Squash, Cucumbers, Okra, Long Beans, Basil, Peppers : Banana, Shishito, Green Bell, Sweet Bell, Jalapeno, Mad Hatter, and Poblano, and Flowers

Another round of summer plantings are new to the field this week including crops like long beans, Asian eggplant, melons, and zucchini! We have taken advantage of the recent dry weeks by frequently weeding and preparing more growing space for cover crop and summer veggies. The addition of white shade cloth covering the greenhouse and high tunnel, as seen in the photo, helps plants thrive during the heat of summer by filtering intense direct sunlight we experience this time of year.

Beautiful and bright zinnias, sunflowers, and celosia are still available in the Grab-n-Go cooler and Farm Stand on Saturday mornings! Our flower bouquets have also been added to tables at The Shed as a little slice of sunshine for residents! The perennial pollinator patch is also boasting of blooms this time of year with delicate pink turks cap and salvia flowers that are a favorite sappy snack for hummingbirds!

A source of joy recently for the farmers has been frequent visits from families and groups of kiddos to enjoy time at the farm playground and relaxing on the farm porch! We thoroughly enjoy the curiosity of little ones who ask questions about the farm and take home fresh produce to enjoy throughout the week from the Grab-n-Go cooler. If you're looking for summer break ideas, the farm playground is a great place for kids to be active and encounter nature!

In Season : Roma Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil, Italian Eggplant, Okra, Long Beans, Peppers : Banana, Shishito, Green Bell, Sweet Bell, Jalapeno, Mad Hatter, and Poblano, Green Onion, and Flowers

Join us on the farm this Saturday for a summertime farm tour from 10am - 11am! Check out our new plantings of cucumbers, melons, squash, and flowers while learning about how we keep plants productive and healthy during the heat of the summer! Participants will enjoy a refreshing treat of our new crop of Arava melons to cool off after the tour, and have a chance to shop for more seasonal veggies and flower bouquets!

We have sold our last cherry and slicing tomatoes of the season and only have roma tomatoes in stock! This will be the final week for our tomato crop until next year, so be sure to stop by the Farm Stand this Saturday. Though the variety of vegetables is more limited during the summer season, we are still hauling in big harvests of peppers, eggplant, long beans and okra!

In addition to beautifully ripening figs, we came across another surprise hiding in the orchard - two baby mourning doves almost ready to leave the nest! The lush canopy of leaves has been a safe haven for these babies and a buffer from the environmental elements. Stay tuned to our Sunset Farm social media pages, as we will post updates when the next flush of figs have been harvested! They will be available for sale by the pint in the Grab-n-Go cooler.

In Season : Roma Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil, Italian Eggplant, Okra, Long Beans, Peppers : Banana, Shishito, Green Bell, Sweet Bell, Jalapeno, Mad Hatter, and Poblano, Green Onion, and Flowers

A common question during extreme weather events like our recent deluge of rain, is what do the farmers do in wet fields and rainy weather? Recently, we have taken advantage of sunny days by lightly tilling soil and planting cover crop seeds to let the soil rest before a busy Fall season. In this case, rain helps the seeds germinate and keeps plants well watered without the use of irrigation. Summer cover crops, like Cowpeas and Sunflowers, are vigorous plants that grow quick enough to out-compete native weeds like nutsedge.

Summertime crops need to be harvested about every two days to capture veggies at peak ripeness and quality, especially okra which seems to grow inches overnight! Typically even in mild rain you will find us harvesting in the early morning to keep our Grab-n-Go cooler stocked with the freshest produce. Our tomato crop will be phasing out of season, so be sure to grab our sauce and cherry tomatoes soon! The abundance of rain has increased pest pressure for this crop, so we will be slowly removing tomato plants in the tunnel and field over the next couple of weeks.

This patch of sunflowers has become a popular photo op for resident walks through the neighborhood and is a beautiful example of a mature cover crop! Sunflowers have a long tap root that can penetrate our heavy clay soil, and produce a lovely harvestable flower. Similarly, Cowpeas trap nitrogen in the soil with the help of microbes that bind to the roots, while also creating an edible pod.

In Season : Cherry Tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil, Italian Eggplant, Okra, Long Beans, Peppers : Banana, Shishito, Green Bell, Sweet Bell, Jalapeno, Mad Hatter, and Poblano, Green Onion, and Flowers

While some crops are longing for a dry spell, frequent summer showers have caused our sunflowers to burst with blooms! These sunnies are a perfect pair to bright zinnias and marigolds that make up our summertime bouquets. This week we are preparing beds to plant more flowers that will last throughout the summer season.

Long beans are dripping off of the vine this week and are available in red and green bunches in the Grab-n-Go cooler! We are also harvesting hot peppers including Jalapenos and Mad Hatter, pictured below. This pepper resembles a bishop's hat and tastes mildly sweet with floral notes combined with a spicy heat near the seed cavity. Mad Hatter creates a beautiful color and rich flavor when preserved in a hot pepper jelly!

Just a friendly reminder to visit our Grab-n-Go cooler now fitted with new and updated signs to streamline the purchasing process! The Grab-n-Go cooler option is open 24/7, making it a super convenient way to get fresh veggies on your table throughout the year. Visitors can simply grab a paper bag, fill it with your choice of veggies, and check out at the iPad stationed on the wall. Patrons can also stop by the Farm Stand from 9am - 12pm each Saturday!

In Season : Slicing Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil, Italian Eggplant, Okra, Long Beans, Peppers: Banana, Shishito, Green Bell, Sweet Bell, Jalapeno, Mad Hatter, and Poblano, Green Onion, Lettuce, and Flowers

Due to potential rain this coming Saturday and an influx in the mosquito population due to recent storms, we will be postponing the Buds & Blooms Kids Farm Adventure that was scheduled for this Saturday. Our Farm Stand will still be open and stocked full of delicious veggies and beautiful bouquets! With many recent inquiries about fruit growing on the farm, we are happy to update that melons are ripening well and should be available within the next few weeks. This year we are growing cantaloupe, Arava, and Korean melons - each with their own distinct colors and flavors!

Did you know that around 80% of flowers sold in grocery stores are imported from other countries? Enjoy the beauty and benefits of fresh, local flowers grown without synthetic additives by shopping at the Farm Stand on Saturday or our Grab-n-Go cooler at your convenience! Flower bouquets are arranged and sold the day of harvest for optimal freshness and lasting enjoyment in your home. We have stunning varieties of zinnias, marigolds, celosia, sunflowers and more!

The first rounds of okra and long beans have hit the shelves in the Grab-n-Go cooler! During any dry moment on the farm we are preparing beds to plant more summer crops like beans, eggplant, and okra. These crops are prized for their resiliency through our extreme summer heat and pair wonderfully when cooked together as well!

In Season : Slicing Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil, Asian Eggplant, Italian Eggplant, Okra, Long Beans, Banana Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Green Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Green Onion, and Flowers

Reserve your spot now for the Farm Tour this Saturday from 10am - 11am! Participants will enjoy complementary coffee and breakfast items courtesy of the Jordan Ranch lifestyle team while learning how we grow food year round in the neighborhood! Participants will browse the beautiful fruits growing in our orchard and taste test in-season veggies like cherry tomatoes. End the morning by shopping at the farm stand stocked with delicious veggies and gorgeous flower bouquets!

Celebrate the first summer weekend with fun on the farm! Our Buds & Blooms Kids Farm Adventure is open for signups and will take place on June 6th from 9am - 10:30am. Kids ages 8-12 years old will enjoy a farm scavenger hunt, seeding their own vegetable plant, harvesting flowers and more! Sunset Farm is the perfect place to encounter nature, learn where food comes from, and let your imagination run wild!

Despite frequent rains that have made field work difficult, our vegetables, fruits, and flowers are still producing in abundance! New in the Grab-n-Go cooler are pickling and Asian cucumber varieties that are both great for fresh eating or slicing on sandwiches and salads. Our Spring greens like collards, kale, and chard have officially reached their productive potential and will soon be replaced with new crops like long beans, Asian eggplant, and more flowers!

In Season : Slicing Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil, Asian Eggplant, Italian Eggplant, Okra, Banana Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Green Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Green Onion, and Flowers

This past weekend, incredible volunteers from the Jordan Ranch neighborhood joined us to complete the blackberry patch in our fruit orchard! We are so thankful for their hard work and enthusiasm to help. Each person contributed amazing talents to get the job done, all while enjoying the fellowship of neighbors! If you're interested in volunteering on a regular basis, our weekly volunteer hours are on Thursday and Saturday mornings. Reach out to jordanranch@agmenity.com to get plugged in to the volunteer program!

Due to inclement weather this weekend, we will be postponing the Farm Tour to next Saturday, May 30th! Join us for a walk around Sunset Farm to learn about how we grow food for the community year round using sustainable farming practices! We will also visit the fruit orchard that is beaming with figs, pomegranates, and blackberries! The Jordan Ranch lifestyle team will be providing breakfast items and coffee, so be sure to claim your spot now for this fun morning on the farm!

Mark your calendars for Buds and Blooms : A Kids Farm Adventure from 9am - 10:30am on Saturday, June 6th! Children ages 8-12 years old will explore Sunset Farm through fun activities like planting their very own vegetable seeds and a scavenger hunt! Kiddos will also get to taste veggies in season like our new basil crop and fresh tomatoes, and harvest farm flowers to take home!

In Season : Slicing Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil, Asian Eggplant, Italian Eggplant, Banana Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Green Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Radish, Yellow Squash, Chard, Collards, Kale, Green Onion, and Flowers

Meet us at the Sunset Farm Blackberry Orchard this Saturday, May 16th, from 9:30am - 11:30am to finish planting the final two rows! Last year volunteers helped us plant our first row of berries which are now producing beautiful, sweet fruits. We will have light refreshments and all tools needed for planting, just bring a pair of gloves! RSVP here to help establish a living legacy that will bear fruit for generations to come!

Heirloom slicing tomatoes are now in season and fully stocked at our self-serve veggie stand! Since tomatoes store best when not refrigerated, you will find our cherry and slicing tomatoes in this new enclosed display case. Feel free to open the display case to select your tomatoes and proceed to check out at the iPad stationed on the wall. The Cherokee Purple heirloom variety is packed with a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity - great for sandwiches, salads, or sliced with a sprinkle of salt!

Also new to the springtime menu are an abundance of peppers! We are currently harvesting varieties like banana, poblano, green bell, shishitos and soon jalapenos! Our impressive palm-sized poblano peppers are great blistered on the grill and complemented with farm tomatoes in a fresh salsa. Poblano peppers thrive in the milder months of spring and summer, so this is a great time to stock up for any drying or canning needs!

In Season : Slicing Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Asian Eggplant, Banana Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Green Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Radish, Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Chard, Collards, Kale, and Green Onion