The greenhouse is in spring mode and is bursting with life! Spring favorites like cucumbers, zucchini, basil, and summer squash are swiftly growing and nearly ready to be transplanted. In addition to all of the veggies and herbs, we have several different flower varieties growing! Farmer Anna is most excited for these and can’t wait to be able to offer fresh cut flower bouquets again. Here are some of the varieties you can expect to see this spring and summer: cosmos, sunflowers, nasturtium, stock, zinnias, and strawflower. 

We direct-seeded one last round of quick-growing crops in the high tunnel before we shift our focus to tomatoes. We sowed both salad radishes and arugula which are typically ready for harvesting in about a month. That’s as fast as food gets around here! Our goal is to be able to have these harvested before we need the space for our tomatoes. You can expect to see arugula and radishes make their way to the Farm Stand in the next couple of weeks.

Don’t forget to pick up some of our fennel at the Farm Stand! Fennel is in the same family as carrots and has a mellow anise-like flavor. Both the bulb and fronds of fennel are edible and pair really well with root veggies and citrus. Farmer Anna loves adding it to a seasonal veggie roast along with our colored cauliflower, watermelon radishes, and carrots. You can pick up fennel along with our other seasonal crops at the Self-Serve Farm Stand any time that’s convenient for you throughout the week. If you prefer to see us in person, make sure to pop by on Saturdays from 9am-noon.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Chioggia Beets, Fennel, Carrots, Watermelon Radishes, Kohlrabi, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Collard Greens, Kale, and Parsley.

We have something very exciting to share with you! We’ll have the first arugula of the season for you at the Farm Stand this weekend! This arugula is tender with a nice spicy bite and is perfect for whipping up a salad or adding it to sandwiches, pasta dishes, omelets, and more. If you want to sample some, we highly recommend coming to our Farm Tour this Saturday, September 30th, at 10:30am. You’ll also get an exclusive preview of all of the crops we have growing for fall. Our tours are open to the public and free of charge so we hope to see you there!

The arrival of fall means it’s time to reactivate some of our tarped beds! These beds were covered with a tarp at the end of the tomato season to help combat nutsedge and other weeds that can be very aggressive during the summer season. Since the weather will be cooling down soon, we’ll be planting this block with some delicious cool season crops. We had kale and collards here last year so we’ll be changing it up and planting our first round of heat-tolerant broccoli and cauliflower. 

This fall we’ll be experimenting with transplanting our beet crop rather than direct sowing it in place. Transplanting beets can enhance the productivity of an individual bed and increases the likelihood of having consistent, large, and beautiful beets. Last week we sowed beet seeds (pictured above) in transplant trays in the greenhouse. We planted a mix of golden, red, and Chioggia varieties. Once these germinate and get in a couple of weeks of growth, we’ll be able to transplant them in the high tunnel!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Arugula (new), Radishes (new), Long Beans, Malabar Spinach, Armenian Cucumbers, Eggplants, and Okra. 

We’ve officially started preparing the field for fall planting! The first step is to weed and clear any old crops from our beds. Then, we use the broadfork to help aerate and break up compaction in the soil (pictured below). After broadforking, we’ll add a layer of compost and organic fertilizer to the tops of our beds. These will be mixed in by hand with a rake or the harrow attachment on our BCS tractor. After that, our beds will be ready for plenty of delicious fall crops!

Our arugula and radishes are doing really well in the high tunnel! Now that we have more beds prepared, we direct-seeded a round of Hakurei turnips this week along with a mix of red, golden, and Chioggia beets. Just like our arugula and radishes, Hakurei turnips are a quicker growing crop. Once they germinate, they will take about 40 days to reach harvesting size. Beets take slightly longer to reach maturity, about 50-60 days. We hope you are as excited as we are to see root crops make their way back into season!

If you’re eagerly anticipating the fall season, we hope you’ll join us on Saturday, September 30th at 10:30am for our next Farm Tour! This tour will feature the first fall crop harvest along with a preview of what we’ll be growing throughout the upcoming season. You’ll have the opportunity to sample what we’re harvesting and ask any farm-related questions you might have. Our tours are open to the public and free of charge so we hope to see you there!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Long Beans, Malabar Spinach, Armenian Cucumbers, Eggplants, and Okra.

Remember the bed that we planted in the high tunnel last week? As you can see in the photo above, it’s germinating! We planted this bed with a mix of arugula and Easter Egg radishes. Since these are quick-growing crops, we expect to be harvesting them for you in the next 2-3 weeks. These will be our first fall crops of the year so we are incredibly excited to share them with you! We’ll let you know as soon as they’re available at the Farm Stand. 

Fall planting continued in the greenhouse this week. Just like our fall succession of dragon’s tongue beans, we’ll be sowing seeds for herbs that will do well in the mild fall temperatures. We’re planting both dill and cilantro (pictured below) to lend a fresh herbal flavor to our fall harvests. While these herbs are often thought of as spring and summer crops, they will pair incredibly well with our fall root veggies! 

Were you able to try our Korean melons earlier this summer? We’re happy to report that we have one last succession of them growing that should be ready for harvesting in the next couple of weeks! These brightly colored melons were one of our favorite farm snacks over the summer so we can’t wait to be able to share them with you one last time. They have a unique pear-like flavor and crisp texture that is incredibly delicious. Make sure to keep an eye out for them at the Farm Stand!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Long Beans, Malabar Spinach, Armenian Cucumbers, Eggplants, and Okra. 

Our first farm program of the year will be a Farm Tour this Saturday, January 14th, at 10:30am! Join us for an exciting and informative look at what we’re currently growing and harvesting on the farm. Farmers Alex and Anna will lead a walk from our farm stand through our main vegetable field and orchard to explore all of our crops. And, you’ll even get to taste some in a true farm-to-mouth experience! This tour is free of charge and open to all ages but we ask that children be accompanied by an adult. We hope to see you there and stay tuned for more farm programs and events for this winter and spring season!

Who’s ready for some tender and delicious baby arugula?! The arugula we seeded in the high tunnel just before the freeze has reached the baby phase and is ready for harvesting. That means you’ll be able to score the first arugula of 2023 at the farm stand this weekend! Farmers Alex and Anna can’t get enough of this arugula’s tender, buttery texture and mild spice. Farmer Alex recommends using it to make a winter salad with citrus, toasted walnuts, and goat cheese.

The warmer weather and sunshine we’ve had over the past week has been incredibly beneficial in helping our crops bounce back from the freeze. Though we did lose some of our crops, we’ve been working diligently to plant all of the remaining beds with winter veggies, like this kohlrabi! Kohlrabi is one of our favorite crops due to its unique flavor and satisfying crunch. While this kohlrabi won’t be ready for a couple of months, the first succession we planted before the freeze should be ready for harvesting in the next 3-4 weeks. We can’t wait to share it with you!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Arugula (new!), Scallions (new!), Lettuce, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Kale, Purple Broccoli, Cauliflower, Beets, Turnips, Watermelon Radishes, and Cilantro.

We are incredibly excited to share two new crops with you at the farm stand this week: radishes and arugula! This round of radishes is the “Easter Egg” variety so you’ll see a mix of red, pink, purple, and white radishes in the bunches at the farm stand. They can be enjoyed raw, pickled, or cooked. Don’t forget that you can eat their leafy green tops, too! Head here to read all about cooking with radish greens. Since arugula is back in season, you could whip up a quick arugula salad with thinly sliced radishes and dress it with a creamy pesto dressing made with the radish greens. You can get both of these fall veggies at the farm stand.

Our Harvest Market is coming up on Saturday, November 5th! This special market is a collaboration with The Informal Grub, the team behind the Rice Village and Heights Mercantile Farmers Markets. The Harvest Market will take place on the farm on November 5th from 9am-noon and will include 20 different vendors with an assortment of locally made or grown goods like eggs, meat, prepared foods, and flowers. This market is free to attend and is open to the public. We hope to see you there!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Arugula, Radishes, Winter Squashes (only available at the Saturday farm stand), Okra, Asian Eggplants, Italian Eggplants, Indian Eggplants, Sweet Peppers, Roselle Greens, and Zinnia and Marigold Bouquets.

Coming Soon: Cucumbers, Collard Greens, and Swiss Chard

We’ll have something new for you at the farm stand this weekend: butternuts! These are a smaller variety called “Butterscotch” and they have a deliciously sweet and nutty flavor. Farmer Alex recommends roasting and stuffing these butternuts with a mix of your favorite protein, herbs, and goat cheese. Or, you can roast them until the flesh is tender and blend it up to use in baked goods just as you would pumpkin puree. We will have limited amounts of these at the farm stand so first come, first served!

Over the past week we direct-seeded several different fall crops in our prepared rows. Direct-seeding simply means that we planted the seeds directly in the field rather than starting them in trays in the greenhouse. We often do this with crops that we want to plant densely (like arugula and other baby greens) and root vegetables. Here’s what we direct-seeded: carrots, dragon’s tongue beans, arugula (pictured above), watermelon radishes, icicle radishes, and Easter egg radishes. Since the arugula and radishes grow fairly quickly and have already germinated, we should have them ready for you in the next 2-3 weeks!

We finished installing the new film and shade cloth on the greenhouse just in time to plant the next succession of fall crops. We’re really excited about this round of seeding because it includes a few new varieties as well as some old favorites. We sowed seeds for broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, head lettuce, fennel, scallions, celeriac, and celery. We also planted some cooler weather flowers like nigella, larkspur, and strawflower. It’s shaping up to be an incredibly delicious fall season!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Butternut Squash (limited), Okra, Asian Eggplants, Italian Eggplants, Cucumbers, Sweet Peppers, Roselle Greens, Egyptian Spinach, and Zinnia Bouquets.

We welcomed the official arrival of the spring season by planting the first peppers in the high tunnel! Among the varieties that were planted are Escamillo, Stocky Red Roaster, and Cornito Giallo. The high tunnel has been especially helpful in extending the season of our cold-sensitive crops like peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers. That means you’ll be able to enjoy these crops earlier and longer throughout the season. We’ll make sure to keep you updated on their progress!

Though the first round of cucumbers went in the ground in the high tunnel about a month ago, the second round was planted in the field last week. This round is a mix of English and pickling varieties. And, since we have some extra transplants, we’ll have them available for you at the farm stand! Cucumbers are a fun crop to grow in your own garden because you get to watch them climb and sprawl across a trellis. Just make sure to plant them in a sunny spot with well-draining soil.

Aside from cucumber transplants, the farm stand is stocked with plenty of delicious spring veggies! Arugula just came back into season this week and it is perfectly tender with just the right level of spice. Arugula makes a great salad green, especially if you mix it with our lettuces and spinach. Or, you can whip up a batch of pesto to enjoy with pasta. Here’s an arugula and walnut pesto recipe you might enjoy.

In Season: Arugula (new this week), Salad Mix, Radishes, Bok Choy, Li Ren Choy, Cabbage, Spring Onions, Radicchio, Swiss Chard, Kale, Cauliflower, Spinach, and Mini Bibb Lettuce Heads along with Cucumber and Tomato transplants for your garden.

November 18th, 2021

We’re adding three more leafy greens to our verdant lineup this week: curly kale, Lacinato kale, and rainbow chard. And, we hope to harvest the first Napa cabbages next week! We’ve been working hard to increase the diversity of crops on the farm so it feels great to be able to harvest twelve different varieties of greens. Each leafy green variety differs in terms of taste and texture. We hope you’ll try them all so that you can expand your palate and perhaps find a new favorite! Here’s a handy guide featuring all of the varieties we’re currently harvesting:

• Kales (Lacinato, Curly, & Red Russian) -- earthy and vegetal taste; baby leaves are tender and perfect for salads; adult leaves are sturdier and perfect for sautéeing.
• Rainbow Chard -- mildly sweet and earthy taste; the soft-textured leaves and crunchy stems are great for sautéeing and adding to soups.
• Tokyo Bekana -- mild cabbage-like flavor; the buttery soft leaves can be used as a salad green or added to soups and stir-fries
• Arugula -- mild peppery flavor; the tender leaves are great for adding to salads, sandwiches, or a batch of pesto.
• Lettuces -- mild vegetal flavor; the tender leaves are great for adding to salads and sandwiches.
• Gai Lan -- earthy and sweet taste; both the leaves and stems are great for adding to stir-fries and soups. 
• Tatsoi -- mild spinach-like flavor; the tender leaves can be added to a salad mix or sautéed.
• Bok Choy -- fresh and grassy flavor; the leaves and stems can be added to stir-fries, soups, or used for a batch of kimchi.
• Collard Greens -- earthy and alkaline flavor; the leaves and stems are great for braising, adding to soups, and as a wrap for sandwiches and burgers. 
• Mustard Greens -- sharp and peppery flavor (this mellows when cooked); the leaves are great for braising, sautéeing, and adding to soups. 

It’s hard to tell who likes our flower rows more, us or the pollinators! These flowers serve a dual purpose: they provide a source of food for our local pollinators and they bring a bit of farm beauty to your home in the form of cut flower bouquets. In addition to all of the delicious veggies we’ll have at the farm stand this weekend (list below), we’ll also have the following cut flowers for you to craft your own bouquets: marigolds, zinnias, and sunflowers.

As a reminder, our farm stand takes place on the farm every Saturday from 10am-noon and every Wednesday from 4-6pm. We’re the perfect option for your holiday meal-planning and shopping and would love to see you there!

Currently In Season: Cherry Tomatoes, Slicer Tomatoes, Kale, Rainbow Chard, Tokyo Bekana, Arugula, Lettuce Mix, Tatsoi, Baby Bok Choy, Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Gai Lan, Hakurei Turnips, White Icicle Radishes, Shishito Peppers, and Eggplant.

March 17th, 2021

Our tomatoes are beginning to grow up the trellis, set blooms, and we’ve even spotted the first fruits! Tomato flowers are self-pollinating which means they contain both male and female parts. While the flowers are capable of self-pollination, factors like wind and insects can help the process along. Now that we’re starting to see the first fruits, we’ll be eagerly watching their progress as they swell and eventually mature. The first to mature (and thus be harvested) will be our smaller varieties like Sun Gold (an orange cherry tomato) and Candyland Red (a red currant tomato).

In addition to our tomatoes, our snap peas are beginning to flower. Snap peas have a very short window of time between blooming and harvesting. Typically the pods will be ready for harvesting within five to seven days after the flower blooms. Once the plants hit their stride and begin to bloom regularly, we’ll be harvesting almost every other day to keep up. Like snow peas, the entire pod of the snap pea is edible and can be enjoyed raw or cooked. It’s possible we’ll have the first harvest as early as next weekend so we will make sure to keep you posted!

Spring planting continued this week with cucumbers, peppers, and eggplant. We decided to interplant our Rosa Bianca eggplant with marigolds in a continuing effort to incorporate more flowers on the farm and maximize the use of our growing space. As for the rest of our crops, we’ll have a couple of different vegetables coming into season this week and next, namely our rainbow chard that has recovered beautifully from the freeze and baby arugula.

If you’re out and about and want to support restaurants that are using our produce, we delivered iceberg lettuce to Chef Justin Yu at Better Luck Tomorrow and frisée and beets to Chef Kaitlin Steets of Littlefoot, a pop-up concept with a French tasting menu.