Since we typically have warm and mild conditions in the fall, we’re able to plant successions of some spring crops. We’ll be growing a fall round of dragon’s tongue beans to lend some diversity to our harvests. Dragon’s tongue beans are a farm favorite for their lovely flavor and beautiful appearance. They’re a Dutch heirloom that produces flat yellow beans streaked with purple. We can’t wait to share these delicious beans with you!

Remember the bed prep process in the high tunnel we shared with you last week? This week it’s being planted for fall!  We’re able to plant beds in the high tunnel for fall earlier than in the field due to the shade cloth installed over the top of it. The prepared beds in the high tunnel will be planted with a mix of quick-growing crops that can be direct seeded. Curious what varieties will be planted here? We’re sowing arugula, radishes, Hakurei turnips, and a few different baby greens. 

We aren’t doing any major  planting in the field right now so that we can prepare it for the fall season. A major part of this process is staying on top of weeding! Eliminating weeds is important because they pull available nutrients and water from our crops. By getting on top of them now, we should be able to eliminate the amount of weed seeds in the future. Once we tackle the weeds, we’ll be able to move on to bed prep so that we have plenty of space available for fall crops! 

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

We’ve got a new summer green for you at the farm stand this week: Malabar spinach! This tropical plant (pictured above) isn’t a true spinach but rather the succulent leaves have a similar mild flavor. The leaves and shoots of Malabar spinach can be eaten cooked or raw. For a raw preparation, Farmer Alex recommends using it like a lettuce wrap or taco shell. If you’d like to enjoy the greens cooked, you can use them just as you would chard or spinach leaves. Make sure to stop by the farm stand to try some!

The shade cloth on the high tunnel has been immensely helpful for our crops that are more sensitive to the intense heat and sun of summer. We planted a round of pole beans in the high tunnel last week that will hopefully benefit from the presence of the shade cloth. The pole bean variety we planted is called Bai Bu Lao. When harvested young, this variety resembles a tender green bean. If left to mature, Bai Bu Lao begins to flatten out and resemble a Romano bean. We can’t wait to share them with you!

We are entering what we like to call our “lean season”. The ongoing hot and dry weather pattern is incredibly challenging for a young farm. Instead of expending all of our time and energy into keeping the whole farm in production mode, we’re beginning preparations for fall. One major way we’re doing this is to plant several of our vacant rows with cover crops. This will allow us to nurture the soil before it is replanted in the fall season. And, it gives us plenty of time to dream up a delicious fall crop plan!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Malabar Spinach, Egyptian Spinach, Italian & Asian Eggplants, Jalapenos, Fresno Peppers, Cayenne Peppers, Criolla Sella Peppers, Sweet Peppers, Okra, Armenian Cucumbers, Bitter Melon, Zucchini, Tomatillos, Long Beans, Delicata Squash, Spaghetti Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, and Basil.

As more of our warm weather crops come back into season, we’ll begin to see our spring veggies slowly make their way out. We encourage you to get your fill of lettuce this week as it will most likely be its last for a while. Our leafy greens like collards, kale, and chard won’t be in season much longer either. The good news is that you can now pick up our cut-flower bouquets at the self-serve farm stand throughout the week and we have not one but three new veggies for you! Here’s what came back into season this week:

• Cherry Tomatoes - We’re harvesting a mix of cherry tomatoes from both our high tunnel and field tomato plants. We can personally attest to their delicious sweetness and highly recommend picking up a pint or two from the farm stand! Once you get home, make sure to leave them out on your counter rather than putting them in the fridge for the best flavor and texture.

• Cucumbers - Whether you prefer snacking on your cucumbers or pickling them, we’ve got you covered! We’re harvesting both a pickling and a miniature English cucumber variety this week. Since cucumbers and tomatoes made their way into season in the exact same week, Farmer Alex recommends whipping up a chopped summer salad. Simply mix together chopped cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and scallions (also in season!) along with some feta cheese and balsamic vinegar. Yum!

• Marvel of Venice Beans - Remember the heirloom beans we planted back in February? We harvested the first of them this week! They’re a pole bean variety called Marvel of Venice. It is an heirloom Italian wax bean with a delicate sweet flavor and meaty texture. We recommend enjoying these first beans of the season with a simple preparation: steam them until just tender and serve them with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Cucumbers, Cherry Tomatoes, Marvel of Venice Beans, Zucchini, Rainbow Carrots, Leeks, Scallions, Fennel, Kohlrabi, Beets, Romaine Lettuce, Swiss Chard, Kale, Collard Greens, Basil, Cilantro, Dill, and Fresh Cut Flower Bouquets

We are thrilled to welcome Caitlin to our farm team this week! Caitlin comes to us from Springfield, Louisiana just outside of Baton Rouge. Growing up in her parents' orchid nursery forged a connection with agriculture, eventually leading her to pursue studies in agricultural education. Caitlin loves to farm because she appreciates the close proximity to high quality produce and the opportunity to educate others about where their food comes from. Her favorite vegetables to grow are cucumbers because they’re her favorite farm snack.

Caitlin arrived just in time to help us plant seeds for the very first round of beans! We planted a pole bean variety called Marvel of Venice. It is an heirloom Italian wax bean that is full of flavor with a meaty texture. In addition to beans, we planted more tomatoes in the high tunnel and the last round of carrots and beets in the field. It’s shaping up to be an incredibly delicious spring.

This Saturday our farm stand will be at The Shed from 10am-noon instead of our usual spot on the farm porch for a special Meet-and-Greet with Jordan Ranch’s Lifestyle Director Sylvia. We’ll have a delicious assortment of vegetables available for you including radishes, Barese chard, arugula, spinach, salad mix, Brussels sprouts, spring onions, and kale. We’ll also have a variety of tomato transplants for your home garden. If you can’t make it out to see us, you can always stop by the self-serve farm stand to get your veggie fix!

In Season: Radishes, Barese Chard, Arugula, Spinach, Salad Mix, Brussels Sprouts, Spring Onions, Snap Peas, Beets, Cabbage, and Kale.

May 12th, 2021

We made the first harvest of our pole beans this week! Pole beans are bean varieties that climb while bush bean varieties (like our green beans) form bushier growth closer to the ground. Our pole beans are planted with a trellis that allows them plenty of real estate to climb and grow. The pole bean variety we have growing is called Bai Bu Lao. If harvested when young, Bai Bu Lao resembles a tender green bean. If left to mature, Bai Bu Lao begins to flatten out and resemble a Romano bean. Bai Bu Lao is great for stir fries and roasting. You can pick some up this Saturday at the farm stand from 10am to noon.

In preparation for summer, okra was transplanted this week along with melons and winter squashes. Did you know that okra is a member of the mallow family along with hibiscus, cotton, and cacao? Once our okra starts to produce flowers, you’ll begin to see the family resemblance as okra flowers bear a striking resemblance to hibiscus flowers. Okra is incredibly heat tolerant and will keep producing throughout our hottest months. Both the flowers and pods of okra are edible and have a sweet, grassy flavor.

We’re beginning to see the first signs of flowering among our corn crop! As the corn grows, they begin to form a tassel at the apex of the stalk. The tassel is the male flowering portion of the corn which will release pollen down to the silks (the female portion that you can see in the photo below) and lead to the production of the ear of corn. The pollination process goes on for about one to two weeks before the tassel begins to turn brown and die. If all goes well, we should be able to start harvesting our corn in the next month or so.

I’ve reached the point in the summer when the will to turn on either the oven or stove is lost. I’m sure you can relate, especially with the temperatures in the triple digits these past several days. The saving grace of summer is almost always the produce! Cucumbers for instance are incredibly hydrating and cooling. While they don’t have chemical constituents that physically cool tissues in the body, their high water content means that cucumbers can be up to 20 degrees cooler than their surrounding environment! So find yourself some cucumbers, make this salad, and kick back and enjoy it in the shade.