This week we are one step closer to planting our first Spring tomato crop! For the past month, our tomato plants have been growing in tiny seedling cells while they have developed true leaves and a sturdy stem. Now they are ready to be transferred to 4-inch pots where they will finish out their journey of growth in the greenhouse. Tomato plants have a unique ability to produce roots from their stems, often called “air roots.” Each time our farmers transfer the tomato plants to a larger growing area they encourage the roots to grow wider and deeper, leading to a healthier and more robust plant.

In preparation for Spring harvests, we are also planting more beets, carrots, lettuce, and scallions! Although these plants thrive in cold environments, they also gain sizable growth as the weather warms and daylight hours increase. Many of these vegetables will still be harvestable when we pick our first Spring crops like squash and cucumbers. If you enjoy feasting with your eyes, this season offers a colorful array of roots like carrots and beets paired with vibrant leafy greens that are sure to please the palate too!

After two weeks of inclement weather without our Saturday Farm Stand, we are happy to invite you out to the farm again from 9am - 12pm to shop for veg and say hello to Farmer Sarah! We also wanted to answer a few common questions about our Grab-n-Go cooler : The Grab-n-Go is stocked with veggies throughout the week and is available to shop from 24/7 at your convenience. Once you have filled a bag with your favorite veg, there is an iPad next to the cooler to pay for your items! If you need assistance, feel free to message us on Facebook or Instagram at Sunset Farm at Jordan Ranch!

In Season: Carrots, Spinach, Celery, Fennel, Green Onions, Green Cabbage, Parsley, Collard Greens, Curly Kale, Tuscan Kale, Swiss Chard, Arugula, and Radishes

Fall crops are really hitting their stride as we have not one but three new crops for you this week at the Farm Stand: beets, Swiss chard, and roselle pods! You’ll be able to find bunches of red beets at the Farm Stand with their beautiful leafy greens attached. Both the root and leaves of beets are edible and have a distinctly earthy flavor. While beets can be eaten raw, we prefer to either roast, steam, or pickle them. If you’re not sure where to start, try this roasted garlic beet hummus or this beet salad with goat cheese and balsamic. 

Even though Swiss chard is called a leafy “green”, its stalks and veins come in a rainbow of colors like red, orange, yellow, and pink. If you compare the leaves of Swiss chard (above) to the leafy greens of the beets in the first photo, you might notice that they have a similar appearance. This is due to the fact that they share the same genus and species (Beta vulgaris) but have different cultivar groups. Both the colorful stems and leaves of chard are edible and have a subtle earthy and mildly sweet flavor. You can try giving them a quick sauté with garlic, olive oil, and chili flakes for a quick side dish. Or, try Swiss chard in this lemony pasta dish. 

Our roselle pods are finally ready for harvesting! You’ve been able to enjoy their tangy leafy greens all summer long and now you can try the beautiful red pods. The red portion of each pod is called the calyx and it has a tart cranberry-like flavor that can be used to make teas, syrups, and jams. We like to think of roselle pods as our locally available substitute for cranberries! Try them in this roselle apple compote or follow this tutorial for some iced roselle hibiscus tea. 

In Season at the Farm Stand: French Breakfast Radishes, Red Beets, Hakurei Turnips, Roselle Pods, Roselle Greens, Baby Bok Choy, Komatsuna, Curly Kale, Dinosaur Kale, Mustard Greens, Collard Greens, Napa Cabbage, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Korean Melons, Okra, Long Beans, and Asian Eggplant

The high tunnel is fully planted! We direct-seeded all of the remaining rows with a round of quicker-growing fall crops. Since several varieties we planted need to be sown thickly like carrots and radishes, we’re able to make quick work of it with our Jang push seeder! This tool allows us to sow several rows in a bed within a couple of minutes. Here’s what we planted: Hakurei turnips, French breakfast radishes, Nantes carrots, arugula, salad mix, and cilantro. You can expect to see the first harvest of some of these varieties in just over a month! 

In addition to all of the crops that were direct-seeded in the high tunnel, we transplanted a bed of beets (below). Last year we experimented for the first time with transplanting our beet crop rather than direct sowing it in place. It worked really well so we’re continuing with this method this fall! Transplanting beets can enhance the productivity of an individual bed and increase the likelihood of having consistent, large, and beautiful beets. We’re looking forward to the first beet harvest later this fall! 

We are happy to report that our tunnel and field tomatoes are starting to bloom! While we’re still a ways off from harvesting our fall tomatoes, the first blooms are always an exciting sign of what’s to come. Since two out of the three varieties we’re growing this fall are cherry tomatoes, you’ll see them make their way into season much faster than our slicing variety as it takes less time to mature for harvesting. We expect to start seeing the first baby tomatoes over the next few weeks so we’ll make sure to keep you updated on their progress. 

In Season at the Farm Stand: Baby Butternuts, Korean Melons, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Asian Eggplant, Roselle Greens, Okra, and Long Beans.

We have so many crops about to make their way into season and we would love to share a sneak peek with you at our next Farm Tour! Come join us on Saturday, April 13th at 10:30am for a spring stroll around the farm as we explore the new crops in the high tunnel and the field. You’ll get to see our baby tomatoes and cucumbers in addition to our beautiful blooming flowers. And, you’ll get to sample some first-of-the-season summer squashes including our stunning yellow zucchini. Our tours are open to the public and suitable for all ages. We can’t wait to see you! 

We are thrilled to announce that zucchini has made its way into season at the Farm Stand! This first wave of zucchini is a dark green variety called Dunja. It has a nutty and mildly sweet flavor and can be enjoyed both raw and cooked. If you want something refreshing for these warm spring days, we recommend trying a zucchini carpaccio (recipe here). For a simple and flavorful side dish, Farmer Anna recommends cutting zucchini in half lengthwise, grilling it, and pairing it with an herb butter. 

Beets have also made their way into season this week! This root veggie has a distinct earthiness that pairs well with citrus, fresh herbs, goat cheese, and nuts. Beets are incredibly versatile and can be enjoyed in sweet recipes (like this beet, apple, and carrot cake) as well as savory ones. Farmer Anna recommends roasting or steaming beets and adding them to a batch of hummus. Or, you could try pickling them and adding them to salads and sandwiches. You can find beets at the Farm Stand beginning this weekend!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Zucchini, Beets, Cucumbers, Cutting Celery, Spring Onions, Salad Mix, Kale, Collards, Swiss Chard, Kohlrabi, and Cilantro. 

Coming Soon: Summer Squashes and Tomatoes

It’s time to prepare the farm for spring! We’re bidding farewell to some of our spent winter crops to make way for new ones for spring. In order to prepare our beds, we always start by clearing out old crops and thoroughly weeding the bed tops and furrows. Then, we add a layer of compost to the tops of the beds along with fertilizer to make sure our plants have the nutrients they need. The beds you see here will soon be planted with zinnias, cucumbers, and zucchini!

We have some beautiful beets for you at the Farm Stand. This variety is called “Chioggia” and it has striking magenta and white striped flesh. It has a sweet and mildly earthy flavor that doesn’t “bleed” as much as a traditional red beet when cut into. Chioggia beets can be roasted, steamed, stir-fried, or pickled while the leafy green tops can be treated just like Swiss chard or spinach. Farmer Anna’s favorite way to enjoy beets is to juice them along with apples, oranges, turmeric, and ginger.

Remember the cool season cover crop we planted back in November? We’re mowing it down and leaving the plant matter in place so it can add beneficial organic matter to the soil. We’ll soon be sowing these cover cropped areas with a warm season soil building mix in order to continue improving the health of our soil. Our goal is to be able to plant these areas in the fall! 

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. 

Beets are back in season! If you look at the photo above, you’ll see the three different varieties we’re harvesting: red (left), golden (middle), and Chioggia (right). Our beets are available in bunches at the Farm Stand with their leafy greens attached. Did you know that you can eat their greens, too? Treat them just like you would Swiss chard or spinach! As for the beets themselves, Farmer Anna recommends roasting them and adding them to hummus or salads.

Fennel is back in season this week, too! Fennel is a member of the same family as carrots, celery, and dill. Both the bulb and the fronds have a mild licorice flavor. The bulb has a crunchy texture that can be enjoyed raw in salads. It can also be roasted or sauteed which yields a sweeter flavor. Use the feathery fronds like you would dill by adding them to sauces, soups, or salads. Farmer Anna loves to muddle fennel, lime, and cucumbers together and top them with some Topo Chico for a refreshing drink!

We planted the last of our tomatoes for the season in the field. We have three rows planted with a mix of Midnight Pear, Green Bee, Lemon Boy, Indigo Rose, and Pink Boar tomatoes. Farmer Anna is particularly excited for the Midnight Pear variety which produces dark purplish-red pear-shaped cherry tomatoes. Which variety are you eagerly waiting to try? We’re still several weeks away from the first harvest but we’ll make sure to let you know the moment they’re available at the Farm Stand!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Beets (red, golden, & Chioggia), Fennel, Baby Carrots (limited), Spring Onions, Cabbage, Purple Broccoli, Collards, Kohlrabi, Celery, Kale, Turnips, and Icicle Radishes.

October 28th, 2021

Coming in slightly ahead of schedule, broccoli and cherry tomatoes are back in season! We’ll have limited amounts of each available at the farm stand on Saturday from 10am-noon. The cherry tomatoes are a mix of Sungold (yellow) and Sweetie (red) varieties. We highly recommend roasting the broccoli florets and halved cherry tomatoes together on a sheet tray until caramelized. Toss the roasted veggies with your favorite cooked pasta, toasted pine nuts, and some grated parmesan for a quick and delicious meal.

Last week our carrots were germinating and this week it’s our beets! We direct-seeded the first succession of beets last week and noticed their sprouts popping up this week. Did you know that beets and Swiss chard are members of the same family? They both prefer cooler temperatures and can even tolerate light freezes (which is why we don’t grow them during the hot months of the year). These beets are a golden variety which is why their stem is yellow rather than red or magenta.

We’ve been planting some fun crops in the greenhouse for fall in order to increase the diversity on the farm. Here are some of the varieties you can look forward to this fall and winter:

• Burgundy Broccoli - a sprouting broccoli with beautiful dark purple buds
• Purple Cauliflower - the same cauliflower you know and love but with a brilliant purple hue
• Romanesco - a light green member of the Brassica family that forms heads like cauliflower and broccoli but with a visually striking fractal form

Currently In Season: Cherry Tomatoes, Broccoli, Kale, Hakurei Turnips, Shishito Peppers, Padron Peppers, Jalapeno peppers, Poblano peppers, Eggplant, Yellow Squash, Cucumbers, and Marigolds for cut flowers

January 20th, 2021

The dry weather over the past week allowed us to continue transplanting vegetables into our beds in preparation for spring. This time of year is characterized by a predominance of leafy greens as they prefer the cooler weather. Several varieties of lettuce are currently in the ground along with radicchio, cabbage, kale, and Asian greens like Yu Choy Sum. Our most recent planting session consisted of iceberg lettuce, a nostalgic variety that has been frequently requested by local chefs.

This week will mark the first lettuce harvest of the season for the farm! Both our Salanova and Coastal Star lettuces have just started to reach the optimal harvesting size. Salanova (pictured above) is a green butter lettuce variety that grows in a dense rosette and has a delicate, buttery flavor. Coastal Star is a romaine variety that forms heavy, oblong heads with a crisp, sweet flavor. Both of these will be available at the farm stand located on the farm on Saturday from 10am-noon.

Have you had a chance to pick up any of our Badger Flame beets from the farm stand? This variety was bred for flavor, yielding a deliciously sweet and tender beet without the earthiness. As you can see below, the interior of these beets is striking with vibrant golden hues. We prefer to leave the greens attached to our beets when harvesting so that both the root and greens can be enjoyed. The greens have a similar flavor and texture to Swiss chard and can be prepared in the same way. As for the roots, this variety was bred to be enjoyed both raw and cooked. Farmer Josh likes to keep it simple when it comes to their preparation, opting to thinly slice the raw beets, season them with salt and pepper, and finish with fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.

In savory applications, I often find I have to add an acidic component to beets to counteract their intense sweetness. If I don’t it often feels as though I’m eating dessert. So, I decided to ride the wave of their natural sweetness and turn them into a sweet treat! These muffins are easy to whip up and taste like a healthy homage to red velvet cake. I find that baking by weight is most accurate with gluten free baking so you’ll see that reflected in the recipe below.