It’s hard to believe that just last week the temperatures were in the mid-teens on the farm! We spent the first half of last week preparing for the Arctic Blast by sealing up both the high tunnel and greenhouse and covering our crops in the field with frost cloth. While we didn't have any losses in the greenhouse or high tunnel, the extreme cold did cause some of our field crops to die. Of the vegetables that survived, some (like the onions above) have little to no damage while others like our kale and cabbage will bounce back over the next few weeks. While this is a significant loss, we were able to harvest a good portion of our crops ahead of the freeze for long term storage.

Over the next few weeks our offerings at the farm stand will be leaner as the field recovers and our quicker growing crops come in. While there will be less variety than you’re used to during this time of the year, there are still plenty of delicious veggies available for you at the farm stand like these Brussels sprouts! Farmer Anna loves to halve and roast Brussels sprouts until they’re nice and caramelized. She coats them in a glaze of soy sauce, honey, and chili flakes before roasting for a delicious sweet and salty mix.

We’re continuing planting in the high tunnel this week. Our goal is to stick to quicker growing crops so that we have plenty of time to grow and harvest before we need the space for our tomatoes. The arugula that we seeded before the freeze has already germinated and looks lush and healthy! You can see it in the photo above. Now that we have the front half of the high tunnel mostly planted, we’re preparing the back half for veggies like radish and broccoli raab. We can’t wait to start harvesting these crops for you!

In Season at the Farm Stand: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, bok choy, hon tsai tai, beets, and watermelon radishes.

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We have two veggies on the harvesting horizon this month: carrots and Brussels sprouts. Farmer Alex estimates that our Brussels sprouts (pictured above) will reach harvesting size in the next couple of weeks. As for our carrots, you can see in the photo below that they are still pretty small. Farmer Alex thinks we should have the first carrots for you by Christmas. We’ll make sure to keep you updated!

The time has finally come to bid farewell to our summer crops! Our okra and roselle are completely done for the season but we’ll have sweet peppers and eggplant for you through the rest of the month. We highly recommend enjoying these remaining summer crops while you can before they finally make their way out of season! A great way to enjoy sweet peppers and eggplant is by making a batch of Ajvar, a tangy Serbian relish. Here’s a recipe if you’d like to try it this month.

We’re harvesting the first of this beautiful red curly kale for you this week! This brilliantly colored kale (pictured below) is similar in flavor and texture to our green curly kale. It can be enjoyed cooked or raw depending on your preference. Farmer Anna loves to add kale to hearty soups or coconut milk curries like this one. You can snag a bunch to try at our farm stand!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Beets, Radishes, Hakurei Turnips, Scallions, Collard Greens, Cabbage, Napa Cabbage, Bok Choy, Hon Tsai Tai, Salad Mix, Kale, Mustard Greens, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cilantro, Dill, Sweet Peppers, and Eggplant.

Red Cabbage is officially in season! We harvested the first heads of our Ruby Perfection cabbage variety this week. The heads are dense with a brilliant purple hue and have a sweet and mild peppery flavor. Cabbage can be enjoyed in a myriad of ways both raw and cooked. Try pairing it with our carrots and beets for a winter slaw or adding it to a soup along with potatoes and sausage. For more cabbage recipe inspiration, check out this article.

While trimming off some frost damaged leaves on our Brussels sprouts this week, we noticed the first buds forming along the stem. Brussels sprouts are in the brassica family along with crops like cabbage, broccoli, and kale. They have a unique growing habit in that they produce small edible buds along the stem that resemble miniature cabbages. They might look tiny now, but in about 3-4 weeks we expect them to be ready for harvesting!

Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be doing a lot of bed preparation for spring. We started this week with the vacant beds in our high tunnel. We’re getting them ready for the first planting of tomatoes next week. And the week after next, we expect to have the first cucumbers transplanted as well. Even though it feels like winter just arrived, spring is just over the horizon!

In Season: Cauliflower, Cabbage (green & red), Broccoli, Carrots, Beets, Spinach, Kale, Little Gem Lettuce Heads, and Green Slicer Tomatoes