Our Orchard Beautification Day is swiftly approaching! We hope you’ll join us this Saturday, October 18th, from 9am-12pm for a fun volunteer opportunity in our young fruit orchard. With your help, we will be weeding and mulching around our existing fruit trees and planting thornless blackberries for future harvests. We will also be planting a bed by the orchard with pollinator-friendly native plants. All are welcome to join us for this event! We recommend signing up here if you will be attending so we can ensure we have enough tools and supplies. 

Arugula just made its way into season this week and we have so many other fall crops on the way! In the next week or two, you can expect to see bunches of Swiss chard and kale hit the Farm Stand. In order to ensure we have plenty to harvest for you throughout the season, we planted more Swiss chard this week (above) along with the first round of beets. We’ll also be transplanting the fennel, celery, parsley, and cilantro from the greenhouse into the field very soon. Stay tuned every week to make sure you don’t miss out on your favorites! 

Planting cover crops is just as important as our food crops. This week we’re sowing a cool season mix of clover, daikon radish, rye, oats, and mustards in one of our sections. Each of these varieties works together to help loosen compaction, fix beneficial nitrogen to the soil, control erosion, and suppress weed growth. And, once mowed down, these plants will add organic matter back to the soil. Fun fact about mustards in cover cropping: they help suppress lingering plant diseases in the soil! 

Arugula, Hakurei Turnips, Baby Mustard Greens, Radishes, Scallions, Okra, Lunchbox Peppers, Jalapenos, Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Basil (Italian, Lemon, Thai, and Tulsi), and Flower Bouquets

We are excited to share that our first monthly Farm Tour of the fall season is on Saturday, October 4th at 11am! This tour will be a great opportunity to meet our Farm Team and celebrate the start of the fall season on the farm. Attendees will get an exclusive sneak peek at all of the fall varietals that will soon be making their way to the Farm Stand and onto your plates within the next couple of months. And, you might even get a taste of some of the first fall produce! Our tours are free of charge and open to the public. We hope to see you there!

We did a lot of direct seeding in the high tunnel this week for fall! Since most varieties we planted can be sown thickly (i.e. fairly close together), we’re able to do this with the help of our push seeder. This farm tool allows us to plant several rows within minutes! Among the varieties planted were arugula and carrots. Since arugula is a quick grower and can reach the baby phase in a matter of weeks, you can expect to see the first arugula at the Farm Stand within the next month! 

We planted a yellow mustard cover crop in a few beds on the southeastern portion of the farm to help suppress the growth of one of our most abundant and pesky weeds: nutsedge. Yellow mustard is a quick growing cover crop that will not only address the weed issues in these beds but can suppress harmful soil-borne nematodes and fungi. It is a different variety of mustard than the ones we grow and harvest for their spicy leaves. This cover crop will eventually produce yellow flowers that will attract and provide a food source for our native pollinators.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Scallions, Summer Squash, Okra, Eggplant, Zucchini, Cucumbers, Lunchbox Peppers, Jalapenos, Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Basil (Italian, Lemon, Thai, and Tulsi), and Flower Bouquets and Stems

Leaving Soon: Cucumbers, Summer Squash, and Peppers

We started the orchard alongside the farm several years ago with a few different types of young fruit trees. If you’ve walked by the orchard recently, you may have noticed that some of them are fruiting! It typically takes several years before young trees begin to bear fruit so we are excited to see them reach this stage. We have a mix of fig trees, dwarf pomegranate trees, jujubes, and peaches. These trees are still fairly young and will most likely not produce a sizable harvest this year but in the event that we’re able to make one for the Farm Stand, we’ll let you know. We’ll be hosting a volunteer work day in the orchard in the fall to keep it beautiful and healthy so keep an eye out for the date!

Our cowpea cover crop is growing beautifully in the summer heat and is almost ready to start flowering! Cowpeas are a great summer cover crop for our climate that help fix nitrogen to the soil, improve soil structure by breaking up compaction, crowd out weeds, and encourage better drainage. While the goal of this crop is not for harvesting, it allows us to streamline our footprint while giving the soil a chance to be rejuvenated during the hottest part of the year.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Cucumber, Long Beans, Okra, Eggplant,Tomatoes, Zucchini, Jalapenos, Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Cornito Peppers, Lunchbox Peppers, Carrots, Basil, and Flower Bouquets and Stems

Zucchini is officially back in season! Since zucchini and most summer squashes are fairly quick growers, they are often among the first spring vegetables to make their way to the Farm Stand. We are excited to offer you both a green and yellow zucchini variety. They’re both tender with a nutty and mildly sweet flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked. Farmer Anne loves to pop them in the air fryer at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes for an easy side dish.

We spotted the first tiny fruits on our cucumber vines in the high tunnel this week! Did you know that cucumbers are in the Cucurbit family along with other crops like zucchini, butternuts, and summer squashes? This family thrives in warmer weather and is typically killed by frosts which is why you’ll see these crops in season during spring and summer. In order to make sure we have a steady supply of cucumbers for you throughout both seasons, we just planted another 100 feet of cucumber plants in the field last week! We hope you’re just as excited as we are for cucumbers to make their way back into season.

While a large part of what we do is to grow and harvest crops for our community, planting cover crops is an integral part in managing the health of our soil. Cover crops allow us to give sections of our farm a break from production while simultaneously improving the health and structure of the soil. We just planted one of the back sections with a cowpea cover crop for the season. As the cowpeas grow (above), they will fix beneficial nitrogen to the soil, reduce soil erosion, crowd out weeds, and eventually when they are mowed down, add organic matter to the soil.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Romaine, Red Romaine, Zucchini, Swiss Chard, Fennel, Beets, Carrots, Curly Kale, Dino Kale, Scallions, and Salad Mix.

Coming Soon: Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Peppers

Our mild fall and winter temperatures make it possible to grow both a spring and a fall succession of tomatoes. We are excited to announce that we will be planting a round of fall tomatoes this year! As you can see in the photo above, they are already off to a great start in the greenhouse. We’ll be potting them up soon to allow their roots more room to grow before we transplant them in September. Here are the varieties you can look forward to: Sungold, Cherry Bomb, and Early Girl.

We’ve reached the point in the season when it’s time to bid our cover crops farewell. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be mowing down all of our cover cropped sections in preparation for fall planting. Once they are mowed and left in place, they will add beneficial organic matter to the soil. Before we plant the first succession of fall crops, these beds will be broadforked and amended with compost to give them a healthy start.

In addition to using compost as an amendment for our soil, we also use it to make a nutrient-rich tea for our plants! In order to brew a batch of compost tea, we place compost into a mesh bag then place it in a container of fresh water. The compost tea mixture is aerated for 12-24 hours depending on the outside temperature before it’s ready to use! The resulting tea is then sprayed on our crops in order to deliver beneficial nutrients and keep our plants healthy. We typically apply compost tea to our crops once a week.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Long Beans, Okra, Roselle Greens, Slicing Cucumbers, Bitter Melon, Jalapenos, Serranos, Baby Poblanos, Banana Peppers, Aji Rico Peppers, and Sweet Peppers.

Look how tall our Sudangrass has gotten! Sudangrass is a type of sorghum that we are utilizing as a cover crop. Our soil has a high clay content which means it can compact easily, especially after an extended soggy period. The roots of Sudangrass are helpful in loosening up soil compaction, leading to improved soil structure, drainage, and an overall better environment for our crops to thrive. This lush green growth will add a lot of nitrogen-rich organic matter back to the soil when we mow it down for fall planting.

We’re harvesting a new leafy summer green for you: roselle. This crop (above) is an edible hibiscus variety in the same family as okra that grows really well during our summer season. Roselle leaves have a lovely tart, lemony flavor that can be eaten raw in salads or cooked. In Indian cuisine, it is often used in curries, chutneys, and pickles. We recommend trying our roselle leaves in this dal recipe or in this quick and easy pesto. 

Due to the hurricane and recent wet conditions, we’re moving into a bit of a summer lull. This is typical this time of year though in years past it is usually due to extreme heat. Production has slowed momentarily while we wait for some of our late summer crops to come in. Despite the slow down, we still have plenty of okra and long beans coming out of the field! Farmer Matt’s go-to is a classic stir-fry flavored with soy sauce, fennel seed, cumin seed, turmeric, and ginger. Both of these veggies can be found at the Farm Stand.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Roselle Leaves, Okra, Butternut Squash, Jalapeños, Shishitos, Korean Melons, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Long Beans, and Eggplant. 

The summer season has arrived on the farm! In order to combat the heat, we’ve installed shade cloths on both the high tunnel (pictured above) and the greenhouse. Since we use the high tunnel to extend the season of certain crops, the shade cloth will aid in keeping them cooler, less stressed, and more productive. This will allow us to provide you with more heat sensitive crops like tomatoes a bit longer than we would if they were planted in the field without any protection. If you’d like to see our shade cloth and summer crops in person, make sure to join us for our Farm Tour this Saturday, June 15th at 10:30am! This event is suitable for all ages and open to the public.

Two of our favorite summer crops will be making their way into season over the next couple of weeks: long beans and Korean melons. Both of these varieties can take the intense heat of summer and will lend delicious diversity to our future harvests. Our long beans (above) are just beginning to flower. Since the beans grow fairly quickly once the flowers are pollinated, you can expect to see them at the Farm Stand within the next week or two. Our Korean melons (below) are just beginning to set fruit. They will need slightly longer to size up and turn their characteristic bright yellow color. Be on the lookout for them in the next 2-3 weeks!

The back sections of each side of the main production field are currently planted with beneficial cover crops. One side is planted with cowpeas while the other (below) is planted with a mixed species soil builder. Planting cover crops during the summer allows us to improve the health of our soil while intentionally reducing the footprint of the farm. Both of these cover crops will be left to grow throughout the season before being turned under in preparation for fall planting.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Eggplant, Slicing Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Slicing Cucumbers, Pickling Cucumbers, Serrano Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Okra, Kale, Basil, and Cut Flowers (limited)

Coming Soon: Zucchini, Long Beans, and Korean Melons

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.

Our self-serve Farm Stand is stocked and ready for all of your Thanksgiving needs! The great thing about using the self-serve option is that you can come whenever it’s convenient for you, day or night. We stock the fridge three times a week to ensure you’re getting the freshest possible produce. If you happen to stop by when we’re not on site, we request that you pay with a credit card, otherwise, you are welcome to pay with cash. For a full list of what we currently have available, scroll to the bottom of the post.

We’re planting a cool season cover crop in some of our back rows in an effort to continue improving our soil health. It’s made up of a mix of beneficial crops like clover, common vetch, barley, and oats that will work together to fix nitrogen to the soil and reduce weed pressure. Additionally, there are radishes and turnips in the mix and their roots will help to break up compaction, which will help improve the texture of the soil as well as enhance drainage. Below is a photo of a couple of cover crop rows that were planted a few weeks ago and you can see how lush and verdant it is as it grows.

The third round of fall crops is ready to be planted in the field! This round includes crops that we’re currently harvesting (like collards and kale) in addition to some new ones like gai lan, fennel, and celery. We’re especially excited for the colorful cauliflower that will be planted with this round! We have both an orange and a purple variety that will be really exciting to watch grow. Make sure to stay tuned for their progress!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Collard Greens, Napa Cabbage, Mustard Greens, Curly Kale, Dino Kale, Swiss Chard, Tokyo Bekana, Bok Choy, Hakurei Turnips, Green Beans, and Dill

Coming Soon: Radishes and Lettuce Heads

We’re harvesting a new radish variety for you this week: icicle! These radishes are long and white in color. Icicle is a mini-Daikon radish with a peppery bite that is great for pickling and adding to salads. They’re also perfect for adding to your next batch of kimchi! If you’re interested in making your own kimchi, we’ll also have the first Napa cabbages for you next week!

In addition to the icicle radishes, we’ll also be harvesting the first kale, mustard greens, and cilantro of the season. We’ll have two different kale varieties available for you at the farm stand: Lacinato and Red Russian. Lacinato kale tends to be a bit sweeter than other varieties making it ideal for a kale salad. If you’re looking for some kale recipe inspiration, Farmer Alex recommends braising your kale with some miso or adding it to a strata.

Remember the section of the farm that was planted with a cowpea cover crop? The cover crop was mowed down back in September and the rows were prepared in anticipation of fall planting. Last week we planted those rows with the next succession of fall crops! As you can see in the photo below, our fall crops are thriving! We’re optimistic that these crops will continue to flourish thanks to our nitrogen-fixing cowpeas. This block is planted with a couple of broccoli varieties, cauliflower, purple cabbage, and Napa cabbage.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Kale, Mustard Greens, Collard Greens, Swiss Chard, Arugula, Cilantro, Dill, Radishes, Cucumbers, Okra, Eggplants, Sweet Peppers, and Marigold and Sunflower Bouquets.

Upcoming Events: Harvest Market on Saturday, November 5th from 9am-noon at the farm

Our greenhouse received a makeover just in time for fall! Over the past couple of weeks, we replaced all of the original panels with greenhouse film. Over time, the extreme heat of this summer warped some of the panels making it harder for them to withstand the wind while also disrupting the seal. The new film will allow us to control the environment inside better and will hopefully lead to improved germination.

In order to have space for all of the fall crops that are filling the greenhouse, we’ll be mowing down our cowpea cover crop. Cover crops in the legume family like cowpeas have the ability to fix beneficial nitrogen to the soil as they grow. You can see the evidence of this in the photo below! The nodules on the cowpea roots that fix nitrogen are in the center of the frame. Once the cowpeas are mowed down, we’ll tarp them so that they break down and are incorporated into the soil as organic matter. At that point, this section of our field will be ready for our second succession of fall planting!

You might have noticed that we’re a little lean on offerings at the moment as we transition from late summer into fall. Despite having a smaller variety of items to cook with in our kitchens, we’ve still been whipping up some incredibly delicious dishes. Farmer Alex recently made a lasagna with thin slices of eggplant and Egyptian spinach that was really delicious. And, one of our volunteers, Anna, has been making batches of fermented pickles with our cucumbers. We’ve also been making a few small zinnia bouquets each week in case you’d like to add some farm beauty to your home! You can find the full list of what we have available below.

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

Planting cover crops is integral to managing the health of our soil on the farm. In order to improve the soil in one of the back sections of the farm, we’re planting it with a cover crop of cowpeas for the season. As they grow, the cowpeas will work to fix beneficial nitrogen to the soil, reduce soil erosion, and hopefully crowd out pesky weeds like nutsedge. Our plan is to let the cover crop grow throughout the summer until we can mow it down in the fall. The bonus with a cowpea cover crop is that we will be able to harvest both fresh and dried peas for you as it grows!

We’re harvesting four new crops for you this week: tomatillos, long beans, jalapenos, and eggplant. Long beans are not only fun to play with out in the field as seen in the photo above but in the kitchen as well! Farmer Alex recommends stir-frying them with garlic, soy sauce, and honey and a quick and flavorful side dish. As for the tomatillos and jalapenos, they make a great salsa along with our scallions that can be paired with slices of grilled or roasted eggplant. If you’d like to try out these recipes, make sure to pop by the farm stand to stock up!

Just in case you hadn’t noticed it yet, it’s mighty hot outside! The arrival of a record-breaking heat wave means that our more sensitive crops like tomatoes won’t be around much longer. Overall, the high heat and dry conditions will be stressful for most of our crops so we’ll keep you updated as it might affect what’s available at the farm stand week to week. And, it means that we’ll most likely be doing work off-farm in the afternoons past 2pm on days when the highs reach 100 degrees and above to avoid heat stress for ourselves. Stay cool out there!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Long Beans, Eggplant, Tomatillos, Jalapenos, Sweet Peppers, Tomatoes, Spaghetti Squash, Delicata Squash, Cucumbers, Amaranth Greens, Zucchini, Cousa Squash, Carrots, Beets, Scallions, and Cut Flowers