We have a special treat for you this week: a limited run of cauliflower! This round of cauliflower is particularly special because it survived the hard freeze in January and those very warm days in February. Since this is a limited run, we will only have it available at the Farm Stand for the next week, or until it sells out. If you love cauliflower, we highly recommend popping by for a head or two! Farmer Anna recommends steaming it until tender then mashing it with some garlic, salt, smoked paprika, and onion powder for an easy side dish.

Remember the experimental round of cutting celery we started back in December? It has officially made its way into season on the farm! You’ll notice if you look at the photo below that cutting celery has a different appearance than the stalk celery you are familiar with seeing at the grocery store. Cutting celery produces much thinner stalks and more leafy green growth. The leaves can be used like parsley and are great for adding to soups, stews, and sauces. Since the stalks can be a bit more fibrous than conventional celery, we recommend cooking them rather than eating them raw. They make a great base for a variety of different recipes along with diced onions and carrots.

We seeded the first round of butternuts in the greenhouse last week! Though butternuts are a variety of winter squash, they are grown during the warmer spring and summer months. This particular variety is called Butterbaby and it yields miniature butternut squashes. Since these butternuts have a vining growth habit and are sensitive to moisture, we’ll be planting them in rows covered with a weed fabric. We’ll share more on this process later so stay tuned!

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

Coming Soon: Beets, Cucumbers, Zucchini, and Summer Squashes

If you’re looking for something to do on Christmas Eve morning, we invite you to come see us at The Heights Mercantile Farmers Market! We’ll be there with a delicious selection of our farm-fresh produce including beautiful lettuce heads, first of the season scallions, and much more. The Heights Mercantile Farmers Market is located at 714 Yale Street in Houston. The next market takes place on Sunday, December 24th from 9am-1pm. We would love to see you there! 

We are happy to report that spinach is in season at the Farm Stand! Spinach is one of the few leafy greens we grow during the cooler seasons that is not a member of the Brassica family. It’s in the Amaranth family along with familiar favorites like Swiss chard and beets. Spinach has a lovely mild flavor that is perfect as the base for salads. It’s also great in soups, pasta dishes, quiches, and casseroles. Farmer Anna loves to add spinach to an omelet and highly recommends giving it a try.

We are growing an experimental round of cutting celery and are really pleased with its germination rate and growth thus far. Cutting celery differs from standard celery in that it produces slimmer stalks with a richer aroma and flavor. Last week we thinned each cell in our transplant trays down to a single celery plant (above). This process allows us to ensure each plant has access to the nutrients it needs without any competition. Since celery is a slower growing crop, we expect to be transplanting it in about a month.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Lettuce Heads, Collard Greens, Swiss Chard, Mustard Greens, Kale, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Spinach, Napa Cabbage, Hakurei Turnips, Radishes (limited), and Dill

Coming Soon: Scallions, Carrots, and Beets