We are excited to share that we harvested the first broccoli of the season for you this week! It is a variety of “bunching broccoli” which means the plants grow a smaller central head along with many small side shoots. We love this tender broccoli for its flavor and ease of prep in the kitchen. Since there are several smaller shoots bunched together, there’s minimal cutting involved! You can find bunching broccoli along with all of our other fall crops in the Grab-and-Go coolers. 

What have you been loving recently from the Farm Stand? Farmer Sarah has really been enjoying the Tuscan kale! She loves to blend it into a smoothie along with bananas, frozen blueberries, peanut butter, almond milk, and protein powder. Farmer Mary loves the spring onions because they’re super versatile. She enjoys using them as a garnish for most of her meals, especially egg tacos. Curious what else is in season this week? Check out the list at the end of the post! 

Planting continued this week with a round of fennel and celery. Both of these cool season crops are members of the Apiaceae family along with other favorites like carrots, cilantro, and dill. Members of this family are characterized by the umbrella-like shape of their flowers, though we typically harvest them before they reach the flowering stage! Fennel takes just about two months to go from seed to petite harvesting size while celery takes a little longer at about three months. 

In Season at the Farm Stand: Collard Greens, Bunching Broccoli, Red Russian Kale, Tuscan Kale, Bok Choy, Lettuce Heads, Swiss Chard, Arugula, Hakurei Turnips, Amara Mustard Greens, Wasabina Mustard Greens, Radishes, Spring Onions, Okra, and Bell Peppers.

We spent a large part of the end of last week preparing for the hard freeze. In addition to covering some of our rows with frost cloth, we did a lot of bulk harvesting, especially with our storage crops, to mitigate potential frost damage. A lot of winter crops like carrots, cabbages, and broccoli are meant for storing which means their freshness and quality can be maintained for longer periods in our cooler. Due to all of the bulk harvesting, the coolers are packed to the brim with delicious produce so we highly encourage you to don your warmest coat and stop by!

During bulk harvesting we made the decision to go ahead and harvest both kohlrabi and fennel in their baby stage. You can now find bunches of petite fennel and kohlrabi in the coolers! Fennel (above) has a mellow anise flavor that makes a great base for soups, stews, and tomato sauces. It can also be thinly sliced and added to leafy green salads. Kohlrabi (below) has a mildly sweet flavor similar to a broccoli stem. It can be enjoyed raw in salads, pickled, or paired with your favorite veggies for a simple sheet pan veggie roast.

We sowed the first round of tomato and pepper seeds in the greenhouse and they’re already starting to germinate! Most of this first round will be transplanted in the high tunnel since its more controlled environment allows us to plant more vulnerable varieties earlier than in the field. Among the tomato varieties we planted are the highly popular Sungold and Cherry Bomb cherry tomato varieties along with Big Beef slicers. We also planted a mix of sweet and hot peppers including shishito, poblano, and lunchbox sweet snacking peppers.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Baby Kohlrabi, Baby Fennel, Dino Kale, Curly Kale, Collards, Komatsuna (Asian Spinach), Bok Choy, Swiss Chard, Mustard Greens, Cone Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Scallions, Romaine Lettuce, Butter Lettuce, Little Gem Lettuce, Cilantro, Carrots, Salad Mix, Arugula, Cherry Tomatoes, and Early Girl Tomatoes

The greenhouse is in spring mode and is bursting with life! Spring favorites like cucumbers, zucchini, basil, and summer squash are swiftly growing and nearly ready to be transplanted. In addition to all of the veggies and herbs, we have several different flower varieties growing! Farmer Anna is most excited for these and can’t wait to be able to offer fresh cut flower bouquets again. Here are some of the varieties you can expect to see this spring and summer: cosmos, sunflowers, nasturtium, stock, zinnias, and strawflower. 

We direct-seeded one last round of quick-growing crops in the high tunnel before we shift our focus to tomatoes. We sowed both salad radishes and arugula which are typically ready for harvesting in about a month. That’s as fast as food gets around here! Our goal is to be able to have these harvested before we need the space for our tomatoes. You can expect to see arugula and radishes make their way to the Farm Stand in the next couple of weeks.

Don’t forget to pick up some of our fennel at the Farm Stand! Fennel is in the same family as carrots and has a mellow anise-like flavor. Both the bulb and fronds of fennel are edible and pair really well with root veggies and citrus. Farmer Anna loves adding it to a seasonal veggie roast along with our colored cauliflower, watermelon radishes, and carrots. You can pick up fennel along with our other seasonal crops at the Self-Serve Farm Stand any time that’s convenient for you throughout the week. If you prefer to see us in person, make sure to pop by on Saturdays from 9am-noon.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Chioggia Beets, Fennel, Carrots, Watermelon Radishes, Kohlrabi, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Collard Greens, Kale, and Parsley.

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.

February 10th, 2021

We’re excited to introduce our newest Farmer Kim Conrads! Kim’s history with farming began right out of high school. After gaining plenty of hands-on farming experience, Kim then went on to study sustainable agriculture in college. Since her college studies she has worked at various farms around the country, the most recent of which was a year-long stint at our sister farm over at Harvest Green. Kim’s favorite vegetables to grow are radishes and Napa cabbage.

Though wintry weather is on its way our greenhouse is staying nice and warm for all of the spring crops we’ve been able to seed thus far. Since our tomatoes are putting on plenty of healthy growth we’ve started planting seeds for a variety of peppers. Here are a few of the varieties we’ll be growing this spring and summer: Serrano, Wonder Bell (a sweet bell pepper), Gochujang (a hot and pungent Korean pepper), and Biberiye (a Turkish pickling pepper with medium heat).

Our fennel is looking mighty fine and ready for some harvesting this weekend. Fennel is part of the Apiaceae Family along with carrots, dill, cilantro, and parsley. The bulb, feathery leaves, and seeds of fennel are edible and have a mild licorice flavor. Fennel can actually be harvested and enjoyed in the petite stage or at any point beyond that in its growth. We love using the fronds as an herb, adding it to pestos or sprinkling it atop dishes as a garnish. As for the bulb, you can thinly slice it and add it to salads or try roasting it until caramelized.