Preparations for tomato planting are officially underway on the farm! This week our focus is to get all of our beds in both the field and the high tunnel prepared and ready to go for planting next week. This process involves re-shaping the existing beds and adding amendments like compost and organic fertilizer. If you’re curious what varieties we’re growing this year, check out this post. We can’t wait to see all of these rows filled with beautiful tomato plants!

We’ll have the first icicle radishes of the season for you at the farm stand this weekend! As their name implies, these radishes are long and white in color. Icicle is a mini-Daikon radish variety with a peppery bite and crunchy texture. Farmer Alex recommends using them for a batch of pickles (here’s a great recipe) or to make kimchi. If you’re interested in making your own kimchi, we also have Napa cabbages available at the farm stand!

Look at how big our garlic is getting! We planted two soft neck garlic varieties (Italian and Inchelium) at the beginning of January. Soft neck garlic does better in areas with mild winters and hot summers while hard neck varieties are more cold-hardy. Unlike hard neck varieties, soft neck garlic will not form a scape (an edible central stalk). While we’re still far away from a mature garlic harvest, we will be able to harvest green garlic in about a month. Similar to our spring onions, green garlic is simply immature garlic that hasn’t fully formed. We’ll let you know once we’ve harvested some so that you can try it!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Icicle Radishes, Broccoli Rabe, Kohlrabi, Celery, Spring Onions, Sugar Snap Peas, Salad Radishes, Turnips, Kale, Collards, Cabbage, and Cilantro.

The first thing that always comes to mind when I get my hands on eggplant is baba ghanouj, a delicious Middle Eastern dip made of roasted eggplant, tahini, and spices. But, eggplant is a summer crop and one of the last things I want to do when it’s sweltering out is turn on my oven! Here you’ll find a smokier stove top version of one of my favorite dips.

It’s not just potatoes that are fit for mashing! Turnips make a delicious and beautifully-hued mash when paired with a few simple ingredients and topped with a sprinkle of crispy shallots. Though they have a somewhat humble appearance, turnips are a great source of Vitamin C, potassium, and calcium. So grab some turnips and let’s get mashing!

When raw, daikon radish can be a bit spicy or pungent. But, if you cook it in a flavorful broth until it is meltingly tender, it becomes earthy and a bit sweet. Flavored with miso, ginger, garlic, and star anise, the braising liquid not only tastes delicious, but is good for the digestive system. Serving the braised daikon over steamed rice or quinoa makes it both filling and comforting.