Don’t forget to join us this Saturday, November 4th from 9am-12pm for the Live Well Health and Fitness Expo! This event takes place on the farm and is hosted in partnership with the Jordan Ranch Lifestyle Team. We’ll be joined by local vendors and food trucks and there will be live music and activities for all ages to enjoy. In addition to the beautiful produce at our Farm Stand, we’ll be offering special veggie kits and recipes to inspire you in the kitchen. This event is free of charge and open to the public so we hope to see you there!

Remember the Desperado green beans we planted back in September? We’re just beginning to harvest from our plants which means you can pop by the Farm Stand for some delicious green beans! These beans have a mildly sweet flavor and great texture. Though they can technically be eaten raw, we recommend cooking them first. Farmer Anna loves to stir-fry them with honey, garlic, chili oil, and soy sauce for a super simple and delicious side dish. Make sure to enjoy them while they’re in season! 

In addition to green beans, curly kale and mustard greens also made their way back into season this week. Even though both of these leafy greens are members of the Brassica family, they have distinctly different flavors. Kale has an earthy and vegetal taste while mustard greens are sharp and peppery. Both are great for adding to soups and stews but they can also stand alone in a side dish when sauteed or braised. You can find both of these leafy greens at the Farm Stand. 

In Season at the Farm Stand: Green Beans, Dill, Kale, Mustard Greens, Arugula, Swiss Chard, Bok Choy, Radish, and Eggplant. 

Coming Soon: Hakurei Turnips and Napa Cabbage

Remember the beds we were preparing for fall crops last week? We’re beginning to plant them this week! Our very first crop to be transplanted in these beds is our fall succession of bush beans (pictured above). This variety is called Desperado and it produces green beans with a mildly sweet flavor and beautiful snap. Once they germinate, these beans take about 55 days until the first harvest. Since we started these in the greenhouse and they are already about two weeks old, we hope to be able to share them with you in early November! 

The second fall crop we’ll be transplanting in the field this week is Napa cabbage. We have both a standard green variety (pictured above) along with a beautiful purple one. Since this variety of cabbage has a higher heat tolerance than a lot of our other fall crops, we’re able to get it in the field a bit earlier. Farmer Anna is incredibly excited to plant Napa cabbage because she absolutely loves making kimchi! Since Napa cabbage has a similar amount of days to maturity as our bush beans, you can expect to see them around the same time. 

Have you been able to enjoy any of our late summer veggies from the Farm Stand? Our volunteer Shanaz absolutely loves the okra! Her favorite dish to make with it is bamia, an Iranian okra stew that often includes lamb and tomatoes. If you’d like to make some, try this recipe. For a quick and tasty snack, Shanaz recommends seasoning okra simply with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then cooking it in an air fryer. If you’d like to try either of these delicious recipes, make sure to pop by the Farm Stand this weekend for some okra!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Long Beans, Malabar Spinach, Armenian Cucumbers, Eggplants, and Okra. 

We are in love with the variety of veggies at the farm stand right now. Each week, something new makes its way into season and this one is no exception as we welcome green beans! The variety is called “Tobago” and it is what is referred to as a “filet” or “French” bean due to its short, slender appearance. Farmer Caitlin prefers to grill her green beans for the smoky flavor it imparts. Toss the beans with melted butter, minced garlic, salt, and pepper and put them on the grill just long enough to get a little char.

In addition to green beans, there are two new summer squash varieties joining the lineup: Dario zucchini and Magda zucchini. Dario (pictured above) has a striking appearance with alternating light green and dark green stripes. Magda (pictured below) is a “cousa” type squash that is light green in color and has a sweet and nutty flavor. In addition to these two new squashes, we also have a standard green zucchini and yellow crookneck squash in season. Farmer Alex recommends using these delicious squashes to make a quiche! Add some of our basil and leeks to the mix and you have a delicious breakfast or brunch item.

As the weather warms and the days grow longer, we’re working on planting out our rows with heat-loving crops. This week, that includes planting the next succession of peppers. Are you a hot or sweet pepper fan? Or maybe you love both? Either way, we’ve got you covered! We planted serrano peppers this week, which typically run hotter than a jalapeno. And, we planted habanada peppers, a heatless habanero with a fruity flavor. We can’t wait to share these delicious peppers with you!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Green Beans, Flat Wax Beans, Summer Squashes, Cucumbers, Tomatoes (slicers & cherries), Carrots, Beets, Kohlrabi, Fennel, Scallions, Leeks, Collard Greens, Kale, Basil, and Flower Bouquets

April 21st, 2021

Our cucumbers were trellised this week to give them space to sprawl vertically while they produce fruit. Like our snap peas, cucumbers produce specialized leaves called tendrils that can wrap around solid objects (like our trellis) to provide support for the plant as it grows. The trellising for the summer doesn’t stop there as we’ll eventually be adding support for our climbing beans, peppers, and eggplant. Since the farm is prone to strong winds, this will help all of our vining and upright crops have a better support system. And in the case of our vining and climbing crops, it will make it much easier to harvest!

The green beans are just about ready for the first harvest. Though we’re starting to see the first beans of harvesting size this week, we’ll most likely be making our first official harvest next week as more beans mature. This first succession of green beans is a variety called “Jade”. It is a classic green bean with long, slender pods that are tender and sweet. We plan on having multiple successions of beans throughout the spring and summer so once our green beans are done for the season we’ll have Bai Bu Lao pole beans ready for harvest followed by Chinese noodle beans.

New to the harvesting lineup this week is our lettuce mix and bulb onions. Our lettuce mix, made up of a few different leaf and head lettuces, will be available in bags making it salad-ready. As for our onions, they are a yellow onion variety called “Madalyn”. These onions are relatively mild and sweet and they make the perfect base for a multitude of recipes. Or, if you want to enjoy them on their own, you can make a batch of French onion soup or caramelize them for burgers, tacos, or salads.

If you’re out and about and want to support restaurants that are using our produce, check out Better Luck Tomorrow and Squable.

Often simple is best when it comes to beautifully ripened summer produce. To intensify the flavors and bring out the natural sugars, beans and peppers are roasted at a high heat. They’re finished off with a sprinkling of homemade lemon tarragon salt to provide an herbaceous brightness to the dish. Simple and delicious!