The first Korean melons of the season were harvested this week! We highly recommend popping by the Farm Stand soon so you can try one. Both the skin and flesh are edible so there’s minimal prep required when eating one. Simply cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, and you’re good to go! Farmer Anna loves the Korean melons straight from the fridge as a cold and refreshing summer snack while Farmer Reuben prefers to sprinkle slices with a dash of tajin. You can also use them in salads, sorbets, juices, and smoothies.

Okra, a beloved summer staple, is back in season this week! We have a colorful mix of green and burgundy okra for you at the Farm Stand. Since okra prefers warm temperatures, it tends to perform very well for us throughout the summer season. That means you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy it! Farmer Anna’s favorite dish to make with okra is bamya, a Mediterranean stew. She includes okra, eggplant, and tomatoes in her version. If you’d like to make your own, try this recipe. 

Tomato season is fleeting so make sure to stock up the next time you’re at the Farm Stand! Due to the consistently high temperatures, tomato season will be over in the next couple of weeks. For the time being, we have limited quantities of cherry tomatoes, Caiman tomatoes, and green tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes are great for adding to salads or cooking down into a quick pasta sauce. The Caiman variety is a red slicer that works well on sandwiches, burgers, or the classic BLT. Green tomatoes make a great relish but they can also be pickled, fried, or cooked down into jam or chutney. 

In Season at the Farm Stand: Korean Melons, Okra, Long Beans, Banana Peppers, Sweet Peppers, Limited Cherry and Slicing Tomatoes, Eggplant, Cousa Squash, Onions, Limited Leeks, and Cut Flower Bouquets (limited and only on Saturdays).

The peas in the high tunnel are flowering which means we’re really close to the first harvest. Check out the beautiful flowers on our Royal snap peas in the photo above! We have a mix of snow peas, sugar snap peas, and shelling peas growing. Both snow peas and sugar snap peas yield peas in edible pods. Shelling peas don’t produce edible pods and must be shelled (hence the name) in order to be enjoyed. We can’t wait to share the first pea harvest of the year with you!

The arrival of another frost kept us busy with preparations this week. This involves making sure both the greenhouse and high tunnel are sealed and susceptible crops in the field are covered with frost cloth. Though freezing temperatures have the potential to damage our crops, they also have some benefits. They help to eliminate or lessen certain pests like margin beetles and aphids. And, they can enhance the taste of crops like carrots and kale since their cells will begin to convert starch to sugar in order to protect themselves from freezing, which adds a delicious sweet note to their flavor.

The time has finally come to bid farewell to the tomatoes in the high tunnel. These tomatoes were planted as a fall succession last year and have been giving us a steady supply of fruit throughout fall and winter! We’ll be removing them in order to make way for the next round of tomatoes. Before they go, we’ll be harvesting as many green tomatoes as we can. You’ll be able to purchase both green and ripe tomatoes at the farm stand this Saturday. Make sure to stock up because we won’t have any tomatoes for you for a while!

In Season: Cauliflower, Cabbage, Broccoli, Carrots, Beets, Kale, Little Gem Lettuce Heads, Green Slicer Tomatoes, and Ripe Slicer Tomatoes.

July 1st, 2021

Tomato season is swiftly coming to an end so we hope you’ve been able to get your fill! We will have slicer tomatoes for only one more week and our cherry varieties for hopefully two to three more weeks. Now is the time that we start harvesting green tomatoes! The term “green tomato” simply refers to an unripe tomato. Green tomatoes tend to be firm, pale green, and have more of a tart, astringent flavor than their ripe counterparts. Popular Southern uses of this vegetable include fried green tomatoes and the pickled relish known as chow-chow.

Similar to green tomatoes in appearance, our tomatillos are nearing the first harvest. Unlike with tomatoes, the color of the tomatillo doesn’t dictate when it’s fully mature. Instead, it’s the papery outer husk. Once the husks have burst open to reveal the tomatillo inside, it’s time to harvest! Tomatillos are most commonly used to make salsa verde but they can also be used in soups, stews, and even as a substitute to tomato juice in a bloody Mary.

Our okra crop has really hit its stride as we find ourselves harvesting nearly every other day! Though okra in general is an incredibly fast grower once it starts producing pods, we’ve noticed that the burgundy variety we’re growing seems to be even quicker than the green variety. Okra is most frequently enjoyed pickled, fried, or in a bowl of gumbo. An easy and quick way to enjoy your okra is to roast it in the oven. Simply trim off the stem end of your okra and spread it out in an even layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle the okra with olive oil, season it with salt and pepper, and roast it in a 450 degree oven for about 15 minutes, making sure to toss the okra every 5 minutes so that it roasts evenly.

If you’ve ever wanted to get involved with the farm, we have the perfect opportunity for you: volunteering! If you’re interested in volunteering some of your time helping the team out with basic farm tasks, email us at JordanRanch@agmenity.com.