Okra is officially back in season on the farm! Thanks to its ability to thrive during the heat, okra is one of our tried and true summer staples. We’re harvesting a colorful mix of green and burgundy varieties that are perfect for pickling, roasting, and frying. Farmer Reuben loves to give okra a quick toss with olive oil and lemon pepper then air fry it until crisp and golden around the edges. Make sure to snag some for your holiday weekend at the Farm Stand! 

In addition to okra, we’re harvesting three different pepper varieties for you: shishito, serrano, and jalapeno. Shishito peppers are on the milder side of the spice spectrum and are perfect for roasting and grilling. Serrano peppers (below left) are Farmer Reuben’s favorite! They have a grassy flavor and a medium spice level that is great in salsas and hot sauces. Jalapenos (below right) have a similar spice level to serranos but with a fruitier flavor. Try pickling them or adding them to your next batch of cornbread. You can find all three of these pepper varieties at the Farm Stand.

With summer swiftly approaching, we’re focusing on planting varietals that can take the heat. We planted two cucumber varieties last week that will keep us in supply over the summer: Armenian and Unagi. Armenian cucumbers are technically a melon so they have a subtly sweet taste that is unique. Unagi cucumbers (below) are an Asian variety that has a crisp texture and glossy, green skin. We can’t wait to harvest these delicious cucumbers for you soon! 

In Season at the Farm Stand: Slicing Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Serrano Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Okra, Scallions (last week!), Kale, and Basil

Coming Soon: Eggplants and Zucchini

We are now deep into the Summer Season and with the high heat comes some new and interesting veggies for the Farm Stand. If you want a sneak peek at what’s to come, make sure to join us for our Farm Tour this Saturday (July 15th) at 10:30am. We’ll chat about what varieties will grow during the heat of summer and show you the ones we’re most excited about. And, you’ll be able to see all the gorgeous hues of our Benary Giant zinnias (pictured below) and a preview of the upcoming watermelon harvest! Our tours are open to the public and free of charge so we hope to see you there!

We’re beginning to harvest watermelons so we’ll have a few for you at the Farm Stand this weekend! Since our watermelons are just beginning to ripen, we’ll only have limited quantities available over the next week. Though there are many commonly used methods to test for a watermelon’s ripeness, we start by looking at the tendril nearest the melon’s stem on the vine. If it’s browning or dead, the melon is most likely ready! We also check to see if the spot where the melon has been resting on the ground is yellow which is another great indicator of the fruit being ready for harvest.

Hot pepper fans rejoice! These spicy crops are just beginning to trickle back into season with the first small harvest of both jalapeño and serrano peppers. While both of these peppers are green, you can easily tell them apart by their shape. Jalapeños (pictured on the left) are darker green with that quintessential chili pepper shape. Serranos (pictured on the right) are a lighter shade of green and are more slender in shape. Farmer Reuben loves to make salsa with these peppers or finely chop them and add them to ground beef for a spicy kick. You’ll be able to find limited quantities of each at the Farm Stand this weekend.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Eggplant, Watermelons (limited), Korean Melons, Long Beans, Okra, Sweet Peppers, Serrano Peppers (limited), Jalapeño Peppers (limited), Onions, and Cut Flower Bouquets (limited and only on Saturdays).

Planting cover crops is integral to managing the health of our soil on the farm. In order to improve the soil in one of the back sections of the farm, we’re planting it with a cover crop of cowpeas for the season. As they grow, the cowpeas will work to fix beneficial nitrogen to the soil, reduce soil erosion, and hopefully crowd out pesky weeds like nutsedge. Our plan is to let the cover crop grow throughout the summer until we can mow it down in the fall. The bonus with a cowpea cover crop is that we will be able to harvest both fresh and dried peas for you as it grows!

We’re harvesting four new crops for you this week: tomatillos, long beans, jalapenos, and eggplant. Long beans are not only fun to play with out in the field as seen in the photo above but in the kitchen as well! Farmer Alex recommends stir-frying them with garlic, soy sauce, and honey and a quick and flavorful side dish. As for the tomatillos and jalapenos, they make a great salsa along with our scallions that can be paired with slices of grilled or roasted eggplant. If you’d like to try out these recipes, make sure to pop by the farm stand to stock up!

Just in case you hadn’t noticed it yet, it’s mighty hot outside! The arrival of a record-breaking heat wave means that our more sensitive crops like tomatoes won’t be around much longer. Overall, the high heat and dry conditions will be stressful for most of our crops so we’ll keep you updated as it might affect what’s available at the farm stand week to week. And, it means that we’ll most likely be doing work off-farm in the afternoons past 2pm on days when the highs reach 100 degrees and above to avoid heat stress for ourselves. Stay cool out there!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Long Beans, Eggplant, Tomatillos, Jalapenos, Sweet Peppers, Tomatoes, Spaghetti Squash, Delicata Squash, Cucumbers, Amaranth Greens, Zucchini, Cousa Squash, Carrots, Beets, Scallions, and Cut Flowers

July 28th, 2021

Though our last succession of patty pan squash didn’t last long thanks to the last push of rain, our zucchini just made its way back into season! We’re harvesting two different zucchini varieties: Dunja and Green Machine. Dunja yields a dark green zucchini while Green Machine is more of a medium green with light flecks. Just like many cucurbits, zucchini produce both male and female flowers on the same plant. Once pollen from the male flowers pollinates the females with a little help from our pollinators, the zucchini fruit begins to grow and swell until we harvest it at about 6-8 inches in length.

Our Armenian cucumbers are slowly but surely starting to fruit. Though they look and taste like a standard cucumber (Cucumis sativus), the Striped Armenian, Cucumis melo, is technically a melon! It has a curved shape and distinct dark and light green stripes. During the baby phase, these cucumbers have more of a fuzzy rather than prickly appearance making them easily distinguishable from most other cucumbers. We can’t wait for you to try this beautiful summer crop!

The first peppers of our jalapeño crop are starting to reach harvesting size. Generally, jalapeños can be harvested when they are between 3-5 inches in length. Did you know that capsaicin, the chemical that gives peppers their spice, is concentrated around the seeds and ribs of each pepper? If you prefer less heat, simply remove as much of the seeds and ribs as you want before using them in a recipe. Since we still have a lot of babies on our plants, they will be available in limited quantities at the farm stand for now so if you want some, make sure to get there early!