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 harvested the first kale and bok choy of the season this week! Both of these crops are members of the vast Brassica family along with other cool season favorites like broccoli and cabbage. Kale (above) is incredibly versatile and can be enjoyed raw in salads, smoothies, and juices but it’s also just as delicious in soups, stir-fries, and pasta dishes. Boy choy (below) has tender leaves and crunchy stems that are perfect for stir-fries, soups, and grilling. You can find both of these leafy greens in the Grab-and-Go coolers! 

It’s an exciting time on the farm as we’re harvesting something new nearly every week. In the next week or two, we’ll be harvesting the first heads of Chinese (Napa) cabbage! As you can see below, our plants are huge and have already started to form heads. Once the heads size up to harvesting size over the next couple of weeks, you’ll start to see them trickle into the Farm Stand. We can’t wait to share them with you! 

With the arrival of cooler weather, our remaining summer crops will start to slow down and eventually be completely phased out. While okra can grow until the first frost, our peppers are more sensitive to cold weather along with basil and a lot of our flowers. We highly recommend taking advantage of our Italian basil and flower bouquets because they won’t be around much longer! Make sure to snag a bouquet this weekend to add a little seasonal farm beauty to your home. 

In Season at the Farm Stand: Kale (limited), Bok Choy, Lettuce Heads (limited), Swiss Chard, Arugula, Hakurei Turnips, Amara Mustard Greens, Wasabina Mustard Greens, Radishes, Scallions, Okra, Lunchbox Peppers, Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Basil, and Flower Bouquets

We celebrated the arrival of fall this week by planting another round of delicious fall crops! This round includes favorites like broccoli, kale, and Swiss chard. Though it will be a while before you see broccoli make it to the Farm Stand due to its longer harvesting window, you can expect to see the first kale and Swiss chard in about a month! If you’re a kale connoisseur, you’ll be pleased to know that we are growing a couple of different varieties including the ever-popular dino kale. We can’t wait to share it with you!

Your favorite summer crops are still around for now but that will change over the coming weeks as cooler weather eventually returns and we begin harvesting fall crops. Members of the nightshade and cucurbit families make up a significant portion of our summer crops and are suited for growing in the warmer months rather than cooler ones. In order to prioritize the current growing season, we’ll begin phasing them out and replacing them with cool weather crops. We highly recommend enjoying the following items over the coming weeks before they make their way out of season: zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, basil, and okra.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Scallions, Summer Squash, Okra, Eggplant, Zucchini, Cucumbers, Lunchbox Peppers, Jalapenos, Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Basil (Italian, Lemon, Thai, and Tulsi), and Flower Bouquets and Stems

We’re harvesting two new veggies this week for the Farm Stand: Hakurei turnips and baby bok choy! Both of these crops are members of the Brassica family. Hakurei turnips (above) have a crunchy texture like a radish but with a sweet and slightly fruity flavor. They can be eaten raw in salads or slaws or roasted. Baby bok choy (below) has a tight compact head with thick stems. The stems are crunchy with a mild sweetness while the leaves are tender and soft. Baby bok choy makes a wonderful addition to soups or you can give it a quick sauté with some Thai peanut sauce.

If you’ve popped by the Farm Stand recently you’ve probably noticed that we have two different kinds of kale. “Black Magic” is our dinosaur or Toscano kale variety, an heirloom from the Tuscany region of Italy. It has a striking bluish green leaf and is typically less bitter and more delicate in texture than curly kale. This variety (below left) lends itself better to salads after a quick massage and cooks faster than curly kale. “Darkibor” is our curly kale variety. It is exceptionally hardy and tends to survive frosts better than our dinosaur kale. It has green leaves that are frilly on the outer edges (below right) with an almost peppery flavor. This sturdy kale variety works well in braises, soups, and stews.

The warm and drier conditions we’ve experienced this month have led to what we believe will be a decent fall tomato crop. Since we shared our last update at the end of September, almost all of our plants have green tomatoes on them! If the weather cooperates, we should be able to start harvesting our cherry varieties within the next 2-3 weeks with our slicing varieties following suit shortly after. We’ll update you again once we start harvesting our tomatoes! 

In Season at the Farm Stand: French Breakfast Radishes, Beets, Hakurei Turnips, Roselle Pods, Baby Bok Choy, Komatsuna, Curly Kale, Dinosaur Kale, Mustard Greens, Roselle Greens, Collard Greens, Korean Melons, Okra, and Long Beans

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

We have two veggies on the harvesting horizon this month: carrots and Brussels sprouts. Farmer Alex estimates that our Brussels sprouts (pictured above) will reach harvesting size in the next couple of weeks. As for our carrots, you can see in the photo below that they are still pretty small. Farmer Alex thinks we should have the first carrots for you by Christmas. We’ll make sure to keep you updated!

The time has finally come to bid farewell to our summer crops! Our okra and roselle are completely done for the season but we’ll have sweet peppers and eggplant for you through the rest of the month. We highly recommend enjoying these remaining summer crops while you can before they finally make their way out of season! A great way to enjoy sweet peppers and eggplant is by making a batch of Ajvar, a tangy Serbian relish. Here’s a recipe if you’d like to try it this month.

We’re harvesting the first of this beautiful red curly kale for you this week! This brilliantly colored kale (pictured below) is similar in flavor and texture to our green curly kale. It can be enjoyed cooked or raw depending on your preference. Farmer Anna loves to add kale to hearty soups or coconut milk curries like this one. You can snag a bunch to try at our farm stand!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Beets, Radishes, Hakurei Turnips, Scallions, Collard Greens, Cabbage, Napa Cabbage, Bok Choy, Hon Tsai Tai, Salad Mix, Kale, Mustard Greens, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cilantro, Dill, Sweet Peppers, and Eggplant.

We’re harvesting a new radish variety for you this week: icicle! These radishes are long and white in color. Icicle is a mini-Daikon radish with a peppery bite that is great for pickling and adding to salads. They’re also perfect for adding to your next batch of kimchi! If you’re interested in making your own kimchi, we’ll also have the first Napa cabbages for you next week!

In addition to the icicle radishes, we’ll also be harvesting the first kale, mustard greens, and cilantro of the season. We’ll have two different kale varieties available for you at the farm stand: Lacinato and Red Russian. Lacinato kale tends to be a bit sweeter than other varieties making it ideal for a kale salad. If you’re looking for some kale recipe inspiration, Farmer Alex recommends braising your kale with some miso or adding it to a strata.

Remember the section of the farm that was planted with a cowpea cover crop? The cover crop was mowed down back in September and the rows were prepared in anticipation of fall planting. Last week we planted those rows with the next succession of fall crops! As you can see in the photo below, our fall crops are thriving! We’re optimistic that these crops will continue to flourish thanks to our nitrogen-fixing cowpeas. This block is planted with a couple of broccoli varieties, cauliflower, purple cabbage, and Napa cabbage.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Kale, Mustard Greens, Collard Greens, Swiss Chard, Arugula, Cilantro, Dill, Radishes, Cucumbers, Okra, Eggplants, Sweet Peppers, and Marigold and Sunflower Bouquets.

Upcoming Events: Harvest Market on Saturday, November 5th from 9am-noon at the farm

Bok choy is officially back in season! We’ll have the first heads of it available for you at the farm stand this Saturday. Bok choy is a member of the extensive brassica family that has tender leaves and crunchy stems. Both the stems and leaves are edible and can be enjoyed raw or cooked. Here are a few different ways you can enjoy bok choy: stir-fried with other seasonal vegetables like broccoli and spring onions, sauteed with garlic and soy sauce, added to a batch of vegetable soup, and used in place of Napa cabbage for a batch of kimchi.

In addition to bok choy, we’re harvesting a delicious variety of late winter and early spring produce on the farm! Since we love eating the farm’s vegetables just as much as we love growing them, we’re always experimenting with simple and delicious recipes at home. Alex has been loving cooking with cabbage because it works in both simple and more complex dishes. If you’re going for a simple recipe, she recommends roasting it. If you want to put in a little more effort, stir fry it with other seasonal vegetables and serve it with soba noodles, peanut sauce, and the protein of your choice. Yum!

As for Caitlin, she loves the versatility of kale. This leafy green can be added to so many different dishes from salads to soups to pastas and beyond. Her favorite way to enjoy it is to sauté it with lemon juice, salt, and pepper and top it with some cooked chicken. She recently added it to a batch of fried rice with carrots and snap peas and highly recommends it! If you’d like to try making your own version at home, make sure to pop by the farm stand to stock up on supplies. To see what else we have in season, check out the list below.

In Season: Bok Choy, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Shelling Peas, Salad Mix, Spring Onions, Spinach, Beets, Kale, and Radishes along with Tomato Transplants and Cabbage Transplants for your garden

December 9th, 2021

The farm is looking mighty green this week especially with the addition of the Little Gem lettuces and Barese chard that we planted! Little Gem (pictured here) produces heads of lettuce with a sweet flavor and buttery texture. We’ll be harvesting this lettuce variety as mature heads rather than younger leaves like we do with our salad mixes. Barese is a variety of Swiss chard that produces glossy dark green leaves and thick white stalks. The leaves are smaller than standard Swiss chard.

We planted a couple of different kale varieties this week that we plan on overwintering. When it comes to plants, overwintering simply means to live through the winter. Since our overwintered kale will be in the ground longer than our earlier plantings (ideally until spring), we space each plant slightly farther apart to provide more space for each to grow. Here’s to plenty of delicious kale this winter!

Our next succession of broccoli is coming right along! This variety is Green Magic and as you can see it has already begun forming heads. As for our cauliflower, the first succession is nearly ready for harvest. We might be able to get away with harvesting the first heads just in time for the farm stand this Saturday but we should definitely have some for you next week! To make sure we can provide a relatively steady supply of both of these crops, we’ll be regularly planting successions of them throughout the winter.

Currently In Season: Carrots (limited), Slicer Tomatoes, Eggplant, Dill, Cilantro, Fennel, Kale, Green Leaf Lettuce Heads, Salad Mix, Arugula, Swiss Chard, Mustard Greens, Napa Cabbage, Turnips, Icicle Radishes, and Fresh Cut Flower Bouquets

November 18th, 2021

We’re adding three more leafy greens to our verdant lineup this week: curly kale, Lacinato kale, and rainbow chard. And, we hope to harvest the first Napa cabbages next week! We’ve been working hard to increase the diversity of crops on the farm so it feels great to be able to harvest twelve different varieties of greens. Each leafy green variety differs in terms of taste and texture. We hope you’ll try them all so that you can expand your palate and perhaps find a new favorite! Here’s a handy guide featuring all of the varieties we’re currently harvesting:

• Kales (Lacinato, Curly, & Red Russian) -- earthy and vegetal taste; baby leaves are tender and perfect for salads; adult leaves are sturdier and perfect for sautéeing.
• Rainbow Chard -- mildly sweet and earthy taste; the soft-textured leaves and crunchy stems are great for sautéeing and adding to soups.
• Tokyo Bekana -- mild cabbage-like flavor; the buttery soft leaves can be used as a salad green or added to soups and stir-fries
• Arugula -- mild peppery flavor; the tender leaves are great for adding to salads, sandwiches, or a batch of pesto.
• Lettuces -- mild vegetal flavor; the tender leaves are great for adding to salads and sandwiches.
• Gai Lan -- earthy and sweet taste; both the leaves and stems are great for adding to stir-fries and soups. 
• Tatsoi -- mild spinach-like flavor; the tender leaves can be added to a salad mix or sautéed.
• Bok Choy -- fresh and grassy flavor; the leaves and stems can be added to stir-fries, soups, or used for a batch of kimchi.
• Collard Greens -- earthy and alkaline flavor; the leaves and stems are great for braising, adding to soups, and as a wrap for sandwiches and burgers. 
• Mustard Greens -- sharp and peppery flavor (this mellows when cooked); the leaves are great for braising, sautéeing, and adding to soups. 

It’s hard to tell who likes our flower rows more, us or the pollinators! These flowers serve a dual purpose: they provide a source of food for our local pollinators and they bring a bit of farm beauty to your home in the form of cut flower bouquets. In addition to all of the delicious veggies we’ll have at the farm stand this weekend (list below), we’ll also have the following cut flowers for you to craft your own bouquets: marigolds, zinnias, and sunflowers.

As a reminder, our farm stand takes place on the farm every Saturday from 10am-noon and every Wednesday from 4-6pm. We’re the perfect option for your holiday meal-planning and shopping and would love to see you there!

Currently In Season: Cherry Tomatoes, Slicer Tomatoes, Kale, Rainbow Chard, Tokyo Bekana, Arugula, Lettuce Mix, Tatsoi, Baby Bok Choy, Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Gai Lan, Hakurei Turnips, White Icicle Radishes, Shishito Peppers, and Eggplant.

November 11th, 2021

‘Tis the season for all things green on the farm! We currently have 9 different leafy greens in season at the moment, including the newest on our harvesting list, gai lan (pictured below). Gai lan, also called Chinese broccoli or Chinese kale, yields thick bluish-green leaves with thick stems. If you look at the image above, you’ll see all of these leafy greens laid out. Here are the varieties from left to right: collard greens, arugula, Tokyo bekana, gai lan, kale, tatsoi, baby bok choy, mustard greens, and lettuce.

Our slicing tomato varieties are just starting to yield mature fruits which means both slicing and cherry varieties are in season. Tomatoes can easily be preserved for enjoyment during the winter months through canning or the more simple route, freezing. When preparing them for freezing, you can either cook them down into a paste or sauce first, or roast them until caramelized. We highly recommend picking up extras at the next farm stand because they won’t be in season for much longer depending on how low our overnight temperatures get!

Our fall succession of snap peas is coming right along. Snap peas are yet another crop we can plant in both spring and fall in our growing climate. As you can see in the photo, the snap pea plants have just reached the bottom of the trellis. At this point, they’ll continue their vertical climb up the trellis using their tendrils. We expect them to start flowering within the next week or two!

Currently In Season: Cherry Tomatoes, Slicer Tomatoes, Kale, Tokyo Bekana, Arugula, Lettuce Mix, Tatsoi, Baby Bok Choy, Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Gai Lan, Hakurei Turnips, Shishito Peppers, Eggplant, Yellow Squash, and White Icicle Radishes

September 30th, 2021

Who’s ready for some fall vegetables?! Several different fall crops were transplanted over the last week to join our Monty broccoli. Song cauliflower, a more heat-tolerant variety, was planted in addition to White Russian kale, Green Glaze collard greens, and Jericho lettuce. Though there’s still a bit of a wait when it comes to the broccoli and cauliflower, the leafy greens will be ready before you know it. We plan on harvesting some of the kale in the baby stage for you to enjoy.

The melons we direct-seeded in the high tunnel are doing very well. They’re currently taking up the back half of the high tunnel and will be using every bit of that space as their vines begin to grow and sprawl. The front half of the high tunnel was cleared and renovated in preparation for planting more fall tomatoes and Bai Bu Lao pole beans. We grew these beans during the summer and loved them so much that we decided to plant one more succession this year.

We’ll have a new leafy green for you at the farm stand this Saturday: Tatsoi! This leafy green resembles spinach in appearance but is actually a member of the vast Brassica family. The leaves of Tatsoi have a buttery soft texture and a mild flavor that is both sweet and mustardy. It’s incredibly versatile in the kitchen as it can be eaten raw in salads or substituted in any recipe calling for spinach. If you’d like to try some, come see us at the farm stand on Saturdays from 10am-noon or on Wednesdays from 4-6pm.