Another round of summer plantings are new to the field this week including crops like long beans, Asian eggplant, melons, and zucchini! We have taken advantage of the recent dry weeks by frequently weeding and preparing more growing space for cover crop and summer veggies. The addition of white shade cloth covering the greenhouse and high tunnel, as seen in the photo, helps plants thrive during the heat of summer by filtering intense direct sunlight we experience this time of year.

Beautiful and bright zinnias, sunflowers, and celosia are still available in the Grab-n-Go cooler and Farm Stand on Saturday mornings! Our flower bouquets have also been added to tables at The Shed as a little slice of sunshine for residents! The perennial pollinator patch is also boasting of blooms this time of year with delicate pink turks cap and salvia flowers that are a favorite sappy snack for hummingbirds!

A source of joy recently for the farmers has been frequent visits from families and groups of kiddos to enjoy time at the farm playground and relaxing on the farm porch! We thoroughly enjoy the curiosity of little ones who ask questions about the farm and take home fresh produce to enjoy throughout the week from the Grab-n-Go cooler. If you're looking for summer break ideas, the farm playground is a great place for kids to be active and encounter nature!

In Season : Roma Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil, Italian Eggplant, Okra, Long Beans, Peppers : Banana, Shishito, Green Bell, Sweet Bell, Jalapeno, Mad Hatter, and Poblano, Green Onion, and Flowers

Due to potential rain this coming Saturday and an influx in the mosquito population due to recent storms, we will be postponing the Buds & Blooms Kids Farm Adventure that was scheduled for this Saturday. Our Farm Stand will still be open and stocked full of delicious veggies and beautiful bouquets! With many recent inquiries about fruit growing on the farm, we are happy to update that melons are ripening well and should be available within the next few weeks. This year we are growing cantaloupe, Arava, and Korean melons - each with their own distinct colors and flavors!

Did you know that around 80% of flowers sold in grocery stores are imported from other countries? Enjoy the beauty and benefits of fresh, local flowers grown without synthetic additives by shopping at the Farm Stand on Saturday or our Grab-n-Go cooler at your convenience! Flower bouquets are arranged and sold the day of harvest for optimal freshness and lasting enjoyment in your home. We have stunning varieties of zinnias, marigolds, celosia, sunflowers and more!

The first rounds of okra and long beans have hit the shelves in the Grab-n-Go cooler! During any dry moment on the farm we are preparing beds to plant more summer crops like beans, eggplant, and okra. These crops are prized for their resiliency through our extreme summer heat and pair wonderfully when cooked together as well!

In Season : Slicing Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil, Asian Eggplant, Italian Eggplant, Okra, Long Beans, Banana Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Green Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Green Onion, and Flowers

One of our big goals this year was to grow a larger variety of flowers than we have in the past. With Farmer Anne at the helm of our flower program, we’ve been able to successfully grow familiar favorites like marigolds and zinnias in addition to brand new varieties like gomphrena, rudbeckia, and sweet pea! Every week we have a limited number of bouquets available in the Grab-and-Go coolers in addition to our Saturday Farm Stand. We also have single stems of certain varieties available like sunflowers. Make sure to take advantage of these beautiful flowers while they’re available! 

Our Grab-and-Go coolers offer convenience as they’re always open but if you prefer to chat with our Farm Team, we highly recommend stopping by our Farm Stand every Saturday from 9am-noon! Since we put everything out on tables, it’s a great way to be able to see what’s in season (like our 6 different pepper varieties!) and ask us any questions you might have about flavor, prep, and cooking tips. It’s also the perfect opportunity to meet our new Farm Manager Chandler! Our Farm Stand takes place every Saturday on the farm porch from 9am-noon so we hope to see you soon!

We hope you’ve been as excited about the arrival of the first round of melons as we have! So far the cantaloupe has been a big hit at the Farm Stand. We’re happy to share that there are more cantaloupes on the way with watermelons coming very soon. In order to make sure you have a later summer melon harvest to enjoy, we’re planting Korean melons this week! These golden melons have a crisp texture with a flavor that has notes of cantaloupe, cucumber, and pear. You can expect to see them at the Farm Stand in August. 

In Season at the Farm Stand: Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Long Beans, Okra, Eggplant, Cherry and Slicing Tomatoes, Zucchini, Jalapenos, Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Cornito Peppers, Lunchbox Peppers, Baby Butternuts, Carrots, Basil, and Flower Bouquets and Stems

We are excited to share that cantaloupe is back in season and available in the Grab-and-Go coolers! These melons are sweet and very aromatic and make the perfect summertime snack. Since fruit is highly popular when we have it in season in the coolers, it often goes quickly so we highly recommend stopping by sooner rather than later if you’d like some cantaloupe! Aside from enjoying chilled wedges, we recommend pairing it with our cucumbers and basil and a sprinkle of feta for an easy salad. Or, for a frozen treat, try cantaloupe sorbet or popsicles. If you’re more of a watermelon fan, you’ll be pleased to know that the first watermelons are coming very soon!

Have you had a chance to try any of our Lunchbox peppers yet? These sweet peppers are miniature in stature which makes them perfect for snacking. We’re growing a mix of red, orange, and yellow varieties which are equally sweet and crisp with a mild fruity flavor. Lunchbox peppers, often called simply “mini peppers”, can be enjoyed both raw and cooked depending on your preference. Pair whole or sliced lunchbox peppers with your favorite dip for an easy snack. Or, stuff them with cheese and spices for a summery appetizer (recipe here). They also make great additions to stir-fries and can easily be pickled. 

In Season at the Farm Stand: Cantaloupe, Long Beans, Okra, Cherry and Slicing Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Jalapenos, Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Cornito Peppers, Lunchbox Peppers, Baby Butternuts, Basil, and Flowers

Peppers are back in season at the Farm Stand! We’re currently harvesting four different varieties: jalapeno, poblano, shishito, and bell peppers. We’re also growing sweet cornito peppers (below) but they aren’t quite ready yet. Farmer Anne used the bell peppers to make this stuffed pepper recipe and highly recommends trying it. Jalapenos are almost always our go-to for adding to salsas. Poblanos are also great for salsas or stuffing. As for the shishito peppers, we recommend blistering them for an easy side dish or appetizer. Here’s a recipe if you’d like to try it. 

The cantaloupes we planted a few weeks back are covered in flowers and small fruits! The watermelons are also blooming but haven’t started setting fruit yet. Melons are members of the Cucurbit family along with other summer favorites like cucumbers and summer squashes. They thrive during the warmer months and grow in a vining pattern. Since the cantaloupes (below) are still fairly small, we estimate that it will take another month for them to mature to ideal harvesting size. We’ll let you know as soon as this beloved summer fruit makes its way to the Farm Stand! 

We’re in the middle of transitioning from cool season crops to those that thrive during the warmer months. Leafy greens like kale and salad greens are officially out of season until cooler days return in late fall. Root veggies like carrots and beets are still available in the coolers but we highly recommend enjoying them as much as possible before they make their way out of season as well. The good news is that this makes way for the return of summertime favorites like cucumbers and peppers! Over the coming weeks, we’ll see the return of okra, long beans, and melons. 

In Season at the Farm Stand: Cherry and Slicing Tomatoes, Pickling and Slicing Cucumbers, Zucchini, Eggplant, Jalapenos, Green Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Red and Golden Beets, Carrots, Basil, and Flowers. 

We’ll have something new for you at the Farm Stand next week: the first cantaloupes of the season! These summer fruits will be available for a limited window for about two weeks. The variety we’re growing is called “Sugar Cube”. Just as the name implies, this melon variety has intensely sweet and aromatic flesh! We highly recommend putting a scoop of ice cream, sorbet, or yogurt in the hollowed out seed cavity for a delicious summertime treat. Or, you can take a cue from Farmer Reuben and enjoy it with a squeeze of lime juice and sprinkle of tajín.

Before the rain arrived we were able to plant a block of summer crops. We transplanted a row each of Asian cucumbers, Armenian cucumbers, and okra. Even though we’re already harvesting cucumbers and okra, we like to sow multiple rounds throughout the season. This is called succession planting and it helps to lengthen our harvest window and maintain more of a steady supply of produce throughout the season. It’s also helpful during the summer when the extreme heat can cause more stress on our crops and affect their productivity.

If you’ve visited the farm over the past few weeks, you’ve most likely encountered Nick and his welcoming smile! Nick is the Director of Operations for Agmenity and assists with the different farms in our region. He is out at the farm regularly to help support the team and loves to chat about the care and intention that goes into farming, especially when it comes to the importance of soil health. If you see him around, make sure to say hello and ask him about his favorite summer crops!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Eggplant, Slicing Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Slicing Cucumbers, Pickling Cucumbers, Serrano Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Okra, Kale, Basil, and Cut Flowers (limited)

Coming Soon: Long Beans and Melons

We will have the first peppers of the season for you very soon! Our shishito peppers will come into season first, followed shortly by our sweet Escamillo peppers. Hot peppers like jalapenos, serranos, and poblanos will arrive within the next month. The shishito variety we’re growing this year (below) has a mild heat that pairs well with its grassy and citrusy flavors. These are perfect for roasting, pickling, or adding to salads and burgers. Keep an eye out for the first shishito peppers at the Farm Stand this week! 

Remember the butternut squash seeds we started in the greenhouse at the end of March? We transplanted them in the field a couple of weeks ago and are already seeing baby butternuts! As you can see below, we have the rows covered with weed fabric. Since butternuts grow low to the ground with a vining habit, this will reduce competition from weeds. This fabric is also beneficial in reducing excess moisture damage that would otherwise happen if the fruits were sitting directly on the soil. Since it takes around 100 days for this butternut variety to reach maturity, this weed fabric will be crucial in keeping our plants healthy. 

We are pleased to report that the first melons of the season were transplanted this week! Melons are always a nice treat because they will add a bit of sweetness to our summer harvests and provide a refreshing snack option on hot days. We planted two different varieties: Sugar Cube cantaloupes and Ginkaku Korean melons. Sugar Cube is a smaller, personal-sized cantaloupe with sweet, aromatic flesh. Ginkaku is a smaller oblong-shaped melon that tastes like a cross between a melon and a pear. We can’t wait to harvest these for you in the summer!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Slicing Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Kale, Collard Greens, Spring Onions, and Basil

Coming Soon: Peppers and Eggplants

We’re excited to report that we’ll have the first Korean melons of the season for you in the next week or two! When mature, these melons turn yellow with longitudinal white stripes. Korean melons are smaller in size than watermelons or muskmelons and can often be enjoyed in just one sitting! Both the flesh and the skin of these melons is edible and has a crisp texture with a moderately sweet, almost pear-like flavor. We can’t wait to share these delicious melons with you!

If you’ve ever been eager to enjoy the fruitiness of a habanero pepper without the intense heat getting in the way, we have just the pepper for you: the habanada! As these sweet peppers mature, they turn a beautiful peach color. They have a fruity and floral flavor with just a touch of smokiness. Habanadas are great for adding sweetness to hot sauce or salsa. We expect to have them for you at the Farm Stand in the next week or two. We can’t wait for you to try them!

Now that it’s officially the summer season, we’re focusing on planting high summer crops in the greenhouse. All of the varieties we’re seeding are able to withstand the intense heat this season can bring. So far we’ve planted summer greens like Malabar spinach (pictured above), molokhia, and amaranth. We also have the next successions of zucchini and eggplant started along with some specialty crops like roselle and Armenian cucumbers. We plan on getting these in the ground over the next few weeks as we cull our remaining late spring and early summer crops.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Cherry Tomatoes (limited), Slicing Tomatoes, Onions, Eggplant, Sweet Peppers, Banana Peppers, Long Beans, Summer Squashes, Leeks, Pickling Cucumbers, and Cut Flower Bouquets (limited and only on Saturdays).

Watermelons are back in season! Our last succession of Sugar Baby watermelons are being harvested and are available at the farm stand. Farmer Alex thinks this round is especially tasty and can’t wait for you to try one. We highly encourage you to get your fill of melons because their season will be coming to a close in the next couple of weeks. We should have watermelons for you over the next two weeks but our Milan and Korean melons will only be available for the next week. Aside from snacking on them raw, you can juice them, make a granita, or enjoy them in a salad with cucumber, feta, and mint.

Remember the winter squashes we planted? They are swiftly growing and we’ve already spotted the first female blossoms! Like all winter squashes, both our butternuts and Autumn Frost squashes produce male and female flowers on the same plant. The female flowers are easy to spot because they have a tiny squash at their base while the male flowers are on a long stem. You can see a female butternut flower above and one from our Autumn Frost squashes below.

Since we won’t be planting any more summer crops, we’re focusing a large part of our attention on preparing the farm for the fall season. This includes tackling the weeds that grew exponentially with the recent rainfall and slowly clearing out spent summer crops. It also includes doing a lot of planting in the greenhouse but we’ll share more about that with you in our update next week. We hope you’re as excited for the fall season as we are!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Spaghetti Squash, Egyptian Spinach, Roselle Greens, Sweet Peppers, Jalapenos, Habanada Peppers, Fresno Peppers, Cayenne Peppers, Okra, Armenian Cucumbers, Zucchini, Watermelons, Korean Melons, Cantaloupe, Long Beans, Italian Eggplant, Asian Eggplant, and Sunflower Bouquets.

Remember the Milan melons we planted back in June? We harvested the first of them this week! Milan is an Italian melon similar to cantaloupe with beige skin, longitudinal green stripes, and orange flesh (pictured both above and below). It is incredibly fragrant and sweet and has more of a crisp texture than a traditional cantaloupe. We highly recommend stopping by the farm stand to pick one up for some weekend snacking! Aside from enjoying it as-is, Farmer Alex recommends using these melons for a batch of sorbet or granita.

Have you had a chance to try any of our Armenian cucumbers yet? We’ve been enjoying experimenting with them in our own kitchens throughout the summer. Armenian cucumbers have a delicate flavor that is melon-like without the sweetness. The smaller Armenian cucumbers are great for slicing and enjoying raw in salads. Their firm and crunchy texture also makes them ideal for a batch of pickles. The larger ones can actually be cooked just as you would zucchini! Try them out in this grilled cucumber recipe with mint and feta.

We are excited to offer you a new sunflower variety in our bouquets very soon! It’s called “White Lite” and it has very pale yellow petals and a golden center. As you can see in the photo below, some of these sunflowers are already starting to open! We’ll most likely be pairing these with our other sunflower varieties for some lovely late summer bouquets. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as they’re available!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Delicata Squash, Spaghetti Squash, Egyptian Spinach, Roselle Greens, Malabar Spinach, Sweet Peppers, Jalapenos, Habanada Peppers, Fresno Peppers, Cayenne Peppers, Bolivian Peppers, Okra, Armenian Cucumbers, Korean Melons, Cantaloupe, Long Beans, Italian Eggplant, Asian Eggplant, and Basil

Remember the Torpedo Korean melons we planted a little over a month ago? We made our first harvest this week! As you can see in the photo above, these melons are yellow with white stripes. Torpedo melons are what is referred to as a “personal sized” melon as they are much smaller in size. Both the flesh and the skin of these melons is edible and has a crisp texture with a moderately sweet, almost apple-like flavor. You could pair them with your favorite sorbet or ice cream for a delicious summer dessert. Or, you could try them in a simple salad with our Armenian cucumbers, mint leaves, and lime juice. Yum!

If you’ve ever wondered what a heatless Habanero pepper would taste like, we have just the pepper for you: the Habanada! These peachy colored peppers have a fruity and floral flavor with a hint of smokiness on the back end. They would be especially delicious in a batch of pepper jelly. Or, you could combine them with some of our hot peppers for a homemade batch of hot sauce! We highly recommend popping by the farm stand this weekend so you can take some home to experiment.

Oftentimes the first harvest of any crop can start slow until it really hits its stride. Our eggplants have been no exception this summer and we are harvesting quite the abundance! We have both Asian and Italian eggplant varieties. If you look at the photo below, the Asian eggplants are on the left side and are long and slender. The Italian eggplant is on the right and has a more rounded shape. Here are some of our favorite eggplant recipes:

• Miso Roasted Eggplant
• Grilled Eggplant with Peanut Ginger Sauce
• Crispy Baked Eggplant

In Season at the Farm Stand: Delicata Squash, Spaghetti Squash, Egyptian Spinach, Roselle Greens, Malabar Spinach, Sweet Peppers, Jalapenos, Habanada Peppers, Fresno Peppers, Cayenne Peppers, Bolivian Peppers, Okra, Armenian Cucumbers, Zucchini, Long Beans, Italian Eggplant, Asian Eggplant, and Basil.

We harvested the first of our Armenian cucumbers for you this week! Though they look and taste like a standard cucumber (Cucumis sativus), the Armenian, Cucumis melo, is technically a melon! The variety we’re growing is ribbed with a light green color which makes for incredibly beautiful fluted slices. This is currently our only cucumber in season due to its ability to withstand our hot and dry conditions. You can find these beautiful and delicious cucumbers at the farm stand!

Remember the Milan and Torpedo melons we planted a few weeks back? They’re sprawling, covered in fruit, and inching closer and closer to harvesting time! As you can see in the photo above, the Milan melons are round. They’ll retain those green stripes as they mature but the skin in between them will turn a beige color. The Torpedo melons, pictured below, are smaller and oblong. Once mature they will be yellow with white stripes. We can’t wait to share these melons with you!

We’ve reached the end of our carrots, scallions, and bulb onions. We’re really happy to have been able to have them for you this long but alas, they’re making their way out of season. Luckily, we have a really delicious variety of summer produce for you right now! If you’re curious what is in season at the farm stand, check out the list below. As a reminder, you can come see us on Saturdays at our in-person farm stand from 9am-noon or you can use our self-serve option 24/7.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Egyptian Spinach, Italian & Asian Eggplants, Jalapenos, Fresno Peppers, Cayenne Peppers, Criolla Sella Peppers, Sweet Peppers, Okra, Armenian Cucumbers, Bitter Melon, Zucchini, Tomatillos, Long Beans, Watermelon, Delicata Squash, Spaghetti Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, and Basil.