Looking for a little culinary inspiration when it comes to our summer produce? We love sharing recent favorite recipes during our Saturday Farm Stand from 9am-noon! Recently, we’ve been chopping up and blanching long beans to use in salads throughout the week. Farmer Chandler made a niçoise salad with long beans recently that was phenomenal! You can use this recipe as a guide and sub in long beans for the green beans. Even though it’s a simple preparation, we love roasting okra throughout the summer and enjoying it as a side dish, piling it on tacos, or pairing it with remoulade for an appetizer. We recommend trying this simple roasted okra recipe and changing up the seasonings to suit your tastes. 

While we can’t grow cool season greens like kale and chard during the summer, there are delicious summer alternatives like roselle greens and Malabar spinach. We just planted a round of roselle in the field and have Malabar spinach in the greenhouse that just germinated! Roselle (above) is a multi-use crop that provides us with tangy leafy greens in the summer and tart ruby-red pods in the summer. Malabar spinach (below) is a tropical vining plant with succulent leaves that is not a true spinach, but rather has a similar mild flavor. We are excited for both of these leafy greens to hit the Farm Stand later this summer!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Cucumber, Long Beans, Okra, Eggplant, Tomatoes (last week!), Zucchini, Jalapenos, Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Carrots, Basil, and Flower Bouquets and Stems

Okra just made its way back into season this week! Okra’s arrival often signifies the official transition from cool season to warm season crops. It thrives in the heat of summer and produces reliably throughout the season, typically into early fall. Since we just started harvesting from our plants, there will be a limited amount available in the Grab-and-Go coolers this weekend. We have a mix of red and green varieties that are tender and perfect for grilling, roasting, frying, pickling, or adding to soups and stews.

Have you tried our newest eggplant variety Nigral? It’s more of a traditional blackish-purple Italian variety with an oblong shape. Smaller than the globe eggplants that are commonly available in grocery stores, Nigral has a sweeter flavor and becomes incredibly tender and creamy once cooked. It is perfect for classic Italian recipes like caponata, pasta alla Norma, and eggplant parmesan. Farmer Anne highly recommends this recipe for eggplant parmesan if you’d like to try it! You can find the eggplant, tomatoes, and basil for it at the Grab-and-Go coolers. 

After much anticipation, our two sweet pepper varieties have made it to the Farm Stand! Cornito peppers (below left) are oblong and have a sweet flavor that is great for snacking, grilling, roasting, or stir-frying. Lunchbox peppers (below right) are small in stature with a sweet flavor that is ideal for snacking on raw in salads, sandwiches, or paired with your favorite dip. You can now find both of these pepper varieties in the Grab-and-Go coolers along with our jalapenos, shishitos, poblanos, and bell peppers. 

In Season at the Farm Stand: Okra, Cherry and Slicing Tomatoes, Pickling and Slicing Cucumbers, Zucchini, Eggplants, Jalapenos, Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Cornito Peppers, Lunchbox Peppers, Carrots, and Basil

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

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. 

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).

We’re adding a new leafy summer green to the farm stand for you this week: roselle. It is a hibiscus variety that is in the same family as okra. The leaves of roselle are edible along with the red calyces it will eventually produce. Roselle leaves have a tart, lemony flavor that can be eaten raw in salads or cooked. Farmer Caitlin recommends using roselle greens as a sorrel alternative and making a chilled sorrel soup. Here’s a similar recipe if you’re interested in trying it out!

Roselle’s delicious family member okra is still going strong on the farm! We’re harvesting a lovely mix of green and burgundy varieties. We’ve been enjoying it roasted, sauteed, and pickled. If you’re not quite sure what to do with okra (or our other fruits and veggies), check out our updated recipe board at the farm stand! We try to keep a selection of relevant recipes and tips displayed for the season at hand. You can also check out the okra entry in our veggie guide for both storage and culinary tips.

We know how much you’ve been enjoying our cut flower bouquets so we made a point to include sunflowers, zinnias, and marigolds in our last planting. As you can see in the photo below, some of our sunflowers are already starting to form their heads! This new planting means that there will be a lull in the availability of bouquets but we hope to have some for you soon. In the meantime, feel free to pop by the farm stand and check out our delicious selection of summer produce!

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, Long Beans, Italian Eggplant, Asian Eggplant, and Basil.

Eggplants are officially back in season! We currently have both an Asian and an Italian variety. The Italian variety is squat and rounded while the Asian variety is long and slender. The main difference between these two is that the Asian eggplant (pictured above) tends to have a thinner skin and a sweeter, less bitter flavor than their Italian counterparts. For the Italian eggplants, Farmer Caitlin recommends frying thick slices and enjoying them with a remoulade sauce. For the Asian eggplants, Farmer Alex loves to roast them with miso.

Okra is also back in season! We’re harvesting a colorful mix of both green and burgundy okra. This beloved crop is a member of the mallow family along with plants like hibiscus and cotton. Since it prefers warm temperatures, it tends to perform very well for us throughout the summer season! Farmer Caitlin recommends pickling your okra to enjoy as part of a snack plate or antipasto spread. Farmer Alex suggests roasting your okra with either Cajun or Old Bay seasoning and enjoying it with a creamy dipping sauce.

We added small sunflower bouquets to the farm stand this week! They’re a delightful saturated hue of yellow that is sure to bring some joy to your home. Did you know that sunflowers are heliotropic? As they grow and begin to form buds, the plants will track the sun’s movement throughout the day. Once the flowers open, the heads typically point in a fixed eastward direction. You can see this happening in the photo above! If you’d like to see it in person, make sure to come see us at the farm stand on Saturday from 9am-noon.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Watermelons, Eggplant, Okra, Egyptian Spinach, Cucumbers, Sweet Peppers, Jalapenos, Zucchini, Scallions, Tomatillos, Carrots (limited), Beets, Delicata Squash, Spaghetti Squash, Tomatoes (limited), and Sunflower Bouquets

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.

June 16th, 2021

Okra is officially in season! Remember when we said that okra produces flowers similar to its family member hibiscus? Check out the beautiful okra blossom above! Each blossom produces a single okra pod. Okra is a quick grower, taking only 3-4 days from the emergence of the bloom until the pods reach harvesting size. In addition to being a quick and prolific producer, okra typically seems unfazed by our hot summers. We should be harvesting okra throughout the rest of the summer season so we hope you have your favorite okra recipes ready!

We transplanted more successions of peppers, eggplant, squash, and cucumbers over the last week in preparation for summer harvesting. Staggering multiple plantings of the same crop (called succession planting or successionalization) helps to lengthen our harvest window and maintain more of a steady supply of produce throughout the season. Succession planting also helps in the event of any weather or pest related problems we might incur, like a nearly month-long rain event!

Purslane, the first of our summer greens, was transplanted this week. Purslane, not to be confused with the herb parsley, is a succulent in the Portulacaceae family with edible leaves, stems, and flowers. The leaves have a slightly tart taste and can be eaten raw in salads or cooked like spinach. Purslane is one of three summer greens we’re experimenting with this season in an effort to provide leafy green options as the temperatures rise. Since purslane readily self-sows, we’re hoping that it will begin to crowd out the weed seeds and lessen the amount of weeding we have to do over time.

May 12th, 2021

We made the first harvest of our pole beans this week! Pole beans are bean varieties that climb while bush bean varieties (like our green beans) form bushier growth closer to the ground. Our pole beans are planted with a trellis that allows them plenty of real estate to climb and grow. The pole bean variety we have growing is called Bai Bu Lao. If harvested when young, Bai Bu Lao resembles a tender green bean. If left to mature, Bai Bu Lao begins to flatten out and resemble a Romano bean. Bai Bu Lao is great for stir fries and roasting. You can pick some up this Saturday at the farm stand from 10am to noon.

In preparation for summer, okra was transplanted this week along with melons and winter squashes. Did you know that okra is a member of the mallow family along with hibiscus, cotton, and cacao? Once our okra starts to produce flowers, you’ll begin to see the family resemblance as okra flowers bear a striking resemblance to hibiscus flowers. Okra is incredibly heat tolerant and will keep producing throughout our hottest months. Both the flowers and pods of okra are edible and have a sweet, grassy flavor.

We’re beginning to see the first signs of flowering among our corn crop! As the corn grows, they begin to form a tassel at the apex of the stalk. The tassel is the male flowering portion of the corn which will release pollen down to the silks (the female portion that you can see in the photo below) and lead to the production of the ear of corn. The pollination process goes on for about one to two weeks before the tassel begins to turn brown and die. If all goes well, we should be able to start harvesting our corn in the next month or so.