We are harvesting the very first bunches of Swiss chard this week and will have a limited amount available in the Grab-and-Go coolers! This leafy green is in the same family as beets and spinach and has a flavor that tastes like a blend of the two. The variety we’re harvesting has vibrant red stems and veins which makes for a very colorful addition to your plate! Swiss chard can be enjoyed on its own as a side dish with a little garlic or added to soups, stews, and pasta dishes. We recommend trying it in this white bean chicken soup or this lemon Swiss chard pasta. 

Have you had a chance to try any of our Hakurei turnips yet? This beloved root vegetable is a farmer favorite due to its succulent crunchy texture and mild, sweet flavor with fruity notes. Unlike the larger turnips you often see at the grocery store, Hakurei turnips can be enjoyed raw. They work really really well in salads and slaws, especially with our arugula. When cooked, Hakurei turnips become incredibly tender. If you want an easy and flavorful side dish, try these braised Hakurei turnips with maple, miso, and ginger. 

In order to make sure you have plenty of variety on your plate this fall, we’ve been seeding new varieties in the greenhouse every week. This week we planted mizuna and Tokyo bekana. Mizuna is a Japanese mustard green with a mild flavor that works well in both salads and stir-fries. Tokyo bekana is a loose leaf cabbage variety with super tender leaves that make a great salad green.

Last but not least, we want to extend a big thank you to the volunteers that showed up for our Orchard Beautification Day this past Saturday! With your help we were able to plant thornless blackberries and perennials for our native pollinator bed. Keep an eye out for more events like this in the future! 

In Season at the Farm Stand: Swiss Chard (limited), Arugula, Hakurei Turnips, Baby Mustard Greens, Radishes, Scallions, Okra, Lunchbox Peppers, Jalapenos, Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Basil (Italian, Lemon, Thai, and Tulsi), and Flower Bouquets

Our Orchard Beautification Day is swiftly approaching! We hope you’ll join us this Saturday, October 18th, from 9am-12pm for a fun volunteer opportunity in our young fruit orchard. With your help, we will be weeding and mulching around our existing fruit trees and planting thornless blackberries for future harvests. We will also be planting a bed by the orchard with pollinator-friendly native plants. All are welcome to join us for this event! We recommend signing up here if you will be attending so we can ensure we have enough tools and supplies. 

Arugula just made its way into season this week and we have so many other fall crops on the way! In the next week or two, you can expect to see bunches of Swiss chard and kale hit the Farm Stand. In order to ensure we have plenty to harvest for you throughout the season, we planted more Swiss chard this week (above) along with the first round of beets. We’ll also be transplanting the fennel, celery, parsley, and cilantro from the greenhouse into the field very soon. Stay tuned every week to make sure you don’t miss out on your favorites! 

Planting cover crops is just as important as our food crops. This week we’re sowing a cool season mix of clover, daikon radish, rye, oats, and mustards in one of our sections. Each of these varieties works together to help loosen compaction, fix beneficial nitrogen to the soil, control erosion, and suppress weed growth. And, once mowed down, these plants will add organic matter back to the soil. Fun fact about mustards in cover cropping: they help suppress lingering plant diseases in the soil! 

Arugula, Hakurei Turnips, Baby Mustard Greens, Radishes, Scallions, Okra, Lunchbox Peppers, Jalapenos, Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Basil (Italian, Lemon, Thai, and Tulsi), and Flower Bouquets

We’ll have two new fall veggies for you at the Farm Stand this weekend: Hakurei turnips and a baby mustard green mix! Hakurei turnips, also called salad turnips, are sweet and crisp and are perfect for eating raw in salads or sandwiches. They can also be roasted or added to soups and stews (like this potato chowder). Our baby mustard mix is similar to arugula in terms of tenderness and peppery flavor. They’re a great salad green and pair really well with a sweet vinaigrette! You can find both Hakurei turnips and baby mustard mix in the Grab-and-Go coolers. 

In case you missed it last week, our Orchard Beautification Day is coming up on Saturday, October 18th, from 9am-12pm! This volunteer opportunity is a great way to meet your neighbors and fellow community members while beautifying our orchard space. We’ll be weeding and mulching our fruit trees in addition to planting some thornless blackberries. We’ll also be planting a native pollinator bed in order to add beauty to the farm while supplying our local pollinators with a food source. This event is open to the public and is a great way to leave your mark on the community. Please sign up here if you plan to attend! 

Fall’s cooler temperatures make it perfect for growing so many different leafy greens. This week we planted baby bok choy, Wasabina mustard greens, and Amara mustard greens. All of these varieties grow fairly quickly and will make their debut at the Farm Stand before you know it! As we move deeper into the fall season, you’ll see more fall crops come into season each week while summer ones are phased out. We highly recommend tuning in every Friday so you know what’s in stock in the Grab-and-Go coolers! 

In Season at the Farm Stand: Hakurei Turnips, Baby Mustard Greens, Radishes, Scallions, Okra, Eggplant, Lunchbox Peppers, Jalapenos, Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Basil (Italian, Lemon, Thai, and Tulsi), and Flower Bouquets and Stems

We’re gearing up for our first Farm Tour of the fall season and can’t wait to see you! The tour takes place this Saturday, October 4th, from 11am-12pm. You’ll get an exclusive look at what it takes to get the farm ready for the fall season in addition to all of the delicious veggies we’ve been planting. Our tours are open to the public and suitable for all ages. No fee or signups required – simply show up at 11am on the farm porch ready to go!

The arrival of October brings the first harvest of our Cherry Belle radishes! These beautiful, vibrant radishes are crisp and crunchy with a peppery bite. They can be enjoyed raw in salads, sandwiches, and tacos and are a great candidate for quick-pickles. If you want to mellow their peppery flavor, try roasting them alone or with a mix of other root veggies. Make sure to stop by the Grab-and-Go coolers to snag a bunch or two this weekend!

Block out the morning of October 18th on your calendar and join us for our Orchard Beautification Day! This volunteer opportunity takes place on Saturday, October 18th from 9am-12pm right here on the farm. With your help, we’ll be weeding and mulching the trees in the orchard. We’ll also be planting a couple of rows of thornless blackberries and a native pollinator bed at the entrance. This event is open to the public and is a great way to leave your mark on the community. We hope to see you there!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Radishes, 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 started the orchard alongside the farm several years ago with a few different types of young fruit trees. If you’ve walked by the orchard recently, you may have noticed that some of them are fruiting! It typically takes several years before young trees begin to bear fruit so we are excited to see them reach this stage. We have a mix of fig trees, dwarf pomegranate trees, jujubes, and peaches. These trees are still fairly young and will most likely not produce a sizable harvest this year but in the event that we’re able to make one for the Farm Stand, we’ll let you know. We’ll be hosting a volunteer work day in the orchard in the fall to keep it beautiful and healthy so keep an eye out for the date!

Our cowpea cover crop is growing beautifully in the summer heat and is almost ready to start flowering! Cowpeas are a great summer cover crop for our climate that help fix nitrogen to the soil, improve soil structure by breaking up compaction, crowd out weeds, and encourage better drainage. While the goal of this crop is not for harvesting, it allows us to streamline our footprint while giving the soil a chance to be rejuvenated during the hottest part of the year.

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