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

Fall crops are really hitting their stride as we have not one but three new crops for you this week at the Farm Stand: beets, Swiss chard, and roselle pods! You’ll be able to find bunches of red beets at the Farm Stand with their beautiful leafy greens attached. Both the root and leaves of beets are edible and have a distinctly earthy flavor. While beets can be eaten raw, we prefer to either roast, steam, or pickle them. If you’re not sure where to start, try this roasted garlic beet hummus or this beet salad with goat cheese and balsamic. 

Even though Swiss chard is called a leafy “green”, its stalks and veins come in a rainbow of colors like red, orange, yellow, and pink. If you compare the leaves of Swiss chard (above) to the leafy greens of the beets in the first photo, you might notice that they have a similar appearance. This is due to the fact that they share the same genus and species (Beta vulgaris) but have different cultivar groups. Both the colorful stems and leaves of chard are edible and have a subtle earthy and mildly sweet flavor. You can try giving them a quick sauté with garlic, olive oil, and chili flakes for a quick side dish. Or, try Swiss chard in this lemony pasta dish. 

Our roselle pods are finally ready for harvesting! You’ve been able to enjoy their tangy leafy greens all summer long and now you can try the beautiful red pods. The red portion of each pod is called the calyx and it has a tart cranberry-like flavor that can be used to make teas, syrups, and jams. We like to think of roselle pods as our locally available substitute for cranberries! Try them in this roselle apple compote or follow this tutorial for some iced roselle hibiscus tea. 

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

Remember the French breakfast radishes we seeded in the high tunnel at the end of September? We harvested the first of them this week and they are now available at the Farm Stand! Since radishes grow fairly quickly, they are typically the first root veggie to make their way into season in the fall. French breakfast radishes have a delicious crunch and a mellow bite. Enjoy them raw in salads, slaws, and sandwiches for a peppery bite. Or, you can roast them until tender to mellow their flavor.

Did you know that a large portion of the varieties that we grow during the cooler seasons belong to the brassica family? Brassicas, also commonly referred to as cruciferous vegetables, prefer cooler temperatures and can tolerate reduced daylight hours thus they’re grown during the fall, winter, and early spring months. Members of this extensive family include leafy greens like kale, collards, and mustards in addition to broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. There are also root veggies in the Brassica family including radishes and turnips.

We’ve been harvesting leafy greens from our roselle plants all summer long and now that the daylight hours are growing shorter, they’re starting to produce these gorgeous red pods! After our roselle plants bloom and the flowers drop off, they form the ruby red pods you see below. The red portion is called the calyx and it surrounds a green seed pod. The calyx has a tart cranberry-like flavor that can be used for teas, jams, sauces, and chutneys. We expect to make the first harvest within the next couple of weeks so keep an eye out at the Farm Stand!

In Season at the Farm Stand: French Breakfast Radishes, Kale (Curly and Dino), Komatsuna, Collard Greens, Amara Mustard Greens, Baby Butternuts, Korean Melons, Asian Eggplant, Roselle Greens, Okra, and Long Beans.

Look how tall our Sudangrass has gotten! Sudangrass is a type of sorghum that we are utilizing as a cover crop. Our soil has a high clay content which means it can compact easily, especially after an extended soggy period. The roots of Sudangrass are helpful in loosening up soil compaction, leading to improved soil structure, drainage, and an overall better environment for our crops to thrive. This lush green growth will add a lot of nitrogen-rich organic matter back to the soil when we mow it down for fall planting.

We’re harvesting a new leafy summer green for you: roselle. This crop (above) is an edible hibiscus variety in the same family as okra that grows really well during our summer season. Roselle leaves have a lovely tart, lemony flavor that can be eaten raw in salads or cooked. In Indian cuisine, it is often used in curries, chutneys, and pickles. We recommend trying our roselle leaves in this dal recipe or in this quick and easy pesto. 

Due to the hurricane and recent wet conditions, we’re moving into a bit of a summer lull. This is typical this time of year though in years past it is usually due to extreme heat. Production has slowed momentarily while we wait for some of our late summer crops to come in. Despite the slow down, we still have plenty of okra and long beans coming out of the field! Farmer Matt’s go-to is a classic stir-fry flavored with soy sauce, fennel seed, cumin seed, turmeric, and ginger. Both of these veggies can be found at the Farm Stand.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Roselle Leaves, Okra, Butternut Squash, Jalapeños, Shishitos, Korean Melons, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Long Beans, and Eggplant. 

Armenian cucumbers are back in season at the Farm Stand! Since Armenian cucumbers are technically a melon, they have a subtle sweet taste that is really unique. The variety we’re currently harvesting is light green and can be enjoyed the same way you would a standard cucumber. Farmer Reuben has been enjoying slicing them up and eating them as a farm snack with a sprinkle of his trusty Tajin seasoning and a squeeze of lime. He highly recommends popping by the Farm Stand to pick up some of these delicious cucumbers this weekend!

We planted roselle this week, one of our favorite multi-use crops. Roselle (pictured below) is an edible hibiscus variety in the same family as okra. We’ll be harvesting the tart and tangy leaves as a summer green once the plants get in a few weeks of growth. As the roselle matures and we head towards the fall season, it will begin to bloom and eventually produce ruby red calyces. Roselle calyces have a tart flavor similar to cranberries that can be used in jams, syrups, or teas. We can't wait to share both the leaves and the calyces with you!

We’ve received several inquiries about tomatoes at the Farm Stand recently so this is the perfect opportunity to talk about seasonality in our climate! Everything we grow on the farm has an ideal temperature range in which it will not only live but thrive. Tomatoes for example tend to be more of a spring crop in our climate as they become stressed once high temperatures are regularly above 85 degrees. A crop like okra (pictured below) likes warm nights and can thrive in the hot summer sun, thus it’s a summer crop. If you’re ever curious when your favorite veggies will be in season, just ask! We’re more than happy to let you know when to expect them.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Armenian Cucumbers, Eggplants, Korean Melons, Okra, Sweet Peppers, Serrano Peppers (limited), Jalapeno Peppers (limited), and Cut Flower Bouquets (limited and only on Saturdays).

We’re harvesting a new squash variety for you on the farm: tromboncino! This Italian heirloom can be harvested young as a summer squash or mature as a winter squash. We’re harvesting it young which means you can use it just like a zucchini. As you can see in the photo above, tromboncino squashes have a long neck that is often curved with a bulbous blossom end similar to a butternut. Farmer Alex’s grandmother loves to use tromboncino to make zucchini parmesan. Here’s a recipe if you’d like to try it out! Simply substitute our tromboncino for the zucchini that is called for.

You enjoyed our roselle greens during the summer and now it’s almost time to enjoy their tart and tangy calyces! Our roselle plants have just started to bloom (pictured above) and once those flowers drop, they begin to form the ruby red pods you see in the photo below. The outer red part of the pod is called the calyx. Roselle calyces have a tart flavor similar to cranberries that can be used in jams, syrups, or teas. To use the calyces, you’ll peel the red parts away from the interior green seed pod. Here’s a recipe for a roselle ginger syrup if you’d like to try it.

We’re slowly clearing out the remaining summer crops in the high tunnel to make way for delicious cool season veggies. Last week we planted both bok choy and hon tsai tai (also called Kailaan). Both of these leafy Asian greens are in the brassica family along with crops like broccoli, cauliflower, and kale. We currently have them under a protective netting to keep the local rabbits from having a feast! Keep an eye out because these leafy greens will be making their way to the farm stand within the month.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Radishes, Beets, Tromboncino Squash, Scallions, Cabbage, Napa Cabbage, Arugula, Kale, Mustard Greens, Collard Greens, Okra, Eggplant, Sweet Peppers, Cilantro, and Dill.

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.