Scallions are back in season for you at the Farm Stand! Farmer Chandler loves scallions because they’re a workhouse crop that is heat tolerant and a great way to start adding diversity back to harvests in late summer/early fall. These members of the allium family can be used in a multitude of ways both raw and cooked. Farmer Sarah’s favorite way to use them is as a garnish on rice and noodle dishes. Farmer Chandler loves charring scallions on the grill alongside beef. Make sure to stop by the Grab-and-Go coolers soon to pick some up! 

We sowed seeds for fall crops in a few of our beds recently and they are just starting to germinate! Some crops do well with being sown directly in place rather than being started in transplant trays in the greenhouse. We do this with certain root crops and leafy greens that are planted densely in order to be harvested in their less mature baby phase. So far we’ve planted radishes, lettuce, and turnips and will be tackling arugula and carrots next. Radishes are quick growers so you can expect the first harvest in about a month! 

We are experimenting with a fall round of flowers this year in the hopes of extending their season. We planted them in the greenhouse last week and most of them have already germinated which is promising! As with all experiments, there is always a chance it won’t work out, but we’re hopeful and looking forward to seeing how things progress. Here’s what we planted: gomphrena, alyssum, stock, sweet pea, zinnia, viola, and cosmos. 

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), Baby Butternuts, and Flower Bouquets and Stems

We have several different specialty herbs that will be available for you at the Farm Stand this weekend! In addition to the Italian basil that we’ve been harvesting for several weeks, we’ll have lemon basil, Thai basil, two different kinds of tulsi (or “holy basil”), and lemon balm. Lemon basil has a distinctly lemony flavor and scent that pairs well with summer fruits and makes a delicious pesto. Thai basil has a bolder flavor with more spice notes that is perfect for pairing with curries and stir-fries. Both tulsi basil varieties are great for making an aromatic and flavorful herbal tea and used either fresh or dried. Lemon balm has a citrusy and mint flavor that makes it a great substitute for mint. Use it to garnish desserts or infuse it into a refreshing batch of lemonade.

Our scallions are sizing up very well! This round is a variety called “White Spear” which is more heat tolerant and yields larger scallions. Though often mistakenly called “spring onions”, scallions are a specific type of onion cultivar that do not form a bulb at the root end. Spring onions are immature onions that are often picked during the spring in an effort to thin out onion plants and allow more room for the bulbs of the remaining onions to grow larger. Scallions have a mild oniony flavor that can be used in a multitude of recipes. You can expect them to make their way to the Farm Stand in early September!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Korean Melons, Okra, Eggplant, Zucchini, Lunchbox Peppers, Jalapenos, Bell Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Lemon Balm, Basil (Italian, Lemon, Thai, and Tulsi), Baby Butternuts, and Flower Bouquets and Stems

We hope the members of our Community Vegetable Share Program have been enjoying their farm-fresh veggies over the past couple of weeks! If you’re a Jordan Ranch resident and missed out on the initial sign up, we still have a couple of spots available. Shares are delivered directly to your door every Tuesday afternoon from now through Tuesday, December 17th. That means there’s still a month’s worth of shares left if you sign up before the end of this week! Our share members not only get the perk of home delivery, but first dibs on limited harvests like our upcoming delicata squashes. To learn more and sign up for your own share, head here. 

Scallions are back in season at the Farm Stand! Often called green onions, scallions are a great way to add a mellow onion flavor to a multitude of dishes. They can be used raw as a garnish or cooked. The white and light green portions tend to have a stronger flavor and stand up better during the cooking process while the darker green tops have a delicate flavor perfect for garnishing. Try pairing scallions with cheddar cheese in a batch of biscuits or cornbread. Or, use them as a garnish for soups and salads. 

Have you had a chance to try our baby broccoli yet? The baby broccoli we have at the Farm Stand is actually a variety of sprouting broccoli. It differs from standard one-cut varieties as it produces several smaller crowns with thinner stalks rather than one large primary crown. We love to char grill or roast baby broccoli with olive oil, lemon, chili, and garlic. It makes a simple yet incredibly flavorful side dish that we can’t get enough of lately!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Cherry Tomatoes, Early Girl Tomatoes, Hakurei Turnips, Red Beets, Arugula, Salad Mix, Dino Kale, Curly Kale, Mustard Greens, Collard Greens, Komatsuna, Baby Bok Choy, Swiss Chard, Baby Broccoli, Cauliflower, Scallions, Roselle Greens, Roselle Pods, Long Beans, Okra, and Asian Eggplant

One of our favorite alliums has made its way back into season: scallions! This is one of Farmer Anna’s favorite crops because she loves to use them as a garnish on so many different dishes. Scallions can be enjoyed both raw and cooked and are a great way to add a mellow onion flavor to your favorite recipes. The white and light green portions of scallions have a stronger flavor and stand up well during cooking while the darker green tops have a more delicate flavor and are perfect for garnishing. Farmer Anna recommends using them in this salmon sushi bake. 

We harvested the first watermelon radishes in the high tunnel this week! You would never know looking at the exterior of a watermelon radish (above) that the interior is a brilliant shade of magenta (below). Watermelon radishes have a mild peppery flavor with a hint of sweetness. They can be enjoyed raw or cooked and are especially lovely when pickled. Farmer Anna loves adding them to salads for a beautiful (and delicious!) pop of color or using them as a garnish for homemade hummus. Make sure to stop by the Farm Stand this weekend so you can try some! 

Our carefully planned succession planting schedule allowed us to have an uninterrupted supply of cauliflower over the past month! We just harvested an abundance of beautiful heads of cauliflower from our second succession this week and are excited to share them with you at the Farm Stand. Farmer Reuben enjoys blanching cauliflower until tender and topping it with lemon pepper seasoning for a simple side dish. Did you know that you can easily freeze cauliflower to enjoy later in the year? Check out the simple method for freezing it here. 

In Season at the Farm Stand: Watermelon Radishes, Scallions, Cauliflower, Broccoli (limited), Kohlrabi, Hakurei Turnips, Swiss Chard, Collards, Cabbage, Kale, Lettuce Heads, Salad Mix, Spinach, Cilantro, Dill, and Parsley.

Upcoming Farm Events:

• Monthly Farm Tour: Saturday, January 13th at 10:30am
• Pop-up at the Heights Mercantile Farmers Market: Sunday, January 14th from 9am-1pm
• Pop-up at the Heights Mercantile Farmers Market: Sunday, January 28th from 9am-1pm

Are you joining us for The Harvest Market on Saturday?! We’ve been harvesting up a storm to make sure we have plenty of delicious veggies available for you at this special fall market! In addition to our farm stand, you’ll be able to shop local vendors like Chilesquiles, Verdegreens, Cutleaf Blooms, Casita Coffee, Born Again Granola, and Great Harvest Bread Co. The Harvest Market takes place this Saturday, November 5th from 9am-noon right here on the farm. We hope to see you there!

We’re harvesting a little something new for you this week: Golden Acre cabbage! These compact green heads of cabbage have a delicate flavor and crunchy texture. They’re perfect for slaws, salads, stir-fries, or fermenting into a batch of sauerkraut. We’re partial to roasted cabbage flavored with garlic, lemon, and a sprinkle of fresh herbs like parsley or dill. Here’s a similar recipe if you’d like to give it a try!

In addition to our beautiful heads of Golden Acre cabbage, we’re also harvesting the first scallions for you this week. Scallions, often called green onions, are a great option for adding a mellow oniony flavor to your favorite dishes. They can be enjoyed raw or cooked depending on your preference. We love adding them to vegetable stir-fries. They’re also great sprinkled over roasted beets or a batch of fried rice.

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.

Now that we’re past what was hopefully our last freeze of the season, we’re shifting our focus to planting! This is always an exciting point in the season as we begin to see all of the vacant beds fill up with spring varietals. Here’s what we’ve planted so far this week:

Tomatoes – This is one of our favorite crops so it was definitely a joyous occasion to see tomatoes in the field again! Within the five rows that we planted, there’s a mix of slicer, paste, and cherry varieties. Here are some of the tomatoes you can look forward to enjoying: Marmalade (an orange slicer), Sakura (a red cherry), Granadero (a red paste), Berkeley Tie-Dye (a green and red slicer), and Sungold (an orange cherry).

Summer Squashes – We’ll be planting multiple successions of summer squashes throughout the spring. The first round is a combination of Green Machine zucchini and yellow crookneck squash. We can’t wait to see our pollinators buzzing around the beautiful squash blossoms!

Flowers – To lend some beauty to the farm and provide a source for cut flower bouquets, we planted a couple of rows of flowers. Some of the flower varieties are edible, too! Among the varieties planted are cosmos (pictured below), zinnias, nigella, nasturtium, and orlaya. We’ll also be planting sunflowers as well.

Scallions – Not to be confused with the spring onions we’ve been harvesting, scallions lack the ability to develop a bulb. They have a mild onion flavor with hints of garlic. Even though they look tiny in the photo below, we’ll be harvesting them in no time!

In Season: Bok Choy, Romaine Lettuce, Rainbow Chard, Spinach, Salad Mix, Radicchio, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Spring Onions, Radishes, Shelling Peas