If you’re looking for more plants to fill out your home garden or just want to give gardening a try - these beautiful herb plants grown from seed at Sunset Farm are a perfect addition this Spring season! We will be selling herb starts at the Farm Stand this Saturday from 9am - 12pm, with varieties including Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Chamomile, and Chives. When you stop by, we would love to share gardening tips and answer any questions about best growing practices for herbs!

In addition to seedlings, our Farm Stand is full of a beautiful variety of veggies with new Spring additions on their way! Highlights from our harvests this week include an abundance of yellow squash perfect for adding to any stir fry or pairing with a root veggie bake and this heat-tolerant leafy lettuce to savor as we near the end of salad season. A few vegetables in limited supply as we approach warmer weather include kohlrabi, fennel, and carrots!

Spring crops like tomatoes and zucchini are sizing up and will be ripe for harvest any day now! The first buds have also arrived in our flower patch and our crop of Borage has become a haven for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators as they feast on a buffet of blooms. Be sure to stop by for a scenic walk through the farm, and stay tuned as we share upcoming dates for Spring community activities on the farm!

In Season : Yellow Squash, Chard, Collards, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Cilantro, Parsley, Green Onion, Fennel, Carrots (limited), and Celery (limited)

The warmth of a promising start to Spring has hastened the growth of our greenhouse seedlings, allowing us to plant our first Spring crop of summer squash in the field! We are hopeful for an earlier harvest of these fruits this season, which will be closely followed by cherry tomatoes. In the coming weeks, we will be making room in the field and high tunnel to plant our peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and flowers! We are especially pleased with high germination yields of our flowers, as many varieties need very specific growing conditions like light exposure to the seed and precise soil temperature.

With the changing of seasons, our new seedlings aren’t the only thing eager to experience new life. Both cool and warm-season weeds are breaking through the ground in response to plentiful rain and sunshine. Our goal is to keep these weeds at bay before we settle into our true Spring and Summer season when weeds are even more keen to consume beautifully prepared bare soil. Though weeding can seem like a chore, it is a necessary part of growing food when the farmer chooses to work alongside nature rather than against it.

If you too are looking to enjoy the outdoors this weekend, please stop by our Farm Stand from 9am - 12pm. There will be an array of freshly harvested veggies, versatile enough to prepare a refreshing salad or a warm and hearty soup! Farmer Sarah will be there to answer any questions you may have about starting a Spring garden of your own too!

In Season: Carrots, Celery, Fennel, Green Onions, Green Cabbage, Parsley, Collard Greens, Curly Kale, Cilantro, and Dill

Join us in welcoming Sarah to the Farm Team! Before she made her way to Sunset Farm, Sarah was working on a farm that grew produce specifically for a restaurant located on the same piece of land. She considers farming incredibly special because it allows her to connect with the Earth and understand the importance of growing food. And, she finds it fulfilling to share knowledge about the time and labor that goes into every harvest. Sarah is looking forward to building her farm knowledge and providing the Jordan Ranch community with sustainably grown produce!

We have a delicious summer squash variety for you in the Grab-and-Go coolers! It’s called “Zephyr” and it is a straight-neck yellow summer squash with a band of light green on the blossom end. It has a lovely nutty flavor and tender texture that can be used in any recipes calling for yellow squash or zucchini. Zephyr summer squash is equally delicious raw or cooked. We recommend thinly slicing it along with some of our cucumbers and enjoying it in a simple carpaccio like this. Or, try sauteeing it in olive oil with minced garlic until tender and serve it with a garnish of some of our basil. 

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

The tomatoes in the high tunnel are swiftly growing which means it’s time to implement the lower and lean method! Each tomato plant is attached to a spool of twine suspended from a trellis wire (above). As each plant reaches the top of the tunnel, we let out slack on the spool so that we can slide it down the main trellis wire. This angles our plants, giving them more room for growth. Once we implement this method, we keep the bottom portion of our plants aggressively pruned (below) in order to allow for maximum airflow and prevent disease.

We will be harvesting the first eggplants of the season for you very soon! Our plants are just beginning to set fruit which can be seen in the photo below. Eggplants are among our lineup of tried and true summer crops that take the summer heat in stride and continue to produce throughout the very hot months. We’re growing both Asian and Italian eggplant varieties that are perfect for a multitude of culinary applications from grilling to stir-frying to roasting. We expect to have the first eggplant at the Farm Stand for you within the next week!

Farmer Reuben just planted a summer squash variety that he is really excited about: Mexicana. It produces speckled greyish-green fruits that are similar to a zucchini in appearance but have a tapered shape. Mexicana squash has tender flesh with a lovely, nutty flavor. Since squashes grow fairly quickly, we expect to begin harvesting this variety in early to mid July. We can’t wait to share it with you!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Slicing Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Serrano Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Okra, Kale, and Basil

Coming Soon: Eggplants and Zucchini

Come celebrate the arrival of spring during our next Farm Tour on Saturday, March 16th at 10:30am! We’ve been busy planting crops for the upcoming season and are so excited to share a preview of what we’ll be growing over the next few months. As always, this tour will include a sampling of veggies that are in season at the Farm Stand like our peppery arugula. Our tours are open to the public and free of charge. We look forward to seeing you there!

Can you believe it’s already time to plant tomatoes?! Now that we’re past our last frost date for the season, it’s time to get them in the ground. As you can see in the photo below, our tomatoes are verdant, lush, and ready to be planted! We’ll be growing a mix of cherry and slicing varieties and will be splitting them between the high tunnel and the field. Here are the varieties you can expect to see this spring: Sun Gold, Cherry Bomb, Valencia, Clementine, and Galahad. 

Though our first succession of cucumbers, zucchinis, and summer squashes just went in the ground, they will start trickling into season before you know it. All of these warm season favorites are in the cucurbit family and are quick growers, especially when the soil is warm! Since they grow fairly quickly, we typically plant multiple successions throughout the season in order to ensure a steady supply. You can expect to see the first zucchini, summer squashes, and cucumbers arrive at the Farm Stand in about a month.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Arugula, Lettuce, Carrots, Fennel, Collard Greens, Kale, Spring Onions, Dill, and Marigold Bouquets 

Coming Soon: Cucumbers, Zucchini, and Summer Squashes

Did you know that tomatoes are one of our more labor-intensive crops to grow? Once we plant our tomatoes, we devote a lot of time to trellising and pruning. The high tunnel tomatoes that you see here are on a string system so as they grow, we continue to wrap the string around the main stem to provide support. We also make sure to prune off any suckers which are small shoots that grow from points where a branch and the main stem meet. You can see Farmer Reuben pruning off a sucker in the photo above. Doing this helps to redirect energy towards root and vertical growth. Once our tomatoes begin to ripen, we’ll shift our focus to harvesting!

Magda squash just made its way into season! It is a “cousa” type squash that is light green in color and has a sweet and nutty flavor similar to our Zephyr squash. So far it’s been super productive so much sure to stock up when you visit the Farm Stand! Magda (pictured above) can be used in both sweet and savory recipes just like you would zucchini. Farmer Anna loves to cut these squashes in half lengthwise, grill them until they get a nice char, then slather them with a homemade herb butter. Yum!

Cucumbers have made their way back into season as well! We have two different varieties available for you at the Farm Stand: Bristol and Max Pack. Bristol, pictured on the left in the photo below, is a slicing cucumber that is great for adding to salads, sandwiches, and for juicing. Max Pack, pictured on the right, is a pickling cucumber that can be enjoyed as a snack or in a batch of pickles. Farmer Reuben recommends slicing up a cucumber and pairing it with some fresh lime juice and tajin seasoning for a quick and flavorful snack.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Cucumbers (pickling and slicing), Summer Squashes (Zephyr, Magda, and Zucchini), Bulb Onions, Leeks, Green Garlic, Fennel, Celery, Collards, Cabbage, Lettuce Heads, Carrots, Turnips, and Beets.

We are delighted to introduce you to the newest member of the Farm Team, Reuben! Originally from Laredo, Reuben received his B.S. in Agriculture from Texas State University. He’s worked on both large and small scale agricultural farms in addition to hydroponic and aquaponic operations. He took a short break from farming but soon realized he missed being outside and working for his community. Reuben is excited to interact with the Jordan Ranch community and share his love of farming. If you see him around the farm, make sure to say hello and ask him about his favorite crop to grow!

Summer squashes are making their way back into season! This week, we have the first Zephyr squashes available for you at the farm stand. As you can see in the photo above, Zephyr is a straight yellow summer squash with a band of light green on the blossom end. It has a lovely nutty flavor and tender texture that can be used in any recipes calling for yellow squash or zucchini. Farmer Reuben recommends grilling it with some of our onions for a simple and tasty side dish. In addition to Zephyr, we’ll have the first green zucchinis (pictured below) for you next week in order to give them time to size up.

This is the last week broccoli will be in season so make sure to snag some while you can! This purple broccoli is great for roasting, especially when combined with our carrots or fennel. If you’re a big broccoli fan and would like to extend its season, you can easily blanch and freeze it to enjoy throughout the year. Here’s an article that outlines the process step-by-step. If you’re curious why broccoli season is ending, or you want to see what else we’re growing on the farm, make sure to come to our next Farm Tour this Saturday, April 8th at 10:30am! Our Farm Tours are free of charge and open to the public but we ask that children be accompanied by an adult.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Zephyr Summer Squash, Beets (red, golden, & Chioggia), Fennel, Carrots, Spring Onions, Cabbage, Purple Broccoli (last week!), Collards, Kohlrabi, Celery, Kale, Turnips, and Icicle Radishes.

The high tunnel is fully planted! We have three beds planted with tomatoes in addition to two pepper beds and one with cucumbers. All of the pepper varieties in the high tunnel are sweet including the much-anticipated Islander purple bell pepper. Since the high tunnel gives us a little more control over temperature, we were able to plant successions of both tomatoes and cucumbers here a couple of weeks earlier than in the field. That means that we’ll be able to offer you these crops a bit earlier! Look for the first harvest around late April or early May.

Our Zephyr summer squashes are flowering and we even spotted the first fruits! Did you know that squashes produce both male and female flowers on the same plant? The male flowers (pictured below on the long stem) often bloom first in order to attract pollinators. The female flowers (pictured above) have tiny squashes at their base. On the morning that they open, they must be pollinated by the male flowers in order to produce. Lucky for us, pollinators do the job for us! Since squashes are quick growers, we’ll be making the first harvest in the next couple of weeks.

Our next Farm Tour is coming up on Saturday, April 8th at 10:30am! This is a great time to see some of our spring crops flowering like our tomatoes and summer squashes. You might even get to see the first baby tomatoes in the high tunnel! If you’d like to see what early spring looks like on the farm, and maybe get a taste of what we’re harvesting, make sure to join us! Our Farm Tours are free of charge and open to the public but we ask that children be accompanied by an adult. We can’t wait to see you!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Beets (red, golden, & Chioggia), Fennel, Baby Carrots (limited), Spring Onions, Cabbage, Purple Broccoli, Collards, Kohlrabi, Celery, Kale, Turnips, and Icicle Radishes.

We planted the first round of summer squashes in the field last week! We have one row each of green zucchini and Zephyr summer squash. We’re excited to share the Zephyr variety with you because it produces slender yellow summer squashes that are light green on the blossom end with a deliciously nutty flavor. Since summer squashes are quick growers, this will be the first of many successions planted throughout the spring and summer. We expect to start harvesting the first squashes in about a month!

In addition to the summer squashes, we planted two different cucumber varieties: Bristol (a standard slicing cucumber) and Max Pack (a pickling cucumber). Similar to summer squashes, cucumbers are fast growers. We’ll be installing trellises for them in the next couple of weeks to ensure their vines have a place to climb and sprawl. Farmer Anna is especially excited for the return of cucumbers because they’re one of her favorite crops! She sees a lot of cucumber, tomato, and onion salads in her future…

As we slowly transition the farm for the upcoming warmer season, we’ll be phasing out our cool season crops, namely our brassicas. The last round of cauliflower will be harvested this week and next. We’ll also be harvesting the last of our green and purple broccoli over the next couple of weeks. Make sure to take advantage of these delicious veggies before they make their way out of season! You can pick some up at our Saturday Farm Stand from 9am-noon or at any time from our Self-Serve Farm Stand.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Baby Carrots, Spring Onions, Cauliflower, Purple Broccoli, Celery, Hakurei Turnips, Icicle Radishes, Kohlrabi, Collards, Cabbage, Kale, Spinach, Lettuce, and Cilantro.

We are in love with the variety of veggies at the farm stand right now. Each week, something new makes its way into season and this one is no exception as we welcome green beans! The variety is called “Tobago” and it is what is referred to as a “filet” or “French” bean due to its short, slender appearance. Farmer Caitlin prefers to grill her green beans for the smoky flavor it imparts. Toss the beans with melted butter, minced garlic, salt, and pepper and put them on the grill just long enough to get a little char.

In addition to green beans, there are two new summer squash varieties joining the lineup: Dario zucchini and Magda zucchini. Dario (pictured above) has a striking appearance with alternating light green and dark green stripes. Magda (pictured below) is a “cousa” type squash that is light green in color and has a sweet and nutty flavor. In addition to these two new squashes, we also have a standard green zucchini and yellow crookneck squash in season. Farmer Alex recommends using these delicious squashes to make a quiche! Add some of our basil and leeks to the mix and you have a delicious breakfast or brunch item.

As the weather warms and the days grow longer, we’re working on planting out our rows with heat-loving crops. This week, that includes planting the next succession of peppers. Are you a hot or sweet pepper fan? Or maybe you love both? Either way, we’ve got you covered! We planted serrano peppers this week, which typically run hotter than a jalapeno. And, we planted habanada peppers, a heatless habanero with a fruity flavor. We can’t wait to share these delicious peppers with you!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Green Beans, Flat Wax Beans, Summer Squashes, Cucumbers, Tomatoes (slicers & cherries), Carrots, Beets, Kohlrabi, Fennel, Scallions, Leeks, Collard Greens, Kale, Basil, and Flower Bouquets

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

November 4th, 2021

We noticed that some of our Napa cabbages are in the beginning stages of forming their heads! In the early stages of growth, cabbages produce large, broad leaves like you see in the photo below. Eventually, the inner leaves will begin to curl inwards and grow tightly together to form the cabbage head. We have both green and red Napa cabbage varieties planted. We’re hoping to be able to make the first harvest in the next few weeks.

The cooler weather that arrived this week means we must bid farewell to some of our remaining summer crops. Each crop has its own seasonality and while we’re able to keep summer crops around for much longer here than in northern growing zones, eventually there comes a time when they must make their way out of season. This is the last week you’ll be able to find the following veggies at the farm stand: yellow squash, cucumbers, hot peppers, and sweet peppers. Make sure to come stock up at the farm stand on Saturday from 10am-noon!

We did a big round of seeding in the greenhouse last week and we’re already seeing really good germination with what we’ve planted. Germination is a term for the process of a planted seed developing after being in dormancy. Upon germinating, the first leaves to appear are the cotyledons (like you see in these Merlot cabbage plants below). Here are some other delicious varieties that are germinating in the greenhouse: Kohlrabi, Barese chard, Cegolaine lettuce, Belstar broccoli, and Amazing cauliflower.

Currently In Season: Cherry Tomatoes, Slicer Tomatoes, Broccoli, Kale, Tokyo Bekana, Arugula, Lettuce, Hakurei Turnips, Shishito Peppers, Padron Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Eggplant, Yellow Squash, Cucumbers, and White Icicle Radishes