A common question during extreme weather events like our recent deluge of rain, is what do the farmers do in wet fields and rainy weather? Recently, we have taken advantage of sunny days by lightly tilling soil and planting cover crop seeds to let the soil rest before a busy Fall season. In this case, rain helps the seeds germinate and keeps plants well watered without the use of irrigation. Summer cover crops, like Cowpeas and Sunflowers, are vigorous plants that grow quick enough to out-compete native weeds like nutsedge.

Summertime crops need to be harvested about every two days to capture veggies at peak ripeness and quality, especially okra which seems to grow inches overnight! Typically even in mild rain you will find us harvesting in the early morning to keep our Grab-n-Go cooler stocked with the freshest produce. Our tomato crop will be phasing out of season, so be sure to grab our sauce and cherry tomatoes soon! The abundance of rain has increased pest pressure for this crop, so we will be slowly removing tomato plants in the tunnel and field over the next couple of weeks.

This patch of sunflowers has become a popular photo op for resident walks through the neighborhood and is a beautiful example of a mature cover crop! Sunflowers have a long tap root that can penetrate our heavy clay soil, and produce a lovely harvestable flower. Similarly, Cowpeas trap nitrogen in the soil with the help of microbes that bind to the roots, while also creating an edible pod.

In Season : Cherry Tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil, Italian Eggplant, Okra, Long Beans, Peppers : Banana, Shishito, Green Bell, Sweet Bell, Jalapeno, Mad Hatter, and Poblano, Green Onion, and Flowers

While some crops are longing for a dry spell, frequent summer showers have caused our sunflowers to burst with blooms! These sunnies are a perfect pair to bright zinnias and marigolds that make up our summertime bouquets. This week we are preparing beds to plant more flowers that will last throughout the summer season.

Long beans are dripping off of the vine this week and are available in red and green bunches in the Grab-n-Go cooler! We are also harvesting hot peppers including Jalapenos and Mad Hatter, pictured below. This pepper resembles a bishop's hat and tastes mildly sweet with floral notes combined with a spicy heat near the seed cavity. Mad Hatter creates a beautiful color and rich flavor when preserved in a hot pepper jelly!

Just a friendly reminder to visit our Grab-n-Go cooler now fitted with new and updated signs to streamline the purchasing process! The Grab-n-Go cooler option is open 24/7, making it a super convenient way to get fresh veggies on your table throughout the year. Visitors can simply grab a paper bag, fill it with your choice of veggies, and check out at the iPad stationed on the wall. Patrons can also stop by the Farm Stand from 9am - 12pm each Saturday!

In Season : Slicing Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil, Italian Eggplant, Okra, Long Beans, Peppers: Banana, Shishito, Green Bell, Sweet Bell, Jalapeno, Mad Hatter, and Poblano, Green Onion, Lettuce, and Flowers

Sometimes, you have to make time to stop and smell the roses, or in our case, zinnias! This row of Benary Giant zinnias is full of vibrantly colored blooms that are thriving in the summer sun. If you’ve had the opportunity to snag one of our coveted fresh flower bouquets lately, you’ve probably seen some of these in the mix. If you’d like to experience these lovely blooms in person along with the high summer transition on the farm, we invite you to join us at our next Farm Tour on Saturday, July 15th at 10:30am. Our tours are open to the public and free of charge so we hope to see you there!

High summer planting continued in the greenhouse this week with sunflowers, zinnias, okra, and cucumbers. We’re especially excited about the two sunflower varieties we planted: Summer Breeze Mix and Ring of Fire. Summer Breeze is a mix of branching sunflower varieties in a range of colors that is great for cutting and adding to bouquets. Ring of Fire produces bi-color sunflowers that have a distinct ring of bronze around the center. We can’t wait to add these to our bouquets!

We should have the first watermelons of the summer for you very soon! This succession of watermelons is called “Sugar Baby”, a variety that is known as an icebox or picnic variety due to its small size. These melons have dark green skin and red flesh along with that quintessential sweet watermelon flavor. We should have these for you at the Farm Stand in the next week or two!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Korean Melons, Okra, Long Beans, Banana Peppers, Sweet Peppers, Limited Cherry and Slicing Tomatoes, Eggplant, Cousa Squash, Onions, and Cut Flower Bouquets (limited and only on Saturdays).

Remember the Milan melons we planted back in June? We harvested the first of them this week! Milan is an Italian melon similar to cantaloupe with beige skin, longitudinal green stripes, and orange flesh (pictured both above and below). It is incredibly fragrant and sweet and has more of a crisp texture than a traditional cantaloupe. We highly recommend stopping by the farm stand to pick one up for some weekend snacking! Aside from enjoying it as-is, Farmer Alex recommends using these melons for a batch of sorbet or granita.

Have you had a chance to try any of our Armenian cucumbers yet? We’ve been enjoying experimenting with them in our own kitchens throughout the summer. Armenian cucumbers have a delicate flavor that is melon-like without the sweetness. The smaller Armenian cucumbers are great for slicing and enjoying raw in salads. Their firm and crunchy texture also makes them ideal for a batch of pickles. The larger ones can actually be cooked just as you would zucchini! Try them out in this grilled cucumber recipe with mint and feta.

We are excited to offer you a new sunflower variety in our bouquets very soon! It’s called “White Lite” and it has very pale yellow petals and a golden center. As you can see in the photo below, some of these sunflowers are already starting to open! We’ll most likely be pairing these with our other sunflower varieties for some lovely late summer bouquets. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as they’re available!

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, Korean Melons, Cantaloupe, 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