Farmer’s Eye View

Aug. 24, 2010

The Open House was a spectacular success. The farm was at its peak, ready for visitors. You can capture the experience through photos on our photo blog. Don’t miss the fun in 2011, mark your calendar for August 20.

Another great event here on the farm happens Sept. 11. The Farm Fresh Dinner combines the culinary artfulness of Red Stag Supper Club and Barbette with the beautiful farm venue of Gardens of Eagan and the “get-it-done” know-how of Emergency Foodshelf Network more…

Broccoli Cooler weather, more broccoli. Count on it!

Cabbage  I was pleased to see the last crop of Azurro Red starting to size up. Green is sweet and tender, as usual. No supply gap anticipated. We are growing one of my personal favorites – Red Savoy – to add in to our later fall cabbage offerings.

Cucumbers  Supply is tight through the next 7 – 10 days. Will still be picking, at slower rate, through Sept 10 or so.

Kale Green and Red look good, lacinato is recovering from heat, flea beetles and loopers at a slower pace, supply tight for at least 10 days.  We are irrigating it this week to help it along.

Corn. Picked small amount on Monday, good picking through the rest of the week. Last crop should be on the heels of this one unless it remains very cool at night. Expect our corn to be over by Labor Day weekend or just before.

Peppers Finally sent a few ripe bells today. Yields will be fairly low this year, but  September’s weather could turn things around. I’ll keep you up to date. I have slightly blemished No. 2s for use in the deli, basically half price. Call ahead to CPW or send me an e-mail.

Watermelon Melons will be over by Labor Day, enjoy while the supply is high.

Tomatoes –Flashy Speckled Romans are a truly great tomato, the single variety that is performing for us. They look and taste like an heirloom and perform like a hybrid. (See photo below.) We have priced them like a hybrid so take advantage of that. We are stickering them with our logo so they won’t be confused with the ones mixed into Featherstone’s Heirloom mix. Quality and Flavor, just a couple of sampling events in the produce aisle and clearly marked pricing and you’ll see sales pick up!!

Basil We double box our basil to protect it from chill injury. Very good quality.

Cauliflower The first significant harvest will be next week if the weather stays cool.

Edamame – Big, sweet pods. Like corn they have to be kept cold to retain sweetness. We would be glad to schedule a demo/tasting or provide you with a complimentary box if you want to sample them with your own staff. Recipes abound on the web or check out our preferred, simple method for making a snack on our website.

Leeks –Look for leeks end of week. We really do hill and blanch them. don’t go for those second rate, mostly green California leeks I’ve been seeing around.  We are also planting a hardy variety this week for overwintering. Haven’t done it before in Minnesota so we will have to see how it goes for next spring’s sales.

White Sweet Potatoes – We have test-dug some. Hard to tell about the yield but the quality looks to be top notch!

Linda Halley, Farm Manager