This week, I headed out to the farm in the morning to dodge the sweltering midday sun we’ve been having. I am also glad I went at this time because the morning light was so flattering to the farm. From a distance, it all looks like soft, cushion-like rows of bright green leaves. Some plants are growing tall and staked up, some sprawling widely, and others stay low to the ground with precious fruit.
The peppers and eggplants are at the front of the farm. They are short and squatty to carry the sweet and hearty vegetables that are, waiting for the harvest. It isn’t until you walk up and kneel that you can see the gem-like vegetables the stems are holding onto underneath the leaves.
Our salad favorites are still powering through this intense heat! They’ve grown to enormous sizes and look marvelous in the long, uniform fields. I can’t even call them salad greens because there are an array of different shades of colors. The Tuscan kale row looks like a pale blue color compared to the curly kale right next to it.
The swiss chard is abundant in its many colors. Here, you can see the deep red swiss chard along with the bright yellow. These are harvested and then bunched together to create the eye-catching rainbow salad mix that you see at the markets.
We also have some seasonal treats coming in hot! Here is a preview of our heirloom tomatoes ripening on the vine. We are expecting to see our Brandywine and purple Cherokee variety coming just around the corner. In the second picture, we have our oval-shaped Roma tomatoes getting ready as well. These are the tomatoes you want to use for a fantastic tomato sauce.
Of course, you can’t forget the basil for pairing with those beautiful tomatoes and the rest of the produce. We have rows of luscious basil in the peak of its season.
And last but not least, our okra is on its way in! Okra is such a fun vegetable to see while it is growing. It grows, pointing upwards, resembling a plant embellished with spikes. Okra is a local delicacy at this time of year, so keep an eye out for these when they’re harvested in just a couple of weeks!
