Seeding Hakurei Turnips & Harvesting Brassicas

Village Farm Team,

We recently seeded a new root veggie in our planter boxes: Hakurei turnips! These quick-growing turnips take just over a month to mature once they germinate. Often referred to as a “salad turnip”, they can be eaten raw as well as cooked. Hakurei turnips are white in color with a crisp and tender texture. The flavor is mild compared to other turnips with a sweet, almost fruity flavor. We can’t wait to test them out in the kitchen!

If you made it out to the veggie wagon this past weekend, you might have noticed we made our first harvest of broccoli and cauliflower. Though our first harvest was much later than expected due to mild winter temperatures and slower growth, we are stoked to be able to enjoy these delicious members of the brassica family! Did you know that a head of cauliflower is made up of clusters of immature flower buds called “curds”? We harvest and eat the cauliflower while the flower buds are still immature and the curds are compact. If we were to leave the head on the plant, the curds would separate and the buds would eventually bloom.

We’ve been slowly ramping up vegetable production on the farm in preparation for our 4th annual Chef Fest! On Sunday, March 29th from 12-4pm, our farm will be transformed so that attendees can experience the intersection of agriculture and the commercial kitchen amidst the setting of a working farm. Ten local chefs will be creating seasonally inspired dishes using our beautiful produce. We couldn’t be more excited to see how they transform what we’ve grown and harvested into their final dishes. Head here to find out more about the chefs and to secure your tickets.