The First Broccoli Harvest

Village Farm Team,

It’s been an exciting fall season on the farm as it seems that each week brings at least one new crop that we can add to our harvest lineup. This past week we were able to harvest the following: multiple varieties of kale, chard, arugula, mustard greens, radishes, turnips, and broccoli. We are still harvesting limited amounts of peppers, okra, and eggplant but we expect to phase those out soon as we have the potential for freezing weather next week. As for what is immediately on the horizon, we expect to start harvesting our first succession of beets and our mini bok choy either this week or next week.

We made the first broccoli harvest at the end of last week! We’re harvesting our Imperial variety which was the first succession to be transplanted due to its heat tolerance. Imperial produces dark green heads with a tight dome. Did you know that all members of the crucifer family like broccoli and cauliflower contain indoles which are nitrogen compounds that are believed to protect our cells’ DNA from carcinogens? Yet another reason to love this crunchy green veggie! If you want to get your broccoli fix, make sure to pop by the veggie wagon this Saturday from 8am-noon.

We planted our first head lettuce variety this week: Coastal Star. Head lettuce varieties form a head as their name indicates while leaf lettuce varieties have leaves that branch from a single stalk. Coastal Star is a romaine variety that forms dark green heads that have a crunchy texture and sweet flavor. You’ve got about a month before we expect to start harvesting so get your recipes ready!