Vegetables

  • We grow a wide assortment of veggies in many different varieties and colors.
  • Most of our gardening is done by hand. We use a tractor for bigger projects like planting, tillage, and laying mulch, but mostly we keep our hands dirty. One tool that makes washing some items easier is our good helper, root crop washer “Beatrix” – in this video seen helping Hannah wash our golden beets.
  • Listed below are most of the items we’re growing this year. They will be available at the Farm Store and possibly some farmers’ markets.
  • We will additionally be growing: ginger, fennel, tomatillo, and celeriac
  • NEW in 2023: We will be leasing some of our garden area to newly on-her-own Farmer Rachael. We look forward to see what delicious foods and flowers she grows here this year!
  • Click in each pod to learn about storage and care, easy prep ideas, tricks & tips, varieties, and links to an abundance of recipes for each item!
Eggplant

Eggplant

Tender and delicious, eggplant in all shapes and colors can be used in a wide variety of dishes.
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Eggplant

Care & Storage: Keep eggplant refrigerated, and use it fairly quickly – within a week or so – as it doesn’t like to be stored too long.

Easy Prep Ideas: Eggplant comes in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, but all can be used interchangeably in recipes. It can be used peeled or unpeeled, depending on personal preference, but is always best cooked. Try it baked, stuffed, sauteed, steamed, made into a puree, grilled, fried . . . that’s seven basic cooking methods right there. Try a different one each week!

Tips & Tricks: Eggplant itself doesn’t freeze well, but you can always freeze pre-made dishes with eggplant, such as ratatouille, baba ghanouj, soups, or eggplant parmesan.

 
Recipes
 

For more info and great ideas, check out our Weirdo of the Week post on eggplant!

Varieties: Nadia Orient Express NSO Eggplant

Garlic

Garlic

A spicy, distinctively-flavored bulb used commonly as a flavorful addition to a wide variety of dishes.
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Garlic

Care & Storage: Cured garlic (which is usually what you’d get) must be kept dry – if it comes into contact with moisture, it won’t last. Best if stored in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place, in which it will keep for months (garlic pots are designed for this purpose, and are the best place to keep your garlic). Garlic can mold, rot or sprout if not stored properly.

Easy Prep Ideas: Garlic is typically used as flavoring for dishes, and appears in a wide variety of foods. Break off however many cloves you need, peel them, and mince or slice them to add to any number of dishes. It also makes a delicious addition to a mix of roasted vegetables. A tea made from garlic bulbs, though strong, is also good for your immune system.

 
Recipes
 

Find link to garlic mincer on Amazon (like the one we have) and provide suggestion/link. Also check out this garlic peeling hack video!

Varieties: German Extra Hardy

Garlic Scapes

Garlic Scapes

The immature flower buds of garlic plants, garlic scapes can be used as a flavoring or as a main ingredient to a wide variety of dishes. They also make a great pesto!
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Garlic Scapes

Care & Storage: Store in a plastic bag in the fridge. They’ll last in this manner for several weeks.

Nifty Info: Garlic scapes are the immature flower stalks of the garlic plant. They are removed as they develop so the garlic puts all its energy into the garlic bulb rather than flower production.

Easy Prep Ideas: The garlicky flavor in scapes can be quite strong. Start out using them sparingly until you determine what is the right amount for you! Use them any way you would green onions. Add sliced scapes to any stir fry, slice and sprinkle over any pasta, or slice and cook in almost any sauce recipe. Great in guacamole, salads, and fresh salsa, or on bruschetta and pizza. An excellent addition to stocks and many Asian dishes.

 
Recipes
 

For more great info and ideas, check out our Weirdo of the Week post on garlic scapes!

Varieties: German Extra Hardy

Leeks

Leeks

A relative of onions with the appearance of an oversized scallion. Good in soups, quiches, and a wide variety of other dishes.
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Leeks

Care & Storage: Store leeks in a plastic bag in the fridge. They’ll keep for weeks, even months – the outer layers will begin to dehydrate, but the insides will stay tender!

Easy Prep Ideas: Leeks are related to onions, but they’re more mild in flavor, and they don’t make you cry when you cut them! They can be sliced and used raw, or you can lightly sautee them or substitute them for onions in recipes. There’s always potato leek soup, but you aren’t limited to that. Stir fry, or add to mashed potatoes, soups, and quiche or an omelet…you name it!

 
Recipes
 

For more info and great ideas, check out our Weirdo of the Week post on leeks!

Varieties: Megaton Lexton

Lettuce

Lettuce

The classic salad green. We grow a wide variety of types – there’s something here for everybody!
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Lettuce

Care & Storage: Fresh lettuce will stay crisp and fresh for about ten days if properly stored. First, do a quick rinse and spin out excess moisture. You can either tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces or leave the heads whole (it will store longer if you keep them whole).  The key to longevity is putting the lettuce in a plastic bag and then squeezing out all, or nearly all, of the air before sealing the bag.  This will involve scrunching the lettuce, but it’ll fluff right up again when you remove it from the bag.

Easy Prep Ideas: Everyone knows how to use lettuce for a salad. It also makes a great decorative garnish for dishes, and tastes delicious in sandwiches. Large leaves make great wraps instead of using tortillas, if you’re watching your carbs.

Recipes
 

Varieties: Jericho (a romaine variety) Nancy (butterhead lettuce) Adriana (butterhead lettuce) Panisse (green oakleaf lettuce) Salanova (salad mix)

Onions

Onions

We grow green Tropea onions. Delicious raw, sauteed, or roasted!
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Onions

Care & Storage: Green onions (those harvested in the spring and summer) don’t keep long. They should be stored in the fridge and used quickly, within a week or two.

Easy Prep Ideas: Tropea onions can be sauteed for use in any number of dishes (garlic and onions are the start of all things good!). Roasting them with other veggies or on the grill is a delight (add them to your shish kebob skewer!)

Nifty Facts: Onions probably originated in the Middle East, and date back to 3200 B.C. The ancient Egyptians saw the concentric circles of the onion as a symbol of the universe and treated it as an object of worship. Oh, the Mighty Onion!

 
Recipes
 

Varieties: Tropea

Peppers (sweet)

Peppers (sweet)

Most of our peppers are sweet, no matter the shape and color; we only grow poblano spicy peppers. Peppers make delicious additions to soups, salads, and all kinds of dishes.
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Peppers (sweet)

Care & Storage: To keep peppers fresh, refrigerate in a bag or airtight container. They’ll last up to several weeks stored in this manner.

Easy Prep Ideas: Peppers can be eaten raw – add them to salads, dip them, or eat them plain. They can also be used cooked in soups, sauces, stir fry, salads, or baked or roasted.

Tips & Tricks: Did you know you can freeze peppers? Without blanching, even! Just remove the seeds, chop them up, and flash freeze them on a cookie sheet (this will keep them from sticking together, so you can later remove just the amount you need). After they are frozen, store them in a freezer bag or container for winter use in casseroles, soups, sauces and stir fries.

To the right is a video tutorial about how to roast sweet peppers (you can use all colors, not just red!). This video was made by Steph, a customer of ours from the West Chester Growers’ Market. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuirpLWems4

 
Recipes
 

Varieties: Red Knight (Red Bell) Gourmet (Orange Bell) Carmen (Red Horn-Shaped) Escamillo (Yellow Horn-Shaped) Jimmy Nardellos (Red Italian-Type) Flavorburst (Yellow Bell)

Potatoes

Potatoes

We grow delicious white and red-skinned potatoes.
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Potatoes

Care & Storage: Potatoes can be stored for several months if kept at room temperature and out of direct light. Paper bags in the cupboard are ideal. Potatoes like the dark – if you keep them out and see a green color develop, throw them away or you’ll end up with an upset stomach if you eat them (see here for the science: http://www.thekitchn.com/food-science-why-potatoes-turn-62174)

Easy Prep Ideas: Potatoes can be boiled, baked, mashed, fried, roasted, and used in a wide variety of dishes.

 
Recipes
 

For more info and great ideas, check out our Weirdo of the Week post on potatoes!

Varieties: Red Norland Eva

Spinach

Spinach

The classically versatile green; spinach can be eaten raw or used lightly cooked in any number of dishes.
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Spinach

Care & Storage: Rinse, dry and store your spinach in a plastic bag or container. Fresh spinach will keep for a long time in the refrigerator – up to two weeks! – especially if you squeeze out extra air from your storage bag.

Easy Prep Ideas: It can be used raw in salads or on sandwiches or lightly cooked (it cooks very quickly and reduces dramatically in size, so start with way more than you think you need!). You can steam or saute it, or add (in the last few minutes) to soups and stews.

Tips & Tricks: Spinach freezes well after blanching for only 1-2 minutes, and will keep for winter use!

Nifty Info: Spinach has been used for at least 2000 years! It’s very popular and wildly versatile.

 
Recipes
 

Varieties: Gazelle Space

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

With an orange flesh and sweet flavor, sweet potatoes will keep for a couple of months when stored properly and are delicious when cooked in a variety of different ways.
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Sweet Potatoes

Care & Storage: Store these at room temperature, just like regular potatoes. They’ll keep for a couple of months or more.

Easy Prep Ideas: You can use sweet potatoes in all the ways you’d use regular potatoes. Bake ‘em, nuke ‘em, boil ‘em, roast ‘em, mash ‘em. Add a little butter or Asian pear butter for a sweeter flavor, and you’re all set! No need to add sugary goo – a bit of savory with your sweet potatoes is fantastic. Try adding your favorite savory spices, topping them with cooked greens or cooked ground sausage or eggs. Be creative – their lightly sweet flavor is versatile with so many other flavors!

 
Recipes
 

Varieties: Beauregard

Tomatoes

Tomatoes

We grow heirlooms, red slicers, and cherry tomatoes.
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Tomatoes

Care & Storage: Keep tomatoes at room temperature if at all possible. Refrigeration will kill their flavor! Tomatoes come in all kinds of colors, so use touch to determine if they are soft and ready-to-eat. Give them a light squeeze. If they ‘give’ easily, then use ‘em up (because they won’t keep long)! If they are firm, they can sit on your counter for a couple of days to soften.

Tricks & Tips: For quick peeling, toss them in boiling water for a few minutes until the skins start to crack. Then run cool water over them and slide off the skins! If you have tons of must-be-used-now tomatoes, here’s some easy ways to deal with them without getting into canning:

  1. Freeze tomatoes easily by cutting out the core (just from the top) and tossing the whole tomato (along with others) in a freezer bag. That’s it! When you use them, let them thaw a bit or run them under water and the skin will just peel right off. Frozen fresh tomatoes retain a surprising amount of flavor. They will be softer in texture after being frozen – but they’ll be great to add to soups, stews, chili, etc.

  2. Use your dehydrator and make your own dried tomato slices. Freeze the dried slices then use in wintertime soups and casseroles.

  3. Make your favorite sauce recipe (see below) to use up a LOT of tomatoes fast, and then freeze the sauce in single- or family-sized batches.

Easy Prep Ideas: Eat them raw on salads or sandwiches, of course! Also, a quick saute or broil of (for firmer tomatoes) brief time on the grill will bring out some super flavors to accompany most meals. A simple sandwich of bread/toast, tomato, and your favorite dressing is a great start. Add anything else you’d like – lettuce, meat, other veggies, egg, even (gasp!) peanut butter.

Recipes

For more info and great ideas, check out our Weirdo of the Week post on tomatoes!

Varieties: Sunpeach (Pink Cherry Tomato) Sungold (Golden Cherry Tomato) Supersweet 100 (Red Cherry Tomato) Celebrity (Red Slicers) Valencia (Orange Heirloom) Malachite Box (Green Heirloom)