Garden "Picks"

Lots to pick at the farm now and every week there are changes. 

The beds planted with winter squash are growing so fast—we just might 

be incorporating those varietals onto the menus 

while we are still getting creative with the summer squash. 

winter squash bed in early July 

and the same bed as August begins

Chef John recently talked to The Huffington Post about 

how the farm tells us what is in season rather than what we expect. 

He recalls: "Nature does not always work in accordance with a chef's schedule. 

You can't predict much. Normally, rhubarb means spring, 

 strawberry is spring and summer, delicata squash is fall. 

There was point last year I was harvesting all those in the same time.

Now, at the height of summer abundance, I'm hauling in tomatoes. 

Every day. We're putting them everywhere on the menu. 

Eggplant? 'Learn to love it,' I tell the sous chefs."

And with eggplant as beautiful as these Black Beauties, what's not to love?

did you know this variety of eggplant is over 100 years old?

these go directly from the farm to the kitchen to your table every day!

Sunset Magazine has a "no fail" guide for when 

to harvest the vegetables in your garden.

This is helpful with so much growing at this time of year. 

What are you harvesting now in your garden?

abundant cucumber bed

Along with our squash,cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, herbs and eggplant, 

we are also still picking chard and kale.
Here's some "super food" info on kale.

This is a delicious leafy green sautéed or in salads. 

Food writer Melissa Clark offers some delicious ideas for kale, 

including creating kale pesto and a great tip for "cheater's" blanched kale: 

"Before you add your pasta to the pot, grasp a small handful of whole kale 

by the stems, and simply dunk them into and swirl them around 

the bubbling pot for a few seconds. The stems make handles, 

which obviates the need for dropping the leaves into the pot 

and then having to drain said pot and then boil even more water to cook your pasta."

sunchoke plants loom over the squash beds

But what is really growing at the farm are our sunchokes.  

Sunchokes, also called Jerusalem artichokes, are an edible tuber 

that grows underground, much like a potato. 

They look a little bit like large knobs of ginger, and taste slightly nutty, and savory
like a cross between an artichoke heart and the best potato you've ever had.
There are reports of sunchokes growing in Cape Cod in 1605.

Since sunchokes were first cultivated by Native Americans 

and are not from Jerusalem, the reason they are also
called Jerusalem artichokes is unclear.
Does anyone know how they got that name? 

Sondra features a pan roasted black cod with roasted sunchokes in her new book, 

Plats du Jour: the girl & the fig's Journey Through the Seasons in Wine Country 

and served it this spring at a dinner we cooked at the James Beard House. 

photo by Phil Gross for James Beard House 

What's the best pick from your garden these days?

Autumn at the farm

As the Autumn light begins to cast shadows 

at the farm we know that Winter is coming soon.

Rows of squash continue to grow, bringing many varieties into our 
kitchens to inspire the chefs. Julienned spaghetti squash makes a beautiful 
"bed" for a pork dish. With so many kinds of squash, the possibilities are endless.

Of the many types of winter squash, the oblong striped delicata is often 
called the "cadillac of squash"- it is so sweet. You will find it roasted, 
in soups or a salad as our chefs get very creative with this gem. 

    

 

so many varieties of squash

But even as we are well into the Fall season, we still delight 
in finding more tasty tomatoes on the vines. 

we harvested 1500 pounds of tomatoes 

and look forward to green tomato jam this winter.

more gifts that we bring from the farm to our tables 

fennel

melons

Here we are approaching winter and we have melons. 
John's lesson from the farm is "Farming teaches us how to cook. 
As we farm, we learn what true seasonality means-you cook with what 
the land gives us not what you 'think' we should be making.  

Don't these persimmons look delectable? 
Since these are the fuyu variety, 
you might be able to take a bite 
if you find a ripe one. 
Beware before biting into the other variety of  persimmon−the hachiya, 
darker orange in color and more astringent and tanic. 
We have those at ESTATE's gardens 
and our chefs create luscious jam to compliment many dishes.

what are these berries?

These are jujube berries from our jujube tree. It is also sometimes called a 

Chinese date tree. These lovely berries are beautiful maroon dots in the orchard 

and they are now adorning the cheese plates at the girl & the fig as an unusual 

fruit compliment. And, they are high in Vitamin C!

Things are changing so quickly now at the farm, what will next week show us? 

We are learning so much from our work on this land and we enjoy sharing this 

experience with you, as well as the true fruits of our labors here.