Cucumbers contain silica, an essential component of healthy connective tissue and therefore are very good for the skin. There are boundless cucumber varieties, coming in round, oval shapes, yellow, pale green and bronze colors, and various sizes, from gherkins that are barely over an inch, to mammoth English types that can be over 20 inches…
Category: Produce Guide
Dry Bean
Dry Beans have been often considered food for the “poor,” but that is probably because they are so inexpensive, not poor in flavor and nutrition! We currently grow ‘King of Early’ dry bean. They are a beautiful, mottled red/white. When cooked, they are similar to a pinto bean and have a soft texture and buttery…
Eggplant
The only member of the deadly nightshade clan to be native to the East, the eggplant was once viewed with enormous suspicion in certain parts of Europe. Arab traders took the vegetable west, first to Spain. The Spanish warmed to it quite readily and called it the ‘apple of love’ as they believed it to…
Fennel
Although commonly referred to as a ‘bulb’ cultivated fennel is not a true bulb at all but rather has thickened leaf stems. Selection and Storage: Wrapped in a paper bag and refrigerated, fennel can last three to five days. But, as bulbs tend to dry out over time, it’s best to use them as soon…
Garlic
The kitchen would be a lesser place without the sweet pungency of garlic. Garlic, with leek and onions, is a member of the Allium, or lily family. Both good, and good for you, garlic is an essential staple of every good cook’s larder. There are many garlic varieties, which all have essentially the same flavor….
Garlic Scape
Garlic Scapes are the flower stems that garlic plants produce before the bulbs mature. We remove the scapes to push the plant’s energy toward bigger bulbs, and when harvested while they are young and tender, the scapes are delicious. Selection and Storage: You can keep scapes in the refrigerator for a month or more, in…
Green Beans
Green Beans (also known as String Beans and Snap Beans) are harvested while still young (hence the ‘green’ in their name) thus the bean pods are tender and edible. Green beans can come in a range of hues; from yellow to purple to mottled cream and russet. Storage and Selection: Beans should break crisply when…
Green Garlic
Green Garlic is a is really just a young garlic plant. Green garlic looks very much like chives or scallions – they are long and slender with tender green tops, and the white parts can be tinged with pink or purple. Selection and Storage: Green garlic will last a few days in the refrigerator, much in…
Hot Peppers – Chilies
There are hundreds of varieties of hot peppers – varying in levels of from rather tame to ‘fire breathing,’ but all are very nutritious, high in vitamins C and A and betacarotene levels, and are also mildly antibacterial. On our farm we grow: Hungarian Hot Wax Pepper: A mild-tasting chili, practically benign when immature and…
Kale
Kale‘s popularity has skyrocketed in the United States of America in the last 5 years. It is boasted as a nutrition ‘superstar’ due to the high amounts of vitamins A, K, B6 and C, calcium, potassium, copper and manganese it contains. On our farm we grow Winterbor, a curly leaf, Kale and Dazzling Blue (what…
Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi, with its crisp texture and broccoli-stalk-crossed-with-cucumber flavor remains a little know oddity in many parts of the world. Kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family and is enormously versatile. It also contains significant amounts of calcium, iron, phosphorus, as well as vitamins A and C. Kohlrabi comes in two colors – pale green Winner…
Leek
The leek has been highly esteemed in many food cultures since ancient times. Like all alliums, leeks have great health promoting properties. Selection and Storage: Leeks should feel firm and heavy for their size and be straight, bearing dark green leaves. There should be no evidence of yellowing or withering. Store leeks with leaves attached,…
Abundance Acres 