We should be harvesting the first of our fall carrots this week! We are excited and this is the very beginning, so we are not sure how many will be of sufficient size to pull, but if you come to the Garden on Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m., or Friday from 1 – 5 p.m., you should be able to get a bunch!

The taste of fall carrots only gets better and better and we hope to harvest some every week now throughout the remainder of October and all of November. We grow carrots only in spring and fall; never in summer. Carrots are cold-hardy and love to grow in temperatures below 70 degrees.

We will also have radishes this week and hakurei turnips, as well as a mesclun mix that includes lettuce, arugula and baby beet greens — yum! The beet greens are a delicious addition to the mix.

Off-Season Service Ahead

We are in the process of lining up our vendors for our off-season pickup/delivery service beginning the first Saturday in December and lasting at least into February. We will bring you news about our plans over the next several weeks.

Suffice to say, Hattie’s Garden will provide you access to locally grown organic produce, free-range eggs, local honey, pastured meats, artisan cheeses and a few locally, prepared food items for the duration of our service.

What’s Available This Week

The following will be available from Hattie’s Garden on Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m., or Friday from 1 – 5 p.m., and Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the HLFM, now located at the Shields Elementary parking lot.

• Young Arugula — It’s beautiful, clean and very flavorful.
• Loose Leaf Lettuce — We cut at a young and tender stage of growth and include a delightful variety of colors, shapes and textures.
• Mesclun — A nice mixture of our young arugula, loose leaf lettuce and baby beet greens.
• Young Carrots — Slim early carrots are sweet and delicious.
• Green Beans — Nice late picking of Provider green beans.
• Radishes — Beautiful, perfect, bright-red radishes with just a hint of spiciness.
• Red Russian Kale — Always a nice kale and very different from typical curly kale found in supermarkets. Curly kale has more of a bitter taste while Red Russian kale is mild and sweet.
• Kyona Mizuna — Quick cooking and very delicious Asian green.
• Hakurei Turnips — These small Japanese delicacies are by far the sweetest “turnips” you will ever eat. Cook them until just soft without overcooking, or eat them raw as a salad turnip.

What’s Available from Deep Grass

The following will be available only on Thursday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., or Friday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Hattie’s Garden. Note: These items cannot be brought to the HLFM on Saturday as it is a producer-only market.

• Acorn Squash — Has a smooth, dark green exterior with longitudinal ridges and a sweet, yellow-orange flesh. It derives its name from its distinctive acorn shape. This hardy squash can be stored throughout the fall and winter, and will save for several months in a cool, dry location.
• Butternut Squash — Has an oblong shape, a tannish-colored skin, and an orange fleshy pulp. Its taste is often described as sweet, nutty, and similar to that of a pumpkin.
• Free-range Chicken Eggs — Deep Grass chickens enjoy a natural farm life setting where they can produce the most nutritious eggs. These eggs are so much better than their commercially-produced, store-bought counterparts.
• Yukon Gold Potatoes — Available in two sizes. Slightly flat and oval in shape with light gold, thin skin and light yellow flesh. A true multi-purpose potato, Yukon Golds are starchy enough to bake, firm enough to boil and use in just about any cooking application.
• Red Bliss Potatoes — Low starch content and are often characterized by a creamy, firm and moist flesh that holds its shape well after cooking. They’re typically great for roasting, boiling, casseroles and potato salads.
• White Sweet Potatoes — The white sweet potato usually has a golden to pale yellow skin and the flesh is creamy white to pale yellow. It also contains more sugar, and is used as an ingredient for desserts in addition to the main course. If you haven’t tried these, you will be in for a pleasant surprise.
• Orange Sweet Potatoes — In some parts of the USA and Canada, sweet potatoes are called yams. This is a misnomer since yams are actually a totally different species. A sweet potato is a tuberous plant that belongs to the Convulvolaceae family. The orange sweet potato has lots beta-carotene due to its orange flesh. When cooked, it becomes fluffy and creamy.
• Red Onions — Mild and sweet. Great for using in salads, salsas, and other raw preparations, as well as for cooking.
• Candy Sweet Yellow Onions — Good all-purpose onion, with a light golden skin and yellow flesh.
• Garlic — A wonderful seasoning to add aroma, taste, and added nutrition to your dishes.

Yours at the market and garden…