First root veggies of the fall and farm community
Most veggies we are able to see exactly what we are harvesting but for root crops until we pull it out of the ground we don’t know whether it is the right size or has too much damage.
Last Friday we began harvesting Hakurei turnips and radishes after pulling a few up to make sure they were a good enough size.
Since we sowed them in the field we have been observing the nice looking greens that have been developed which can be eaten but the prized possession is the roots that are growing hidden in the soil.
Right before they are ready to start harvesting the white roots of the turnips start to emerge from the soil. We harvest them when they are small so that they retain their sweetness and juiciness.
Vastly different than the purple top turnips, hakurei turnips can be eaten raw or cooked making them more versatile and have an amazing flavor to be the star of a dish. Turnip greens are delicious but should be mixed with a different green when cooked.
The first radishes of the fall are always a little spicier since they have dealt with the stress of the hotter temperatures and stress is what gives radishes their spiciness.
Hopefully we will start harvesting lettuce in the next week as it is behind schedule but that is up to Mother Nature.
The broccoli and other brassicas are growing really well with more leafs every week but still a ways away from harvest beginning.
Last Thursday we got our garlic planted for green garlic. This is our earlier planted garlic from the damaged or small heads we harvested this summer that we will harvest in early 2026 before it forms a head of garlic.
In other news, we are featured in the Welcome to Davis magazine put out by the Davis Enterprise about selling at the Davis Farmers Market.
This past weekend we made it up to Full Belly Farm for the Hoes Down Festival. We don’t manage to attend every year as we have the market that day so it makes for a very long day.
We got there in the evening after all the tours and most activities took place but still got the enjoy the community and see so many familiar faces and meet new people.
After the summer where most farmers rarely see each other since they are so busy on the farm it was great to come together and relax for an evening.
Catching up with all the farmers is very fun to see how everyone has been doing this year and learning what veggie they have been having a great harvest of.
The organic farming community is small and even though each of our farms are very different we share many commonalities about our what our goals to continue feeding our communities.
Building a community of farmers is very important since most of us farm rurally and rarely leave our farms other than to go to farmers markets.
Spending time with the community of farmers and people that support local food gives us more energy to keep on doing what we are doing and make improvements where we can.
