Trellising Peppers and Harvesting Cucumbers

Village Farm Team,

We trellised all of our pepper plants last week in order to keep them supported and as healthy as possible as they grow. Like our tomatoes, we’re implementing a string trellis system that we can add to if needed. While trellising we were able to get a closer look to see how our peppers are coming along. We’re happy to report that our shishito peppers aren’t too far away from the first harvest! Shishitos are a mild pepper with herbal, grassy notes that can be eaten raw or cooked. We’ll make sure to let you know once we begin harvesting.

Did you have a chance to pick up some of our cucumbers from the veggie wagon this past weekend? They proved to be more popular than our tomatoes which means you all must really like cucumbers! We’re currently harvesting both Ashley and Lemon cucumber varieties. Ashley is a dark green slicing cucumber that is perfect for salads, snacking, or even pickles. Lemon is a round cucumber variety that is yellow when ripe (just like a lemon!) and has a sweet flavor.

The flowers in our pollinator bed are just beginning to open and add some lovely color to the farm! We have zinnias, sunflowers, and basil planted that will provide a food source for pollinators and will attract other beneficial insects like ladybugs. The basil will provide us with another fresh herb option on the farm and once it begins to flower, the pollinators will be able to enjoy it, too. Once things really get blooming, we’ll be able to start harvesting flower stems for small bouquets that will be available at the veggie wagon.

Don’t forget that our Farmers Market relaunches THIS SATURDAY! Our market will take place on the third Saturday of every month from 8am to noon beginning this Saturday, May 15th. There will be a free themed event at every market and this month, the theme is “spring flowers” in honor of Mother’s Day. Each kiddo that attends the market will be able to craft a fresh flower bouquet for their parents free of charge. We hope to see you there!