Picking Guide
Unsure of what to pick when you visit? Need help with how to clean and store once you’re home with your bounty? Check out our guide below to get inspired!
Mixed Bouquet | Sunflowers by the Stem | Zucchini and Squash | Tomatoes | Cucumbers | Peppers | Herbs
Mixed Bouquet
HARVEST: Our mixed bouquets are unique to your individual likes because you choose what you pick! Our spring flowers include Snapdragons, Sweet William, Ammi and Daucus (like a Queen Anne’s Lace), Feverfew (like mini daisies and others. Our Summer flowers include, Zinnias, Spike and feather Celosia, Cockscomb and fan Celosia, and others. When you arrive, you will see signs for each of the flowers with the best way to harvest for the longest vase life. You’ll fill your flower bucket (we provide) and bring it up to us to wrap for you.
CLEAN/STORE/PREPARE: To ensure your bouquet lasts as long as possible, we recommend you place them in a vessel (vase, mason jar, etc.) that has been cleaned to the point you would drink water from it. Place your bouquet away from direct light and curious kids and pets that may eat them (*Be mindful, not all of our flowers are cat safe). Change the water, wash your vessel and snip a little of the stems off every other day. Doing this will allow your stems to drink up more fresh water and allow you to enjoy your bouquet longer!
PRESERVE: You can preserve your bouquet through pressing or air drying the flowers.
Sunflowers by the Stem
HARVEST: Sunflowers grow as either single stems or “branching”. We grow both! If you choose a single stem, you can cut as far down the stem as you’d like! If you choose a branching stem, you will cut the stem where it meets the main stem.
CLEAN/STORE/PREPARE: When you bring your sunflowers home, you will place the stems in a vessel (vase, mason jar, etc.) that you have cleaned to the point you would drink water from it. Place your sunflowers away from direct light and kids and pets that may eat them (Sunflowers are considered “pet safe” but each pet is different). Change the water, wash your vessel and snip a little of the stem every day or every other day depending on the size of the vessel (sunflowers can dirty up water quickly). This will allow you to enjoy your sunflowers for as long as possible.
PRESERVE: You can dry sunflowers for a lasting bouquet.
Zucchini and Squash
HARVEST: Summer squash (which Zucchini and yellow squash are part of) is a nutrient dense food high in antioxidants, and vitamins. When harvesting, you will look for squash that grow along the main stem of the plant. Look for fruit that is larger than 4 inches long (leave the little ones to continue to grow) for best flavor. Using your snips (we provide), find where the stem connects to the main stem and carefully snip the thick squash stem freeing it from the plant. Squash plants are fragile, so use care not to damage or cut the main stem to avoid killing the plant.
CLEAN AND STORE: Summer squash just needs a rinse under water and patted dry. you can store it in the crisper of your fridge.
PREPARE/COOK/EAT: Summer squash is SUPER versatile! You can make zoodles, zucchini fritters, zucchini bread, squash pie and of course, fried zucchini and squash!
PRESERVE: Summer squash can be preserved by dehydrating, freeze drying or my favorite… premade breaded squash and zucchini slices to pop in a lightly oiled pan or air fryer for fried squash even in the winter.
Tomatoes
HARVEST: We grow several varieties of slicing, Roma/pasta and cherry tomatoes. Some are red when ripe, others are yellow or orange when ripe. Tomatoes are simple to pick. For slicing and Roma/paste tomatoes, you choose your tomato (green will stay green, blush or turning color will ripen on the counter in your kitchen in a few days and full yellow, orange or red, depending on variety, are ready to enjoy right away!), and snip off the stem from the plant. For cherry tomatoes, you can snip them off the plant like you would the bigger guys or you can simply use your hand and gently pull the tomato off the stem.
CLEAN AND STORE: Tomatoes are super easy to clean and store! All you need to do is rinse them under cool, clean water and place them on the counter. You can pop them in the fridge (be aware of the controversy around this though!), but some people feel is makes the tomato develop a “mealy” texture that is undesirable.
PREPARE/COOK/EAT: Here are a few options….pop them in your mouth and enjoy the taste of summer or place them on a platter with basil leaves and fresh mozzarella with balsamic vinegar drizzled on top and eat. to cook them in a dish… Bring salted water to a boil and cook some linguini. While the pasta is cooking, slice tomatoes in large chunks (for cherry tomatoes, just slice in half) and place in a pan with some olive oil. Cook over medium heat until they warm through and the juice begins to reduce. Add some olives (both Spanish and Calamata sliced in half) and artichoke hearts, gently combine and heat through. Just before removing from heat, add two cloves of minced garlic. Add the drained pasta and combine. Serve with fresh parm cheese (if desired).
PRESERVE: If you picked so many tomatoes you're up to your eyeballs in them, you can simply place them whole, or cut in freezer bags until you're ready to use for sauce, juicing, soup, chili, etc. You can whip up a giant batch of spaghetti sauce and pressure can it so you have a summer flavor waiting on the shelf deep into the colder months. you can dehydrate or freeze dry them for crunchy snacks.
Cucumbers
HARVEST: We grow pickling style cucumbers which are super versatile for all your cucumber needs! These gorgeous and tasty gems are perfect for snacking, juicing, canning/pickling or added to your favorite summer dish. We find they hold their crisp better than the slicing types and they’re the perfect size to not have to worry about half a cucumber getting lost in the back of the fridge! Since our cucumbers are grown vertically you simply have to move a leaf aside and carefully snip the cucumber off where it meets the main stem of the plant. Look for cucumbers that are between 4-7 inches long. The ones smaller than that are still growing, the ones larger become seedy. We do ask you are extra gentle with these guys as they are delicate plants and can be damaged from pulling on them.
CLEAN AND STORE: Just rinse in cool, clean water, dry and store in the fridge.
PREPARE/COOK/EAT: We have a couple different ways to utilize these hydrating powerhouses. First, just grab and eat. Second, chop into chunks and toss with halved cherry tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning and eat as a quick summer salad. Third, slice and dip in blue cheese (or ranch). Fourth, juice for a refreshing treat. Fifth, add to morning smoothie for added hydration, vitamin K and fiber!
PRESERVE: Okay, this one may sound crazy, but I’ve been doing this for years! When you have a ton of cucumbers and you know you won’t eat them all before they go bad, you can cut them into chunks (thick slices) and pop them in a freezer bag. Throw them in the freezer until needed. During the winter, you remove a few chunks (still frozen) and add them to your smoothie. The cucumbers add the taste of freshness, hydration and summer as well as acting like ice cubes to prevent your smoothie from being watered down. You can also, of course, make refrigerator pickles, can some shelf stable pickles, relish, or ferment them!
Peppers
HARVEST: We grow mainly sweet bell peppers with a handful of hot banana and jalapeño peppers mixed in. All our sweet bell peppers start off green and mature to red when fully ripe and our hot will turn to yellow (banana) or red (jalapeño). The great thing about peppers is that they can be harvested with either color! Choose the largest peppers you can find for the best flavor and to ensure they are mature. With your snips gently cut the stem free from the plant. Pepper branches can easily snap and break, injuring the plant, so move branches aside gently to avoid damage which then limits the peppers the plant can grow.
CLEAN AND STORE: Simply rinse with water, pat dry and store in the fridge!
PREPARE/COOK/EAT: It is not uncommon to see me walking around outside eating a fresh pepper like it’s an apple! Fresh grown peppers are far superior to taste than what you find in the grocery store. You just might find yourself muching on one while driving home with your freshly picked produce! Slice peppers in half and fill with tuna or chicken salad for an amazing lunch, dip slices in blue cheese (or ranch) or just munch on them without dip! Cut the tops off and stuff with a mixture of cooked rice and lentils, chopped mushrooms, onions and herbs of choice and bake in the oven until warmed through and peppers soften.
PRESERVE: Slice peppers and throw in a freezer bag to use for fajitas, stir fry, etc. When you need them just shake them out of the bag and they’re ready to go. You can also make and can pepper jam with jalapeños or can pepper rings for salads and pizza using the banana peppers!
Herbs
HARVEST: Herbs are great addition to every dish! They add depth to flavors as well as aromatics. We grow specific varieties that have been tested against others through the years. We offer basil, oregano, rosemary, lavender and more! Harvesting will on which herb you are cutting. We have signs with instructions for the herbs that are ready to harvest to guide you in harvesting the herbs correctly for the best flavor profile.
CLEAN AND STORE: Simply rinse and pat dry. We recommend using a mason jar with a little water in the bottom and placing the cut stems of your herbs in the water to ensure maximum hydration. They will sit happily un your counter until use (Please note, do not place basil in the refrigerator as it will turn black and yucky!)
PREPARE/COOK/EAT: I love chopped chives on top of a loaded baked potato, basil is amazing with tomatoes and mozzarella with a balsamic vinegar drizzle. One of our family’s favorite dish is roasted tomatoes. We throw cherry tomatoes (whole) in a bowl with garlic, salt, chopped rosemary, basil and oregano. Drizzle olive oil and toss to combine. Spread it out on a baking dish (we use a stoneware bar pan) and bake in the oven at 375 for about an hour. The tomato juices will reduce and char a bit on the top, they will look like little deflated balloons. Take them out of the oven and allow to rest in the pan, scoop them out and top pasta, add to sauce, or spread on crusty bread.
PRESERVE: Your herbs can be dried, frozen in ice cube trays with oil. If you make the roasted tomato and herb dish, it can be frozen for use at a later time, just remember to scoop up the oil and reduced tomato juices for added flavor!
