by Douglas Brown | Oct 11, 2019 | Frost
Nearly 80 degrees two days ago. Last night? Sixteen. That’s a super-hard frost. No tip-toeing into it this year! Fields that 48 hours ago supported tomatoes, eggplant and peppers so warm that the fruits radiated heat, now hold acres of blackened leaves and mushy...
by Douglas Brown | Oct 5, 2019 | arugula
Farm vegetables have different roles in the restaurants. We’ve got preening divas, like tomatoes, that fully ripen and get harvested for just about five or six weeks every year. They and others, like peppers, are stars. And we preserve them with abandon — fermenting,...
by Douglas Brown | Sep 20, 2019 | sweet potatoes
National leaders in sweet potato production, in descending order: North Carolina, Louisiana, California, Mississippi, Texas. Government record keepers stop ranking states at New Jersey, at No. 7. In 2012, the Garden State grew about $50,000 worth of sweet potatoes....
by Douglas Brown | Sep 13, 2019 | celery
Wan, insipid, the vegetable equivalent of a Ritz cracker designed for little more than holding schmears of dip. You encounter cold shafts of celery in crudite platters, piled beside the bowl of ranch dressing. It is time to experience what we consider real celery,...
by Douglas Brown | Sep 7, 2019 | tomatoes
Every year is an adventure in tomato-growing at Black Cat Farm. Colorado’s tempestuous climate guides the growing season, and ultimately shapes the nature of the harvest. And the weather, too, determines what kinds of tomatoes you see on your plates at Black Cat...