Pauline's Lucky Market Garden

TURNIPS GREENS SO GOOD....not a touch of bitterness in ours! I hope this winter will be the year of the tender turnip green. Just as folks have rediscovered how delicious kales can be, I am predicting that turnip greens are about to have their turn at a taste bud turn over! As much as we love kales and collards, chard and spinach, they just don't always love to grow on our central Florida farm. The last three years of poor yields for kales and collards especially  lead us to bring back turnips greens this fall. We were surprised and delighted to see the second seeding take off with  tender tops now waving happily above the tiny developing tubers. The conventional method of growing the classic purple top turnip is mainly seeking to harvest the root. While we do hope to get some turnip roots, we have been thinning our plants each week and have found that the young greens are every bit as good as any other baby greens. ...

Our BUNCHES of squash BLOSSOMS have been getting a lot of attention at our Farmers Market table. They are a seasonal specialty item that we bring to Market for a short time that starts just before the fruits begin forming on our winter squash crops. We usually grow our winter squashes in the end of summer so they are ready around Thanksgiving and through the winter. And that means that RIGHT NOW we have an abundance of those lovely large, edible flowers! If you have never tried cooking them you really should! You need nothing more than a bottle beer or a little club soda and flour plus oil for frying. I made some yesterday for my family!

 The dates for the Stetson Farmers Market this fall are as follows:  September 20, October 18 and November 15. The market hours are 10 am-2pm and the markets are held near the Commons building in the heart of the Stetson campus in downtown Deland We have participated in this market since it was begun! We also have a regular weekly space at the Artisan Alley Farmers Market which is held every Friday evening 6-9pm in Artisan Alley which runs between New York Ave and Georgia Ave in downtown Deland.

 A few years ago, we began making beauty berry syrup on our farm to give away at Christmas which led to making many more small batches which we are allowed to sell as a cottage food.    When we sample it at our farmers markets, folks are intrigued by its sweet and pleasant flavor! Of course everyone wants to try it when they see the real plant with berries next to it because so many of us have thought it couldn't be edible! You will never want to eat your French toast with anything else!

August is   almost over promising to end the   sweltering summer heat that restricts growing  greens and many of our favorite vegetables in Central Florida. There may not be much in the way of veggies at our farmers market table but I am getting out in our fields as much as I can every day to prepare my beds. I have learned how quickly the soil can dry out in September and then scorched sands  can lead to dune like seeding conditions (most unfavorable!) I have tried to rototil only when necessary and have quite a few beds covered with Sudan grass crops which can be pulled up  fairly easily and used for compost building  leaving behind a manageable bed for tiny seeds. The Sudan grass shades the soil and retains moisture while out competing some of the summer weeds I would rather not have to tangle with!