Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! So much going on this weekend! Before we get into the produce list, just want to remind you that there is a wonderful art show fundraiser opening Friday evening and all day Saturday at Studio Walsh (next to LC Plumbing) in Peters Rest featuring Haitian artists. Also, it’s ag fair weekend! The Agrifest is going on Saturday, Sunday and Monday in mid island at the Department of Agriculture fairgrounds just northwest of UVI’s campus, be sure to plan plenty of time to look at all the exhibits from our local agricultural researchers, pet some animals, sample fantastic local food and drink, enjoy live music, shop plants and veggies and arts and crafts from local vendors, and see everyone you’ve ever known on this island. 

We will be attending the Ag Fest at some point this weekend but we don’t have a booth. Some of our produce will be showing up at Sejah Farm’s booth, so if you’re looking for some of our slicer tomatoes and herbs, lettuce heads, ginger and a few other items, stop in and say hello to Yvette and Dale Browne, our Taste of St. Croix poster couple this year!

Belgium Giant, Paul Robeson, Hawaiian Pineapple, Cherokee Green. All huge. What are they? A rainbow of heirloom tomatoes! 

Farmer Luca says the heirloom tomatoes have never looked as good as they do this season. The fruits are huge, beautiful and colorful. Heirloom tomatoes are more rich and flavorful than slicer tomatoes, and come in unusual colors and shapes. Heirloom tomatoes are also more delicate and less shelf friendly than slicer and hybrid tomatoes, so they are rarely found in grocery stores. Please do not squeeze them when you are shopping for heirloom tomatoes! They do bruise easily and have thin skin. But each one is a jewel of flavor!

ARTfarm will be open from 10 AM to 12 noon in the usual place on Saturday for ourfarmstand: loads and loads of tomatoes all types, sweet salad mix, teen spicy salad mix, teen arugula, Bob’s microgreens, Japanese and other types of cucumbers, zucchini, broccoli, cooking greens of many types, dandelion greens, radishes, carrots, onions, scallions, Italian basil, holy basil, Thai basil, lemon basil, dill, cilantro, garlic chives, mint, all of our six types of spicy peppers and seasoning peppers, baby ginger, baby turmeric, baby mango turmeric, zinnia flowers, watermelon, and Fiddlewood Farm’s goat cheese. Dr. Bradford says she will be having to give her dairy goats a break soon, so enjoy the fresh cheese as it is only going to be available for another week or two!

Enjoy the holiday weekend!

Love, ARTfarm

Wednesday farmstand: the tomato insanity continues, with all types of large heirlooms, large slicers, loads of cherry tomatoes, lots of sweet salad mix, teen arugula, arugula, teen spicy salad mix, spicy salad mix, sunflower shoots, beautiful Japanese cucumbers, nice radishes, carrots, broccoli, loads of cooking greens, Italian basil, holy basil, lemon basil, Thai basil, garlic chives, dill, cilantro, parsley, all of our hot peppers plus more of our seasoning peppers, loads of baby ginger, baby turmeric, baby mango turmeric, yard long red noodle beans, onions, zinnias and huge amounts of beautiful watermelon! See you there!

Tomato Mondays! Due to the ridiculous amounts of tomatoes ripening, ARTfarm will open Mondays 3 till 4:30.

This will be a minimalist Monday-style farmstand with a short list of offerings: Tons of tomatoes all types including cherry tomatoes, lettuce heads, Italian basil, baby ginger, baby mango turmeric, baby turmeric and zinnias.

There will also be one bunch of dill for that guy who came on Saturday and swore he must have dill before Wednesday for his pickling project. Brother, we’ve got you covered. 

Think canning, think sauces, bringing a fresh salsa to your next party, pico de gallo, making your own ketchup, bloody Marys, pizza Margherita, BLTs, grilled cheese with fresh tomato slices… tomato wedges in a balsamic  vinaigrette with anchovies, caprese salad with goat chèvre instead of mozzarella, roasted, stuffed tomatoes, tomato dump cake, tomato at the beach eaten like a mango out of hand and then washing the juice off with a swim.

Did anybody lose these sunglasses at the farmstand? 

ARTfarm Saturday, February 8th, 10am – 12 noon: we have an abundance of all types of tomatoes. We are definitely not running out of tomatoes this Saturday. Beautiful heirlooms, huge slicers, 3 varieties of cherry tomatoes, wonderfully crunchy and thin skinned Japanese cucumbers, loads of sweet salad mix, teen arugula, teen spicy, broccoli, zucchini, carrots, radishes, onions, some eggplant, some sorrel and mildly spicy microgreens from Bob, baby ginger, baby turmeric, baby mango turmeric, all of our assorted spicy peppers and a few more seasoning peppers, Italian basil, Thai basil, holy basil, lemon basil, dill, cilantro, flat leaf parsley, tons of mint, garlic chives, rosemary, recao, broccoli leaves, Chinese cabbage, baby bok choy, dandelion greens, kale, and yes we will have more yellow and red fleshed watermelon! Loads of zinnia flowers and goat cheese from Bethany at Fiddlewood Farm❤️

Thank you for supporting ARTfarm and for all those beautiful people who attended the Friday evening art show 5-8pm at Walsh Metal, a special thanks! (If you missed it, call 340-332-2604 and see the show between 10 and 2 Saturday!