Melonious Saturday! 10AM – 12 noon

The season is shifting from mid-spring into early summer! Pineapples in mere weeks! Dragonfruit blooms busting out! Here comes the fruit!

We now have some beautiful papayas that many of you have been enjoying. They are sweet, with thick flesh and very few seeds, creamy and delicious with a squeeze of lime -or- for a simpler recipe, just add a spoon and your face! The skin of the papaya fruit has traditionally been used as a healing poultice for cuts, abrasions and bruises. Papaya contains digestive enzymes and is often also used for stomach ailments and even as a meat tenderizer. It is a healing, comforting food.

And now, the headliner, MELONS! Luca is a serious watermelon monster. He has grown some beautiful little watermelons with a sweet, almost butterscotch-like flavor. We failed on several occasions to get a picture of its unusual orangey-yellow flesh before it was eaten…finally captured one yesterday.

img_2168In other farm news, Farmers Christina and Luca celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary this week. We got married right here on the farm after a multi-continent-spanning 10 year courtship. (Luca’s parents, who also live here on the farm, will be celebrating their 50th anniversary this summer!) Still growing, still trying new things!

The full list for Saturday: Loads of sweet salad mix, baby arugula, spicy greens, bunched arugula, a few bunches of kale, radishes, onions, cherry tomatoes, slicing and heirlooms, a few cucumbers, loads of green orange yellow and red bell peppers, loads of seasoning peppers, loads of Serrano and Indian chili peppers, garlic chives, parsley, recao, lemongrass, Italian basil, ginger root, pumpkin, loads of passionfruit, loads of really good papaya, ten petite yellow fleshed watermelons, a few super pretty and tasty honeydew-like melons from Punjab India that will blow your mind, cheerful sunflowers and zinnias, and from our partner Fiddlewood Farm we have fresh locally produced goat cheese!

We’re Voting Primarily for Salad!

IMG_8654As Virgin Islanders, we do not have the impending pressure of directly deciding on the next leader of the free world. To make up for it, at ARTfarm we try to dazzle you with lots of choices, none of which are mutually exclusive or funded by superPACs.  We vote you eat healthy!

Wednesday, 3–6 p.m. on South Shore Rd., about a mile east of Ha’Penny  beach: Sweet salad mix, baby spicy mix, baby arugula, smaller amounts of cherry and slicer tomatoes, bell peppers, various hot and seasoning peppers, pumpkin, Italian basil, lemongrass, garlic chives, recao, parsley, bunched arugula, scallions, passionfruit, papaya, and cut flowers. We have freshly made Fiddlewood Farm’s local goat cheese!

Art, Earth Day, and The Return of the Goat Cheese 10am – 12 noon

Overall, the tomato plants are slowing down as the weather gets slightly hotter, but we still have tons to pick and for you to enjoy!
Overall, the tomato plants are slowing down as the weather gets slightly hotter, but we still have tons to pick and for you to enjoy!
Our sunflowers are getting ridiculously tall! They seem to love our soil. We field tested some cut sunflowers this week in a jar of water and they lasted at least six days with no added care. If you change the water more regularly and add a couple of tablespoons each of apple cider vinegar, sugar, and baking soda to the water, they should go even longer!
Our sunflowers are getting ridiculously tall! They seem to love our soil. We field tested some cut sunflowers this week in a jar of water and they lasted at least six days with no added care. If you change the water more regularly and add a couple of tablespoons each of apple cider vinegar, sugar, and baking soda to the water, they should go even longer!
Can you find the melons in the melon patch? Lots of exciting varieties, soon come!
Can you find the melons in the melon patch? Lots of exciting varieties, soon come!

The arts are very busy this weekend with the VI Lit Fest partying hard at UVI and CMCArts, and various art exhibitions including a mix of student and professional work at the Good Hope Country Day School. Get out and enjoy some culture, or stay in and practice your own creativity!

Yesterday’s full moon coincided with Earth Day. We hope that more and more people will join communities like ours of small farmers and their dedicated customers, to practice Earth Day consciousness and conservation around the calendar all year long.

Fiddlewood Farms goat cheese is back today! Pairs perfectly with any and all of the following items: Sweet salad mix, baby arugula, baby spicy salad mix, lettuce heads; onions, radishes, pumpkin, sweet potato, green, red, and orange bell peppers; seasoning peppers, both types of hot peppers, a few cucumbers, a few bunches of kale, bunched arugula, parsley, Italian basil, chives, rosemary, lemongrass, ginger root, papaya, passionfruit, cherry tomatoes, medium heirloom and red tomatoes, recao, farm fresh eggs from ARTfarm and from Heather’s hens; and more of Dr. Bradford’s unbelievably fresh, delicate goat cheese.

Aaaand…Decorate your table or make a lovely gift of fresh cut zinnias and sunflowers.

ARTfarm Wednesday 3-6pm

 

Dragonfruit flowers are nocturnal, but early in the morning they can still be seen fully opened.

 
The giant and dramatic bloom only lasts one day. By midmorning, the flower fades.
 Summer fruits are on the horizon! Dragonfruit in another month, watermelon in early to mid May, and pineapples starting sometime in May.

Freshly harvested for you, and available Wednesday 3 – 6pm on South Shore Road: Baby spicy salad mix, baby arugula, sweet salad mix, cucumbers, loads of green bell peppers, loads of cherry tomatoes, small slicer and heirloom tomatoes, Italian basil, garlic chives, a few bunches of kale, bunched mature arugula, pumpkin, a few bags of ginger root, Indian hot chili peppers, serrano peppers, our yellow non-spicy seasoning peppers, parsley, holy basil, lemon basil, passionfruit, papaya, and loads of cut flowers, including huge beautiful sunflowers.