Tita’s Viequen Butterball mangoes…Despite drought conditions, Farmer Luca is still managing to grow sweet salad greens with saved rainwater. C’mon rain!!Delicious local fruit flavors in single-size cups – coconut-based vegan ice cream from I-Sha is made with handmade local coconut cream, brown sugar, spices and local fruits and veggies! We’ve got spoons to lend at the farmstand, so take a moment and cool off with a little treat!Dragonfruits are a summertime crop for ARTfarm.
Saturday, July 4th, 10am – 12 noon: Sweet salad mix, dragonfruit, lots of passionfruit, papaya, mint, garlic chives, and lemongrass. From our partners: we have the hands-down crowd favorite Viequen Butterball mangoes from Tita, weighing a pound and a quarter each on average. We should be getting some other mango varieties from farmer Denis Nash this morning, and of course we’ve got vegan coconut-based local ice cream in a variety of innovative natural fruit flavors from I-Sha.
Stay safe and enjoy this beautiful Emancipation and Independence holiday weekend. Unlock your assumptions and set them free! Last night we attended the open house of local artist LaVaughn Belle’s new studio in Free Gut. Very inspiring!
ARTfarm Saturday: 10am – 12 noon. Mangoes like crazy today! Summer solstice arrives on Sunday, hopefully dragging some rain clouds with it for Father’s Day! Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there. From the farm this morning: Small amounts of sweet mix and microgreens, a few pineapples and papayas, lots of passionfruit, fresh mint, Italian basil, garlic chives and lemongrass. Don’t forget the lemongrass – steep in hot water to make a very cooling and slightly sweet, refreshing brew to keep in the fridge!
From our partners: vegan ice cream from I-Sha in a rainbow of flavors, honey from Errol, and lots of beautiful mangoes, including Viequan Butterballs from Tita and Nam Doc Mai and Madame Francis from Dennis Nash. Farmer Luca, a mango connoisseur, claims that the VBs have even less fiber than the buttery NDMs. Their velvety texture is a triumph of mango husbandry! Enjoy mangoes now, as the drought may possibly make this a historically short mango season.
Still pretty dry out here… We’ve heard some farmers remark that we are in a fifteen-year drought (meaning that it has not been this dry since after Hurricane Hugo – not that it will last fifteen years). Two years ago at this time of year we were able to grow a lot more summer crops. We know it has been an extended campaign, but please keep rain dancing! Your efforts have brought a few decent showers to the farm, but not enough to yet quench the thirst of the rock-hard topsoil. So keep on getting your groove on if you love local food!
Chef Jamey Hughson stopped by this week to pick up ingredients for a Bon Bagay sunset sail! If you haven’t been out with Captain Jerry and his crew for this farm-to-galley experience, jump on it soon! They’ll be sailing away for a few months this summer.
The ARTfarmers enjoyed a local dinner sunset sail with the Bon Bagay team recently. The boat chefs have been visiting us regularly all season long for their farm-to-galley menus, and we had to go and see what they were doing with all our produce. It was so relaxing to be out on the water in the starlight and we are still marveling at the various, off-the-charts tasty, creative courses Chef Jamey Hughson put together. If you haven’t been out west to enjoy this secret gem of an experience, give them a call (340-277-7660) or make reservations on their website. They are headed down island in late June for a few months to work on the boat, so hurry and get a reservation in now! The boat seats six but singles and couples are welcome to mix from different parties. Treat yourself!!
Today we have MINT for your Kentucky Derby mint juleps, and a few ARTfarm pineapples today for the early birds! Also on today’s list: Sweet salad mix, teen spicy salad mix, arugula, microgreens, macrogreens, a few cucumbers, a few tomatoes, yard long red beans, onions, scallions, beets, carrots, lots of radishes, dandelion greens, bagged kale, mini bell peppers, Serano peppers, Italian basil, sage, rosemary, mint, zinnia flowers, and amazing local fruit flavors of vegan coconut ice cream (from our partner I-Sha).
Eat the whole thing! These crunchy ARTfarm radishes are sold with fresh, delicious green tops. The tops are great rinsed, chopped, and dropped into, sprinkled over, or wilted on just about any savory dish you are making! Slightly peppery (less so when cooked), and oh-so-good for you!
Things are greening up on the South Shore! Come check things out!
ARTfarm on St. Croix, USVI 