A Summer Harvest

August 1, 2026

Here at my farm, we're harvesting an abundance of fresh, nutritious produce from the garden.

Yesterday, my head gardener Ryan McCallister gathered a beautiful bounty of vegetables, including beans, artichokes, peppers, eggplants, carrots, onions, beets, celery herbs, and more. Growing all of this takes time, care, and plenty of hard work. From choosing the right varieties and preparing the soil to watering, weeding, and staking plants as they grow. It's so rewarding to see all that effort pay off in a healthy, productive harvest. And there's still plenty more to come.

Here are some photos.

: After any harvest, the freshly picked vegetables are loaded up and brought to my flower room, where they can be washed if needed, then bagged and stored in the refrigerator. It makes me so happy to be able to share all of this produce with friends and family every summer.

: The right time to harvest cabbage depends on the variety of cabbage planted and when the heads mature. Look for heads that are firm all the way through when squeezed – that’s when they’re ready.

: I have such beautiful carrots this season. Most are familiar with the orange carrots, but they also come in red, yellow, white, and purple.

: The carrots are rinsed in cold water and then placed in a large stainless steel bowl. Enma removes the outer leaves of the cabbage and rinses off any dirt.

: Summer squash is best harvested when young, tender, and about eight inches long, with glossy, slightly firm skin.

: Here’s one of the onions fresh from the garden.

: Elvira peels off the outer layers and gently wipes each one clean.

: These look so wonderful. I planted a lot of white, yellow and red onions. There will be a bigger onion harvest soon.

: Here’s the season’s first big bounty of cucumbers. Cucumbers, Cucumis sativus, are great for pickling – I try to find time for pickling every year. I like them best when they are about six to eight inches in length. These will be so sweet and juicy.

: The globe artichoke, Cynara scolymus, is actually a flower bud, which is eaten when tender. Buds are generally harvested once they reach full size, just before the bracts begin to spread open. Artichoke harvest starts in late July or early August and continues well until frost.

: Enma uses a brush specifically made for removing dirt, debris and any bacteria left on the surface of the vegetable.

: She carefully cleans the beets one by one.

: And look at all the beets that were picked. Beets grow so well here at the farm. The beetroot is the taproot of the beet plant, and is often called the table beet, garden beet, red or golden beet or simply… beet.

: There are two types of green beans. Pole beans grow on climbing vines and require trellising. Bush beans like these grow on bushes up to two feet and do not need support. And with the proper care, the bushes can produce beans through the entire season.

: This celery will be so delicious in my daily green juice. Celery is ready when the stalks stand tall and have a diameter of about two to three inches.

: Also great in my green juice is parsley. I always grow parsley in the garden. Parsley is a low-calorie, nutrient-dense herb that is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

: It’s good to pick eggplants when they are young and tender. Try to pick a little early, which will encourage the plant to grow more, and will help to extend the growing season.

: Peppers hold up great in the heat, and we’ve had a lot of warm days, so these should be very flavorful. Sweet bell peppers are popular in the garden – all grassy in flavor and crunchy in texture. I love making stuffed peppers.

: I also grow many hot peppers to share. These thrive in full sun and are ready to pick when they are firm, green, and about three inches long. Be careful when picking peppers – always keep the hot ones separated from the sweet ones, so there is no surprise in the kitchen.