Harvest of the Month: Tomatoes
This is my favorite time of the year on the Island, for so many reasons. At the top of my list is the abundance of tomatoes in every size, shape, and color in my...
Harvest of the Month: Jilo
Jiló is a type of eggplant that’s often used in Brazilian cooking. About the size of a large egg, jiló turns from green to red as it ripens, though it’s traditionally eaten while still...
Harvest of the Month: Summer squash
Green, yellow, crookneck, pattypan, eight ball — summer squash have arrived on the scene. This July we celebrate a prolific member of the cucurbit family, which will keep us well supplied with succulent and...
Harvest of the Month: Salad Greens
With all of the spring rain, the garden is bursting with color and delicious greens for making salads. Lettuce is a great base for a salad, but there are so many edible leaves that...
Harvest of the Month: Herbs
Herbs herald the start of the growing season, and encourage us back into the garden with their abundance. The chives are stretching up to the sun, and putting out their first flowers. The mint...
Harvest of the Month: Eggs
Eggs are a symbol of spring and new life across many cultures of the world. However you celebrate spring, consider adding some local eggs into your traditions. Local farmstands are flush with eggs this...
Harvest of the Month: Cabbage
Seeds from the Brassica family of vegetables are indistinguishable, though they grow into a wide variety of very different vegetables. Turnips, kohlrabi, kale, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and mustard all have small, dark, round...
Harvest of the Month: Tomatoes
I will always remember the moment that I ate the first tomato that I had ever grown, warmed from the sun and picked straight from the farm where I was working as a field...
Harvest of the Month: Jiló
Every August we celebrate jiló, a variety of eggplant that is popular in Brazilian cuisine. Originally from Africa, and still grown and eaten there, jiló traveled to Brazil with enslaved peoples. The plant has...
Harvest of the Month: Summer squash
Green, yellow, crookneck, pattypan, eight ball — summer squash has arrived. This July, we celebrate a prolific member of the cucurbit family, which will keep us well supplied with succulent and sweet squashes until...
Harvest of the Month: Salad Greens
This month’s harvest, salad greens, is one of the most diverse and versatile crops of the year. Open up a seed catalog or visit the farmer’s market, and be dazzled by the variety of...
Harvest of the Month: Herbs
Perennial herbs are one of our first garden harvests in the spring, and they add much-needed freshness to our plates. In the school garden, we find that students are so eager to taste these...
Harvest of the Month: Cabbage
This February we celebrate our love of cabbage, a versatile vegetable that stores well through the coldest months of winter.
Growing cabbage is a practice in patience. It is often sown between early spring and...
Harvest of the Month: Potatoes
This January we are celebrating potatoes, a stalwart in the garden and the pantry. There are some records that suggest potatoes have been cultivated by humans for 10,000 years! Potatoes are also the first...
Harvest of the Month: Winter squash
If you show a child a picture of a pumpkin, chances are they can easily identify the round, orange fruit that is ubiquitous with fall. But show them any other type of winter squash,...
Harvest of the Month: Root Vegetables
As the weather gets colder and fresh produce becomes harder to find, root vegetables are my go-to for an easy, healthy meal. Because they grow underground, they absorb lots of nutrients from the soil, and...
Harvest of the Month: Cranberries
When you think of crops that Massachusetts is known for, cranberries are probably one of the first to come to mind. Cranberries require specific conditions to grow — acidic soil, a constant supply of fresh water, and a...
Harvest of the Month: Tomatoes
Back in 2011, Island Grown Schools started a Harvest of the Month program to highlight a locally available seasonal crop each month in school cafeterias and grocery stores. The goal was to teach children,...
Harvest of the Month: Jiló
Jiló is a type of eggplant that’s often used in Brazilian cooking. About the size of a large egg, jiló turns from green to red as it ripens, though it’s traditionally eaten while still...
Harvest of the Month: Summer squash
Don’t leave your car unlocked in July — someone might fill it with zucchini. When summer squash is in season, it’s really in season. You won’t be able to get away from it, and...