Asparagus

Asparagus has a wonderfully distinctive flavor and a meaty texture. It’s often served as a side dish after being steamed or briefly boiled. We sell our homegrown asparagus in bunches of tender “tips” with the tough base already removed! Choose firm bright green spears with closed, compact tips; fat and skinny spears are equally tender.

To store, wrap ends of unwashed asparagus in a damp paper towel and place in a loosely closed plastic bag. Or you may place the ends in a shallow bowl of water. Refrigerate up to a week.

To prepare, rinse spears with cold water.  Trimming the stems is not necessary with Kuhn Orchards’ “all tender” asparagus tips.  The only reason you may need to trim the stems is if they have been in the refrigerator and the end have dehydrated a bit.

Available at Markets: mid-April to early June

Garlic & Scapes

German White is our garlic, a potent hardneck variety that is easy to peel. Its large clove size makes it a great all-purpose garlic, especially good for roasting. The heritage of this garlic can be directly traced to northern Germany. Garlic scapes are the curly flower stalk that we remove so that the plant spends more energy on growing the bulb.

Available at Markets: early June

Leeks

Related to onions, but with a milder, more complex taste that is great for roasting and using in soups. Long, white shafts with dark blue/green tops.

Available at Markets: early September thru December

Variety	Description
Butternut	Light tan with small seed cavities. Flesh is smooth-textured with a unique sweet flavor.
Acorn	Hybrid acorn squash with colorful yellow, green and gold flecked skin. Will store for months.
Delicata	Sweet winter squash with elongated fruit that have a creamy background, striped with green.
Kabocha	Moderately ribbed bright, orange-red skin. Medium-sweet taste, with extremely creamy flesh.
Spaghetti	Squash with unique flesh that separates into long, translucent strings that resemble angel hair pasta.

Available at Markets: mid-September thru February

Carrots

We grow several varieties of carrots (including red and yellow varieties) to extend our season into the winter months. Enjoy them fresh or cooked!

Available at Markets: June, September thru May

Parsnips

Parsnips are a root vegetable that resemble carrots and can be used in similar ways but they have a sweeter taste, especially when cooked. While parsnips can be eaten raw, they are more commonly served cooked. They can be baked, boiled, pureed, roasted, fried or steamed. When used in stews, soups and casseroles, they give a rich flavor.

White Potatoes

Depending on the year, we grow either Reba or Norwich white round varieties, which are good all-purpose potatoes (not too moist, not too dry) that store well over the winter. Great for baking, mashing, gratins, fries and more!

Available at Markets: late October thru May

Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a perennial plant with large, long stalks ranging from greenish pink to dark red. Although a vegetable, rhubarb is eaten as a fruit, cooked and sweetened with sugar to offset its tart, lemony taste. Rhubarb makes a wonderful addition to strawberry pie and as the base for many jellies, desserts, sauces and condiments. Choose stalks that are firm and crisp; avoid stalks that are limp. Rhubarb leaves must be removed before cooking, and must never be eaten, raw or cooked, as they are toxic. Rhubarb will last up to two weeks stored in a plastic bag in the coolest part of the refrigerator, but we suggest you enjoy them within 7-10 days.

Available at Markets: early May to mid-June

Sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes)

A Native American plant that is part of the sunflower family. The tubers look like small knobby potatoes but are crunchier and have a mild, nut-like taste that works well sliced raw into salads, sautéed in a little butter, or roasted. Sunchokes’ carbohydrate content is made of inulin, which is stored as fructose, instead of starch, which is stored as glucose, making them a great choice for diabetics.

Available at Markets: late October – May

Tomatoes

We grow a wide variety of fresh slicing tomatoes, and Roma tomatoes on raised black plastic beds. Many of our tomatoes are “heirlooms,” and the rest are the best of the more recent varieties. Unlike the baseballs you will find in a supermarket, our tomatoes are ripe when we bring them to market, so you can savor them that day! A few of our favorites:

Variety	Description
Amish Paste	The ultimate sauce tomato, sweet and meaty, large, red and heart-shaped.
Beefmaster & Big Beef	Large fruit with outstanding flavor. The best to slice on top of a burger!
Black Pearl	1 1/2-inch purplish fruits with a unique extra-sweet Concord grape flavor.
Black Prince	Medium red-brown fruit with black shoulders. Originates from Russia. Rich, juicy taste.
Brandywine/Brandy Boy	Popular heirloom. Prized for distinctively flavored dark reddish pink fruit.
Cherokee Purple	Absolutely delicious, sweet and rich flavor. Large, purple pink fruit blushed brown.
Green Zebra	Small 2-3-inch fruits that are a rich golden green with forest green stripes. Zesty flavor.
Mortgage Lifter	Large, slightly flattened, pink-red tomatoes. They are meaty and very flavorful.
Persimmon	Beautiful, rose-orange fruits that are quite meaty, with few seeds, and a taste that’s fruity.
Pineapple	Huge, ribbed fruit. Yellow with internal red stripes. Striking slicer with fruity taste.
Pink Girl	Medium, juicy fresh pink fruit with a delightfully mild flavor.
San Marzano	Early, classic plum Italian tomato with meaty flesh that makes for good sauce and paste.

Available at Markets: early August to late October