Here are some of the most common vegetables farmers grow during the summer months, inspired by the offerings from various farms listed on Farmstay.

1. Tomatoes (of course!)

Tomatoes are a quintessential summer crop, appreciated for their versatility in salads, sauces, and salsas. Farms like Scurlock Farms in Texas often produce hundreds of pounds of tomatoes during the summer. This popular vegetable thrives in the heat, making it a staple in summer gardens.

2. Squash and Zucchini

Squash and zucchini are prolific summer vegetables that grow quickly and abundantly. They are easy to cultivate and can be used in a myriad of dishes, from grilled vegetables to baked goods. The joke in the countryside is to not leave your car unlocked or you may find it anonymously loaded with squash.

Stony Creek Farmstead in New York grows significant amounts of these and other organic vegetables and herbs, contributing to their diverse farm stand offerings. They even have pizza nights in summer with the freshest of toppings!

3. Peppers

Peppers, including bell peppers and hot varieties like jalapeños, flourish in the summer sun. The warm weather helps them develop their sweet or spicy profiles, making them a favorite among farmers. The hotter the location, the hotter the pepper. Our favorites: Big Jim’s and Poblanos from New Mexico. Find these locally when you stay on a farm in the Southwest with its spicy Hispanic palate.

4. Cucumbers

Cucumbers are another summer favorite, perfect for sandwiches, fresh salads and pickling. They require warm temperatures and plenty of water, and they grow rapidly during the peak of summer. Farms across the country often dedicate significant space to cucumber cultivation. Brunner Family Farm in California highlights their permaculture practices, farming their 10 acres organically and selling at their local farmers markets, including cucumbers as a summer crop.

Of course, there are plenty of other vegetables that fill both the garden and then later the pantry as canned salsas and sauces, pickles and pastes.

Remember that lettuce, spinach and peas are cooler crops. Radishes and asparagus are early spring crops. Tomatoes, beans, chiles, onions, cabbage, corn and beets like to be hot. Broccoli will bolt if you don’t keep an eye on it, as will your cilantro. Potatoes don’t need to be dug up all at once. The same goes for carrots which can do fine staying in the ground for a bit. Onions and garlic need to be dried in the sun to last through the winter.  Herbs tend to love the heat but most will die off with the first cold snap.

Varieties vary by region around the country so make sure for your own garden that you buy seeds for what grows best in your climate. Maybe even ask your local farmer or farm stay host for suggestions!

Want to stay on farms that have a farmers market business too? Depending on location, they may be selling more than veggies too. Take a look at these to see if there is one in your area: farm stays with a farmers markets booth. 

Let’s end with an incredibly simple recipe a friend made to accompany Happy Hour. To say it was gone in a minute would be an understatement. It uses some of the vegetables above and a few others not reviewed but loved all the same.

 Baked Feta Cheese and Vegetables Hors-d’oeuvre

Preheat oven to 425

Cut up veggies (e.g. red onions, cherry tomatoes, peppers, artichoke hearts, olives) and place in cookware suitable for baking in the oven

Place two blocks of feta cheese in the middle of a baking dish

Drizzle all over with olive oil . Sprinkle oregano. Bake for 20 minutes. The cheese should have a bit of a crust and the vegetables should be lightly cooked through.

Serve with crackers or toasted pita chips.

(I made up the name which is more descriptive of what’s in it than how good it tastes)

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Grocery chains and shopping online may be convenient and at times necessary, but supporting local farms has many benefits to explore that are not only delicious but invaluable to the local community and environment.  They play a crucial role in the sustainability of our food systems by contributing to local economies, food quality, environmental stewardship, and community well-being.

Small farms are the backbones of local economies as they circulate money within the community by producing and supplying local goods in their stores.  This boosts agricultural activity as it creates a demand for nearby farms to support each other.  They also foster economic resilience by creating employment opportunities for local residents.  

Frequenting small farm stores not only gives access to high-quality, nutritious food but also fosters a sense of community between consumers and farmers.  By cutting out the middleman, consumers have the opportunity to gain insight into cultivation practices, animal welfare, and overall quality, which allows them to participate in maintaining the integrity of their local food systems for the whole community. 

Mass-produced fruit and vegetable varieties in supermarkets are often very limited as they are commonly shipped from afar, so flavor is often sacrificed for shelf life and hardiness in transport.  Meat varieties are also sometimes relegated to breeds that grow quickly, produce the most offspring and/or yield the largest carcasses. Small farms often grow more heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables and heritage or hybrid breeds that have distinct flavor profiles that you won’t find in your every-day supermarket.   Utilizing local farms as a resource for seeds and starters can also help ensure your home garden is more likely to be a success as well.     

Many small farms take pride in environmental stewardship by encouraging biodiversity with polyculture, crop rotations, integrated pest management and soil conservation techniques to keep their land productive.  By choosing to shop locally, you are helping to mitigate climate change by reducing the carbon footprint — minimizing the need for long-distance transportation of goods, preserving natural resources and promoting sustainable land use.

Small farms can also serve as community hubs that bring people together through fostering social connections at workshops, educational events and markets.  Taking a class taught by experts who produce these items is a great way to bring the farm home with you and learn some homesteading skills to practice  at home.  Furthermore, they often support local charities, schools and community initiatives creating a sense of shared responsibility and well-being.

If you don’t have enough room in the car to bring home half a hog or some frozen chickens or you are visiting from out of state, shopping online is sometimes your only alternative.  Many small farms have adapted to the times and created e-commerce stores so you can still shop small at home.   

Farm stores are not all about food though — they often also feature handmade items from local artists and craftsman.  Many stock pelts, yarn and other fiber arts from their sheep, leather goods from cattle as well as furniture, folk art, and other wares to bring home with you.

While staying on a farm can be a fun and memorable experience, it is important to remember the vitality of a farm rests in your support of their farm stores.  Spending your dollars locally is so much more than buying food or trinkets; you are supporting your friends and neighbors.  From raw milk and artisan cheeses to homemade baked goods, wine and local art – these specialty items are unique only to small farms and are often more affordable than generic or large-scale suppliers. Let us recognize and celebrate the vital role they play through creativity, hard work and collaboration to create a sustainable and resilient food system and community.  

To see all of the Farmstay farms with farm stores, click here.

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“Everything we eat has a story. Know what you eat.”
– from the Toddy Pond farm website

The story of Toddy Pond Farm in Monroe, Maine is not one of 2^nd, 3^rd, or 4^th generation farmers continuing in the family tradition. This is the story of ‘new’ farmers, Greg and Heide Purinton-Brown, who decided food and how it is grown was important to them and something they wanted to pursue. So, in 2014 Greg quit his 9 to 5 desk job and Heide, who had been homeschooling their two sons, switched gears to farming.

Flourishing Pastures

Originally planning to be caretakers of an existing farm in Monroe ME just to get their feet wet, they ended up buying it! Toddy Pond Farm, on the banks of Toddy Pond, is a 520-acre property with 30 acres of pasture used now for their cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, and bees. In just a few years, they were able to improve and provide permanent pasture for their livestock with rotational grazing. They don’t irrigate or fertilize their pastures because this would require the use of large amounts of fossil fuel. They don’t till the soil which would release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. They plant clover for their bees. The pastures are flourishing with grasses up to the bellies of the cows.

Humane Dairy Farming

What is even more impressive about their operation is that the Purinton-Browns decided to enter the dairy business, one of the most challenging areas of farming! If you’re going to go down this risky path these days, you need to have a niche. Coming from a background as a vegetarian and an OB nurse before she became a farmer, Heide had a keen passion to make sure her livestock was treated humanely, and the way nature intended. So, unlike most dairies, the farm keeps calves with their mothers for their strong emotional bond, and the cows are only milked once a day.

Milking once a day had additional benefits these farmers wanted in their finished products. The full-fat Jersey milk, higher in protein and fat than from cows milked twice a day, made for a wonderful tasting yogurt, now the farm’s signature product. Offered in plain and vanilla flavors, the Toddy Pond label can be found not only at their farmers market stand and at their on-farm store, but also in local groceries. Of course, there are other products to find at their on-farm store: packaged meats, from ground lamb to pork sausage, kefir, eggs, honey, and ice cream in season.

An Idyllic Getaway

Does all of this make you want to stay at Toddy Pond Farm to get a better feel of farm life…and how taste is grown and finished? Or maybe just kick back at your own private farm retreat in the middle of 500 acres with cows and sheep grazing off the porch, grab a kayak for the pond or hike the many trails through the woods?

Toddy Pond offers the quintessential week-long farm stay in the summer, when the farm is in top production, and three-day stays for the shoulder seasons. Guests stay in a gorgeous, fully restored 4-bedroom cottage that sleeps 7, has a large kitchen, living room, 2 bathrooms, and screened in porch.  It’s the perfect place for an unplugged vacation.

Check out the Toddy Pond Farm listing here on Farm Stay USA… then book a stay and make your own story!

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Lauren Hartmann and Ted Bancroft wear their farm on their sleeves.

MoonRidge is a working organic farm focused on biodynamic and permaculture practices (the traditional farming practices of our forefathers who just thought of it as ‘farming’) “dedicated to supporting a healthy, vibrant environment”. But it is also a place of healing for those with cancer. It is a place of peace and meditation. It is a place to draw community in for support and education.

Lauren grew up on a traditional corn and soybean farm in Nebraska.  Forever in love with the land and gardening, she bought MoonRidge in the late 1990s as a 20 acre parcel. Little by little she sought to bring it back to a more healthy condition, all the while maintaining her job as a nurse in the local area. Ted joined Lauren on the farm not long after. His background was in tree work, both residential and commercial forestry.  The farm next door came up for sale and they added 20 acres and a house.

Get Your Yacon Here

Their farm has been certified organic since 2005. It currently produces blueberries, lingonberries, blackberries, seasonal veggies, yacon products, flowers and farm fresh eggs. Okay, so we had to ask about yacons:

In addition to being a powerful prebiotic, this amazing tuber offers many additional health benefits. As a natural sweetener, it does not affect glucose levels, providing a mild flavored sweetness to salads and smoothies. Some of the additional health benefits of yacon include its ability to regulate blood sugar levels, lower “bad” cholesterol, help with weight loss, lower blood pressure, improve the health of the liver, prevent certain types of cancer, boost digestive health, and strengthen the immune system.

Lauren and Ted sell the crowns but they also make a value-added syrup for sale. Their 1200 blueberry plants are u-pick from June through August. The MoonRidge farm store includes honey, teas, frozen berries and meats (goat, rabbit and chicken).

New to their operations in the past year, Lauren and Ted added 1300 lavender plants they dug up and transplanted from a neighboring farm that was going out of business. Soon they expect to add lavender oils, teas, and fresh cuttings.  Whether the farm continues with its high grade hemp production for CBD will be a test of time and market.

A Getaway That’s Not Too Far Away

But, the farm is not all crops and flowers. There are also goats, rabbits and chickens as well as the Buckner Creek with salmon and cutthroat trout. Hawks and wild bees, owls, and old growth dot the property. There are woods and meadows cut with trails, a grassy meadow and a labyrinth. One can interact with farm life as much as is rewarding and comfortable or retire to the comfortable 1901 renovated farm house with its open living/dining area with gas fireplace and views of the grounds. Overnights on the farm belie the fact this countryside retreat is only 35 minutes from the city of Portland.

A stay at MoonRidge offers peace and quiet. It also offers an introduction to a chosen path of food production that is not only good for the body and the soil, but good for the soul.

Check out the MoonRidge Farms listing here on Farm Stay USA, and then visit their booking page to start planning your stay!

(All photos provided courtesy of MoonRidge Farms)

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