Market Notes for June 21, 2025
Read the full Food & Farm Notes here.
Lasts (or nearly last) of the Season!
Even while we are ramping up to the summer crops, we are reaching the end of cool-season crops, so be sure to get them before it's too late.
Snow Peas — Henry says it the biggest harvest of the season, and likely the last week for the delicate Snow Peas (see FOOD NOTES below) because of the hot weather plus the 3+ inches of rain we got this week (see FARM NOTES below). So enjoy them with every meal this week, simply stir-fried or sauteed. And get extra to freeze for later -- just blanch for about a minute in boiling salted water, chill, and freeze.
Sugar Snap Peas - My niece made a lovely fresh sugar snap pea salad with goat cheese and mint yesterday. You can find similar recipes online, but in my humble opinion, there's not much better than munching the sugar snap peas just as they are!
Kohlrabi - Crisp, crunchy, clean-tasting, and so easy to prepare -- just peel and eat! Or toss with a light dressing, or add to a lettuce salad. Henry said the kohlrabi will go down fast with the hot weather, so this may be your last chance.
And it is definitely your last chance for RHUBARB.
We still have plenty of the cool-season DILL and CILANTRO, so get some big bunches and make a flavorful and versatile pesto to use on toast, crackers, rice, or pasta. You can use any basil pesto recipe, substituting a different herb or combination of herbs for the basil.
Henry said this is THE week for FAVA BEANS, and they will go downhill fast with the coming week of days in the 90s, so stock up!
Because it's what Henry calls the "monster week" for favas, as well as for snow peas and sugar snap peas, look for signs offering you a special price when you buy two.
Henry says it will be another great week for LETTUCE, and he'll have a 2 for $7 special from the beginning of the market. The beautiful and tasty Radicchio, Endive, and Escarole are also part of that 2-fer Special.
And take advantage of the Special Price on all Knob Onions -- mix and match!
The BROCCOLI and CABBAGE (red and green) are also coming on strong and look and taste great!
Food Notes: Snow Peas
There is nothing quite as graceful as trellised snow pea plants in full swing, with the sun shining through the delicate pods, outlining the tiny proto-peas inside.
Some say the name snow pea comes from the slight whitish tint reflected from the pods in bright sunlight. Others say it's because they are a cool weather crop—best in the early spring or late fall, when they just might be covered with light frost or even snow.
But no matter the name, snow peas are sweet and delicious—and an excellent source of fiber, iron, potassium, and vitamins A and C. Snow peas are also among the most venerable of vegetables, with evidence of their cultivation going back more than 12,000 years along the Thai-Burma border.
Quick Snow Peas with Lemon Herb Butter
Fresh peas cook really fast, so keep an eye on them, and take them off the heat as soon as they turn bright green. You can also add soy sauce, ginger, sesame and other Asian ingredients to this or any other snow pea recipe.
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
2 teaspoons finely chopped herbs of your choice
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound snow peas, trimmed
1. Stir together butter, zest, herbs, salt, and pepper.
2. Cook peas in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain.
3. Transfer peas to a bowl, then add lemon herb butter and toss to coat.
Farm Notes: Lots of Rain
We got 3.2 inches of rain in about 36 hours, so the fields are really wet, and Henry says we are set for quite a few weeks without precipitation now.
Because of the healthy soil, full of spongy organic matter and all manner of life forms, most of the rain soaked in nicely, with just a little runoff. The creek came way up, but luckily the bottomland fields were not flooded. So things are looking good as we enter into the coming week with highs in the mid-90s.