July, 2018 Archive

The two best things about growing your own basil are 1) you always have FRESH basil on hand and 2) you can freeze it for future use! Let’s start with harvesting it. When your basil plant starts to flower, pinch them off and discard. That way, the energy in the plant is directed towards growing more leaves. The more often you prune basil, the bushier it will become. Basil plants grow quickly and can become quite large. If you purchased a basil plant from one of our farmstands, you’ll know exactly what we’re talking about! Feel free to trim the plant every 2-3 weeks. There are many ways to freeze basil. This method works for us so let’s get started! (more…)

Farming 101: The height differences between sweet corn and field corn.

Sweet corn is on the left, and field corn is on the right. This future Keller farmer is 21 months old (pictured below). This helps you put the corn height differences in perspective. Both types of corn have reached their maximum height. Why so different?

Sweet corn is shorter because it has a shorter growing season. It’s harvested when the ears have reached peak sweetness (around 3 months). The plant is focusing on getting that ear of corn as sweet as possible, not focusing on unneeded height.

Field corn is taller with a thicker stalk. It stays in the field longer because it’s harvested in the fall when the ears are nearly dried. The plant is focusing on a sturdy stalk to keep it all upright through a longer season. That ear isn’t sweet compared to an ear of sweet corn and it doesn’t need to be!

Our Oswego Farmstand, Plainfield Farmstand, Naperville Farmstand, and Fox Valley Mall Summer Market are all open with sweet corn, vegetables, and fruit. Stop by for your summer favorites – tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, and watermelon to name a few! All farmstands are open Monday-Friday 9-6pm, Saturday & Sunday 9-5pm.

SWEET CORN IS FINALLY READY! You’ve waited long enough. Stop in and pick up a dozen! Here’s the current status of our farmstands:

Naperville & Plainfield – Open with sweet corn and vegetables

Oswego – Open with sweet corn only, vegetables arriving later this afternoon

Fox Valley Mall Summer Market – Opening Tuesday, July 10

Not much longer now for fresh, homegrown sweet corn! We’re waiting until our sweet corn is at peak sweetness before we pick it. As soon as it’s ready, we will post it! Thanks for your patience!