Camp Celo Gardens

Dill goes well with fall carrots.

2010-09-19T14:13:00.004-04:00

Our dill is looking lush this week especially in the early morning dew. The turnips, Easter egg Radishes, and baby Carrots are in full swing.

2010-09-11T20:50:00.004-04:00

This week we have Scarlet Queen turnips with lush green tops as well as white Hakurei turnips. Buth types of turnip are excellent raw in salads or serverd as cooked turnips. The mild tasting tops make excellent turnip greens.

Fall turnips for Labor Day weekend

2010-08-29T14:36:00.001-04:00

As summer begins to come to a close we have Baby Hakuri Turnips with deliciously mild and tender greens. These small white "salad turnips" may be served either cooked or raw.

Our Scarlet Queen turnips, a deep pink salad turnip, should be ready soon.

Week of August 22, 2010

2010-08-21T10:55:00.001-04:00

Our peppers are finally here beginning to come in! We have a few Jimmy Nardello sweet peppers to offer, but they will go quickly. We also have Purple Beauty bell peppers--be sure ask for them soon, before they begin to loose their purple color and turn red.

Our Czech Black hot peppers (pictured above) are striking, but still have a while to go before they ripen to their final garnet color.

Week of August 15, 2010

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Mid-August is truly the dead of summer, with either stifling heat or torrential downpours almost every afternoon. But as our past two posts have proven, August is also the month of tomatoes!

We have three varieties of heirloom tomatoes to offer this week: Cherokee Purple (top left), Striped German (top right), and Hogs Heart (bottom), as well as a veritable treasure chest of Sun Gold cherry tomatoes.

However, as hard as it may be to believe, fall is just around the corner. For proof, you need not look further than our greens, which are finally starting to rebound. Be sure to ask us about asian greens, arugula and spring mix this week.

Week of August 8, 2010

2010-08-08T21:48:00.008-04:00

New this week: Our tomatillos are beginning to ripen for your salsa dishes, and we once again have great tasting baby Nelson carrots.

All of our tomatoes are abundant, from our sungolds and cherry tomatoes, to our heirloom Striped Germans and Hogs Hearts.

In other garden news, our Jimmy Nardello peppers are on the horizon and our fall crops of beets and turnips have sprouted.

Week of August 1, 2010

2010-07-30T17:55:00.003-04:00

Our Sun Gold cherry tomatoes have taken off. They are the epitome of summery goodness: a perfectly sweet, light and juicy tomato. We can't stop eating them here at the garden!

The heat for the past month has been hard on many of our greens, but the good news is that we have baby spring mix, arugula and asian greens on the way, with a few pounds of each available this week.

We have started planting many of our fall crops, so if there is anything you would be interesting in having available as the season comes to a close, please let us know!

Week of July 25, 2010

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New this week are Cherokee purple tomatoes! Cherokee purples are an heirloom variety known for their extraordinatry flavor and color.

Week of July 18, 2010

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New this week, we have wild purslane! Purslane is a succulent with a mild sweet-sour flavor like okra, but without the bitterness. It's tart flavor makes it a delicious and versatile vegetable; it is a common accompaniment to eggs and pork in Mexican cuisine, and raw purslane also makes a great addition to salads. Henry David Thoreau used to enjoy dining on simply boiled and lightly salted purslane collected around Walden Pond. For the health conscious, it is full of vitamins and is among the best plant sources for omega-3 fatty acids.

This week's spotlight is on Bull's Blood and Red Ace beets. Bull's Blood beets are an heirloom variety with a striped roots and dark red foliage, perfect for brightening up a salad. Red Ace beets are a great all-around beet, although they are known especially for their sweetness and tenderness.

In other news, Camp Celo Gardens baby carrots, leeks, tropea onions, golden beets, zephyr squash, patti pan squash, squash blossoms and peashoots play the role of supporting actor in the "Best Dish in North Carolina" competition.

Week of July 11, 2010

2010-07-11T16:22:00.004-04:00

Spotlight on: edible flowers!

While we mostly grow vegetables, we also have an extensive flower garden. Small edible flowers include johnny jump-ups (violas), bachelor buttons (cornflowers), pot marigolds (calendulas) and borage (starflowers). These make the perfect finishing touch to any dish: salads, soups, and especially desserts. We also have nasturtiums, for a bright and spicy kick to salads, and squash blossoms.

And although our sunflowers are not edible (not yet anyways), they are just starting to show their faces among our tomato and potato patches, as well as at the heads of many of our lawn beds.

Week of July 4, 2010

2010-07-03T15:52:00.011-04:00

Spotlight on: Rainbow Chard. They are thriving in our mountain weather. Look for pink, yellow, orange, red and white stems.

Also, new this week: Deep Purple carrots and Purple Majesty potatoes.

Deep Purple carrots--a variety of Imperator carrot--are deeply colored both inside and out, but their color fades when they are cooked. Their mild but sweet flavor makes them perfect for topping salads.

Purple Majesty potatoes are a hybrid of All Blue potatoes and a white-fleshed variety. Their flesh is beautifully speckled with purple and white, stunning for chips or fries. They are for short-term storage only, so order them now!

Week of June 26, 2010

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A spotlight on: Chioggia beets, also known as candy cane beets.

Chioggia beets are an heirloom variety originating from Italy. They can be prepared a variety of ways, but Chioggia beets are best served raw; their candy cane-like stripes fade when cooked. Beets are closely related to Swiss chard, so try cooking the green leafy tops. They make great braising greens!

Week of June 20, 2010

2010-06-19T11:47:00.007-04:00

New this week: Tropea Red Long (Torpedo) onions, Russian Banana fingerling potatoes, and Taylor, our newest garden intern.

Tropea onions have a sweet, mild and tender flesh, and are great for grilling.

Russian Banana fingerling potatoes are an heirloom variety. They have a deliciously rich, nutty flavor that is smooth and creamy.

Week of June 13, 2010

2010-06-13T20:44:00.004-04:00

New this week: collards, leeks, and oregano! And a baby goat.

Week of June 6, 2010

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New this week: squash blossoms (above), small edible flowers (johnny jump ups, dianthus), baby squash (zephyr and zucchini), and garlic scape!

First week of June

2010-05-30T11:37:00.003-04:00

Our new intern Kavita arrived last week. You will meet her on deliveries soon.

Week of May 24

2010-05-23T12:19:00.004-04:00

We have a couple of homeschool interns who help us in the garden. Wren & Frank helped us weed the kale then we pulled and washed turnips.

New additions to the menu

2010-05-16T19:34:00.007-04:00

We have several new items—rainbow chard, curly kale, red Russian kale and baby beets. We will be delivering to Asheville on Thursday instead of Friday starting this week.

Week of May 10, 2010

2010-05-09T19:43:00.007-04:00

Welcome to Camp Celo Blog. This week we have baby arugula, asian greens[Kyona Mizuna, Tatsoi, Komatsuna, Red Giant Mustard, Red Russian Kale], baby turnips, spring mix, green garlic, spring onions, and pea shoots. Our delivery day will be Friday this week.
Our interns Lee and Emma, who many of you met last year, have just returned and will be delivering.

Greetings to a new growing season with us!

2010-05-02T21:53:00.005-04:00

Hello to chefs who know us well and welcome aboard new chefs. This week we have an abundance of spring mix [with Tango,Dark Lolla Rossa, Red Sails and more],a beautiful crop of baby arugula, asian greens, pea shoots, green garlic,Easter Egg radishes, and spring onions. You can order at campcelogardens@gmail.com or call us at 828-675-1639. Anne, Sam, Lee, and Emma.

Camp Celo Gardens to present at ASAP marketing conference on February 27

2010-02-16T23:43:00.002-05:00

The gardener with grandson picking tunes rather than weeds!

2009-11-22T09:04:00.007-05:00

Sam is instructing a young intern in the basics of "singing in the garden". Josiah hails from Marshall,NC for his day on the farm with Sam and Anne accompanied by his mom,Asha and sister,Nora.

End of season gratitude

2009-10-05T09:22:00.002-04:00

As we prepare our last harvest of peashoots for delivery

we want to thank all of you for an outstanding season

of growing and supplying since April. Looking forward to

serving you in 2010.

Week of September 27th,2009

2009-09-27T20:04:00.002-04:00

This week our peashoots are happily responding to the

cooler temps. We also have Baby Arugula.

2009-09-20T18:38:00.003-04:00

The White Lady Turnips are thriving in the cool rain as are

collards, and spring mix. We'll be delivering this Friday

to Asheville. Our new Watermelon radishes and Easter Egg

variety will be ready in two weeks.

week of September 14th, 2009

2009-09-07T21:35:00.002-04:00

With cooler mountain temperaures our spring mix is

flourishing!!

Week of September 6th, 2009

2009-09-06T17:44:00.005-04:00

We have a beautiful crop of late Russian Banana fingerling

and Majestic Purple potatoes.

week of August 31,2009

2009-08-30T07:50:00.003-04:00

All our peppers ,mild and hot, are taking on their magnifient

color. We have Jimmy Nardello Italian sweets ,some beautiful

orange and green sweet bells and these hot Czech Blacks.

week of August 24, 2009

2009-08-22T17:51:00.006-04:00

We running a special on big beautiful beets just in time

for your late summer menu.

Week of August 17, 2009

2009-08-14T09:44:00.005-04:00

Heirloom tomatoes are ripening up nicely now. We've got Striped German, Prudence Purple (Brandywine type), Hogs Heart. Amish Paste. Wapsipinicon Peach and we'll soon have tomatillos too.

Week of August 10, 2009

2009-08-09T23:21:00.004-04:00

Did we mention that we have tomatoes?

Week of August 2, 2009

2009-08-02T19:33:00.006-04:00

We have edamame. I cooked some up yesterday for my parents. They had never had it before. Isn't it great when you can expose your parents to good new things.

Week of July 27, 2009

2009-07-24T09:38:00.008-04:00

Tomatoes are here! We have cherry sized Sun golds and yellow minis. In a couple of weeks, our heirlooms will be ripe--striped german and pruden's purple.

Week of July 13, 2009

2009-07-12T20:09:00.015-04:00

Welcome to our blog. This is where you will find our current produce list and other stuff about the garden.

Special this week: We have plenty of Swiss chard, so we are offering it at the special price of $3.50/lb. Order it by the case.

Week of July 6, 2009

2009-07-07T22:03:00.018-04:00

Beets are Golden. We also grow Chioggia, Bulls Blood and Red Ace. Most have sized up to 1.5”- 2.5” in diameter. We sell the them by the mixed bunch.