Signs of Fall at Honeydew Farm
- Honeydew Farm
- Aug 26
- 4 min read
There is still plenty of summer left to enjoy, but the fall harvest at Honeydew Farm is beginning to take shape.
The garlic is tucked away, pumpkins and winter squash are growing, an unexpected mushroom harvest gave us a welcome surprise, and we're already thinking about the food we'll be growing long after the outdoor gardens have gone quiet.
922 Bulbs—and Next Year's Garlic Is Already Underway
This year's garlic harvest is officially cured and cleaned.
We ended up with 922 garlic bulbs, which will be stored in the basement until it's time for fall planting. Those bulbs will be split apart and planted back into the ground to begin next year's crop.
That means we're giving up this year's garlic harvest in favor of growing something much bigger for next season. If all goes according to plan, Honeydew Farm garlic should be available for purchase next year.
Sometimes farming means enjoying what you grew today. Other times, it means putting it right back into the ground and waiting another year. And 922 bulbs should give us quite a start.
A Mushroom Experiment That Finally Worked
Earlier this spring, we inoculated a pile of sawdust with wine cap mushrooms.
We've tried growing them before without much success, so we weren't exactly counting on a harvest.
Then they appeared.
And not just a few.
We were able to enjoy some fresh and dehydrate the rest to store for winter. The mushroom bed will likely continue producing into the fall, although for now, these are staying in the Honeydew Farm kitchen rather than heading to market.
After previous attempts didn't work, finally seeing mushrooms emerge from the pile made this harvest especially satisfying.
Pumpkins Join the Fall Harvest at Honeydew Farm
One of the surest signs that fall is getting closer is growing right in the field.
Our white pumpkins are coming along, and we have something special planned for them this year. Once they're ready, Amber will be decorating them with dried flowers to create fall decor for the market.
Look for them at our market stand over the next few weeks.
And the pumpkins aren't the only fall crops getting close. Our acorn squash and butternut squash should be ready soon too, adding even more variety to the fall harvest at Honeydew Farm.
Getting the Deep Winter Greenhouse Ready
While we're harvesting summer crops and watching the fall crops mature, we're also thinking several months ahead.
As summer begins to wind down, we'll be putting more time into finishing the deep winter greenhouse.
Soon it will be time to start the seeds that will eventually be planted inside. The goal is something we're especially excited about: fresh food growing here at Honeydew Farm during the Minnesota winter.
There is still plenty of work ahead before we get there, but the idea of harvesting fresh greens while snow covers the outdoor gardens makes every step worth it.
A Little Time Away From the Farm
Not everything this week happened in the fields.
With Amber's brother and sister-in-law visiting, there was time to enjoy something we don't always get enough of during a busy growing season—family.
Amber enjoyed a ladies' lunch with Grandma, her sister, and sister-in-law, followed by a long evening boat ride with family.
Summer on the farm moves quickly. Sometimes it's good to leave the work behind for a few hours and enjoy the season we're working so hard through.
From the Honeydew Kitchen
Roasted Butternut Squash with Garlic & Herbs
With garlic curing and butternut squash almost ready, this week's recipe brings two Honeydew Farm harvests together in one simple fall side dish.
Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash
2–3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme or rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Optional: grated Parmesan or a drizzle of maple syrup
Directions
Heat the oven to 425°F.
Peel and seed the butternut squash, then cut it into roughly 1-inch cubes.
Toss the squash with olive oil, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Roast for approximately 25–35 minutes, turning once, until the squash is tender and the edges begin to caramelize.
Serve as-is, finish with Parmesan for something savory, or add a small drizzle of maple syrup for a sweeter version.
Save this one for when the butternut squash begins arriving at market.
Fresh at the Market
The late-summer harvest is still filling our market table with plenty of color.
This week we'll have lots of fresh-cut flowers, along with zucchini, pickling cucumbers, green beans, and a colorful selection of peppers—including bell peppers, Hungarian Wax peppers, Sugar Rush Peach peppers, and jalapeños.
Cherry tomatoes have joined the harvest too, with a mix of Golden Nugget and Super Sweet 100 cherry tomatoesavailable this week.
As always, everything is harvested with the season, so quantities may vary throughout the market.
Looking Ahead
The next few weeks will bring another transition at Honeydew Farm. As the fall harvest at Honeydew Farm continues, acorn and butternut squash are nearly ready, white pumpkins will soon become dried-flower fall decor, and the mushroom bed may continue surprising us into autumn.
Behind the scenes, our attention will increasingly turn toward finishing the deep winter greenhouse and starting the seeds that will carry the growing season beyond the first frost.
One season may be winding down, but we're already planting the beginnings of another.
Visit Us This Week
Thursday | 9 AM–1 PM
Saturday | 9 AM–1 PM
Near the music tent, across from Thielen Motors.
Come see what's fresh this week. As always, availability changes with the harvest.
Thank you for supporting local farms, local food, and local flowers.
We hope to see you at market.
Alex & AmberHoneydew Farm
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