LexFarm's PYO Guide
Note: All PYO is for CSA holders ONLY, unless specifically stated otherwise.
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Basil
Basil
How to pick: Cut just above a node (set of leaves) as pictured above.
How to use: Make pesto, use as garnish or in a dish for flavor, make a caprese salad!
Cherry Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
How to pick: Different varieties of cherry tomatoes will look different as they ripen. See pictures below for examples of what each variety looks like when it's ripe. In general, ripe cherry tomatoes will be softer than their unripe counterparts, and deep in color. Unlike full sized tomatoes, they do not continue to ripen off the vine, so please only pick fully ripe cherry tomatoes!
How to use: Great for snacking, in salads, or in any way you’d use a regular tomato. They can be sauteed until they split for a yummy sauce, or in stir fries. They can also be frozen for longer term use!
Sungold
Very sweet, fruity, and bright orange! A fan favorite.
Black Cherry
Dark fruits with rich, sweet, dynamic flavor from just one plant. Great for shish-kebabs, salads (they're striking!), or just eating as they are.
Sakura
A classic red cherry, sweet and firm!
Sunpeach
Deep pink tomato, great for snacking.
Apple Yellow
Bell-shaped, sweet, and yellow!
Yellow Mini
Another bright yellow sweet tomato! A bit firmer than some of their counterparts.
Indigo Cherry Drops
Darker variety, still incredibly delicious!
Dill Flowers
Dill Flowers
How to pick: Cut the stem right below the flower.
How to use: Dill flowers can be used in pickle brine for a magnified dill flavor, to flavor oils, or as an edible garnish in salads! They also make for pretty decoration.
Green (Bush) Beans
Green (Bush) Beans
How to pick: Look for firm, sizable beans that can be snapped—generally as thick as a pencil. Brace the plant above the beans and pull or cut the beans off the plant, being careful not to break the plant or pull it out of the ground (bean plants are pretty fragile!). Fresh beans should snap easily when broken. Once you see the seeds inside bulging, green beans are past their peak and will taste tough.
How to use: Great for snacking on raw or cooking (steamed, in stir fries, sautéed, etc!)
Green Coriander
Green Coriander
How to pick: pinch the stem of the plant right below a bunch of green coriander pods (pictured above).
How to use: Green coriander is the fresh seed of a cilantro plant. It has a flavor in between cilantro and dried coriander seeds. They can be added to pickles, soups, and stews to enhance flavor, or ground into a powder for use in any meal. You can also add them to spreads like hummus for an added citrusy aromatic flavor!
Hot Peppers
Hot Peppers
The Scoville scale is a scale that measures the heat of peppers. The higher the number, the hotter the pepper. Here’s an image that shows the Scoville rating of all the peppers we grow at LexFarm!
Cayenne
How to pick: Cayenne peppers can be picked green, red, or anywhere in between. They are ripe and at their spiciest when they are fully red. Generally speaking, they are ready to pick when they are 4-6 inches long. Brace the plant above the stem and gently pull the pepper off!
How to use: Cayennes are a standard hot pepper, coming in at 30,00-50,000 scoville units. Hotter than a jalapeño, but not as hot as a habanero. Dry them into a powder or add them fresh into meals for a kick.
Gochu Vita Green (Korean Crispy Pepper)
How to pick: Pick when pepper is approximately 6 inches in length. Peppers can be picked green or red. Brace the plant above the stem and gently pull the pepper off!
How to use: These peppers are a mild pepper, similar to a shishito–not quite a sweet pepper but still good for raw eating, or blistering. They can of course also be used in everyday cooking when you want a mild heat and pepper flavor.
Habanada
How to pick: Once the habanada has turned red, like in the picture, brace the plant and gently pick the pepper off!
How to use: Habanadas are the habanero’s sweet pepper cousin. The same fruity flavor with none of the kick. They’re good for eating raw or making a mild salsa with! Just don’t get them confused ;)
Yeori Gochu (Korean chili pepper)
How to pick: Peppers can be picked when they’re green for a milder flavor or red for their full flavor. If green, wait until they’ve lengthened to 3-4 inches. Brace the plant and gently pull the pepper off!
How to use: Green peppers are at 1,500 scoville units (not very hot). They can be pickled, stuffed, or eaten fresh. Red peppers are much hotter and can be dried into a chili powder, made into gochujang, or added fresh into meals for a kick.
Cherry Bomb
How to pick: Peppers are ready when they’re 2-2 ½ inches in diameter. They’re at their ripest and hottest when fully red! Brace the plant above the stem and gently pull the pepper off.
How to use: Cherry bomb peppers come in at 2,500-5,000 scoville units, making them a low-medium heat pepper, similar to jalapeños. They can be pickled, stuffed, or put into meals for a kick!
Shishito
How to pick: Pick when pepper is 3-4 inches long. Peppers can be picked green or red. Brace the plant above the stem and gently pick the pepper.
How to use: Shishitos are a mild pepper. The occasional pepper (supposedly 1 in 10) will be hotter. Snack on them raw or blister them!
Habañero
How to pick: Find habañeros that are orange (like the ones in the picture!). Brace the plant and gently pick it off!
How to use: These are great peppers for salsa or adding a kick to your meals! They can get up to 350,000 scoville units, making them very hot with a bit of a fruity flavor.
Jalapeño
How to pick: Pepper should be 3-5 inches in length, and firm to the touch. Jalapeños are most often consumed green, but red are perfectly fine to pick also! Brace the plant above the stem and gently pick the pepper off the plant.
How to use: Jalapeños are at 2,500-8,000 scoville units, making them a low-medium spicy pepper. They can be pickled, and are often used as a spicy garnish on things like nachos, stuffed into jalapeño poppers, or made into salsa!
Husk Cherries (a.k.a. Ground Cherries)
Husk Cherries (a.k.a. Ground Cherries)
How to pick: Husk cherries are ready to harvest when their husk changes colors from green to papery white (see photo). When they’re ripe, they will fall off the plant. It’s okay to harvest them from the ground below the plant, as long as they’re not sitting in water! You can also pick them off the plant, but make sure they are ripe.
How to use: These are great for snacking! Just peel off the outer layer before you eat them. You can also bake with them if you have patience for peeling lots of husk cherries!
Snap Peas
Snap Peas
How to pick: Snap peas are picked when the edible pods have begun to plump up but are not fully filled out. A perfect snap pea is crisp and juicy! If you’re not sure, try one–if it’s sweet then it’s ripe. Hold the plant steady with one hand as you pull the pea off with the other.
How to use: Good for snacking on raw! Very sweet. Pod + peas are both edible.
Snow Peas
Snow Peas
How to pick: Snow peas are harvested when you can feel the peas slightly enlarged inside the pods but before they form sizable peas. The pods should still be flat.
How to use: Good for stir fries as well as general snacking! The pod + peas are both edible.
Shelling Peas
Shelling Peas
How to pick: Pick only the pods that are entirely plump and filled out completely. That will get you the biggest peas! Brace the plant and pull the pea pod off right at the stem—you might have to pull a little harder than snap or snow peas.
How to use: Unlike snow and snap peas, the pod of shelling peas is not edible. Open the pod up and take the peas out, then use them wherever you’d use a pea! Snacking is also a great option.
Strawberries
Strawberries
How to pick: Pinch the strawberries above the green top when they’re entirely red and deep in color. They do not ripen more off the vine! Please do not pick the flowers off the plant–those flowers become strawberries!
How to use: Snack on their own, bake into a pie or with some LexFarm rhubarb for deliciousness :)
Tomatillos
Tomatillos
How to pick: Tomatillos should be harvested when you feel the firm fruit inside of the husk. The fruit should be filling up as much of the husk as possible, even if it means the husk is ripping at the bottom (as pictured!). When you find a ripe one, pick it off the plant! It should come off easily.
How to use: Tomatillos can be roasted with some PYO hot peppers and made into a delicious salsa verde!
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