Pictured above: Fresh Monetta asparagus from Farmer Andrew Fallaw at Monetta Asparagus Farm
Hello chefs! This week we are starting up our annual pre-orders for Monetta asparagus and Dorr Farms + Hickory Berry Bluff strawberries. By the 1st of April we will have both crops in. Pre-orders will be a weekly standing quantity on both, it can be adjusted but this is to help coordinate with the farmers in these large volumes but also so that we can maintain a commitment to extreme freshness and quality for both. There will be A La Carte options for you but that comes with a slightly higher price. The biggest benefit to you for doing the standing order is that we will maintain our commitment to you and cut off A La Carte availability in order to ensure you have your product. It also promises that your order will be as fresh as possible since we don’t have to speculate whether you’ll be ordering.
We haven’t received a price from the farms on the crops yet but we’ve been told it won’t be much different from last years price. Please text us if you’d like to claim your standing order for asparagus and strawberries.
For those who don’t know, towards the end of this last week we added a new Bradford crop:
micro yellow flowers from the Taylor Turnips. The flavor is pretty awesome for a flower and the aftertaste is distinctly cherry-like, we had to find a way to make them available as its own item. Here for another week - we will have 2oz and 4oz options for these delicious flowers. These are probably best served raw as a garnish or creatively preserved to extend your use of them. We harvest them the morning of delivery so they are as fresh and bright as possible when they make it into your kitchen. (If you are a chef in Atlanta or Nashville, these flowers are picked the night before delivery). The season is short, at the end we will pivot to collard flowers. They are too special not to use, don’t wait on these - they will be gone!
Wild Hope Farm is back this spring! They’ve just started up their wholesale again and we’re jumping back in the boat starting with their excellent green garlic. Mixed lettuce is likely to come next. If you have interest in this please let us know!
Okra is officially going into the ground this weekend, we expect it will be available early May if all goes well. The Hanson lettuce goes in the ground too, we expect that to be available in April, or worst case scenario early May.
We’ve just started heirloom peppers, ground cherries, white queen tomatoes and Plate De Haite tomatoes - those are expected for summer harvest.
SPECIAL REQUEST: We kindly urge you to consider adding at least one of our own Bradford Farm grown crops to your weekly orders. We are working with quite a number of other farms to bring you the best access to regional flavor that we possibly can, but the heartbeat of our farm is our homegrown crops. We can’t exist without moving our own crops too. So please review the crops we offer under Bradford Farm Crops below and consider adding one or more of them. It helps us a ton.
Important Info
- Taking pre-order standings for Monetta Heritage Asparagus and Dorr/Hickory Bluff Strawberries!
- New! Baby collards
- New! Green garlic - Wild Hope Farm
- New! Baby Carrots, Bolero - Clem’s
- New! Spinach from Rooting Down Farms (delivered 1 week after order)
- New! Arugula from Rooting Down Farms (delivered 1 week after order)
- Bradford Collard Bloom Shoots are here for one more week!
- Clem’s Bolero carrots are here!
- Large selection of HERBS going in the ground soon. (Cilantro/Sprouting Coriander, Lovage, Huacatay (Mint Marigold), Red Amaranth, St. John’s Wort, Sweet Marjoram, Dill, and more)
- Hakurei turnips (Clem’s) coming in a few weeks.
⚠️ **Highlights of the week**⚠️
Monetta Heritage Asparagus - Coming soon: Pre-order now
The Fallaw family are fifth-generation farmers in Monetta, South Carolina, and they’ve been growing asparagus here since the early 1900s. Their farm sits in a region that was once nationally known as the “Asparagus Belt” — a stretch of farmland along the eastern side of the Savannah River running through parts of western South Carolina and eastern Georgia.
At its height in the early–mid 20th century, this belt produced what many buyers and chefs considered the finest asparagus in the United States, and some would argue the world. Dozens of farms in these counties shipped asparagus north to major markets where it developed a reputation for exceptional quality.
The reason comes down to soil and water.
The fields along this stretch of the Savannah River contain naturally iodine-rich soils deposited through centuries of river movement and mineral accumulation. That iodine — combined with the sandy loam structure of the ground — produces asparagus with a distinctive profile:
- Remarkably sweet flavor
- Clean mineral finish
- Extra crisp texture when raw
- Exceptional tenderness when cooked
It’s a difference you notice immediately when you bite into it. The spears are firm, juicy, and naturally balanced — not grassy or fibrous the way asparagus from less ideal soils can be.
Over time, development and crop changes caused most of the original asparagus farms in the region to disappear. What was once a thriving agricultural belt is now reduced to just a handful of producers. The Fallaw farm remains the last of the original Monetta growers still producing asparagus at this historic level.
Their crop is still managed the traditional way — established perennial crowns, careful harvest timing, and quick cooling after picking to preserve snap and sweetness. The result is asparagus that chefs consistently describe as the highest tier product available. It is their mission to preserve this legacy and to bring the region back to asparagus supremacy.
For the Kitchen
Because of its natural tenderness and high sugar content, Monetta asparagus performs beautifully across a range of preparations:
- Raw: shaved thin for salads or crudo-style plates
- Quick blanch: bright green with a crisp snap
- Hot pan or grill: caramelizes easily due to its sugar content
- Classic butter roast: highlights the natural sweetness
- Purees and soups: smooth, clean asparagus flavor without bitterness
Season & Commitments
Just as in previous years, we have a very limited allotment from our farmer.
To ensure consistent harvest planning and fair distribution, we’re asking chefs to commit to the full six-week season.
Commitment structure:
- Minimum: 1 case per week for 6 weeks
- No maximum
- First come, first served until the farm’s allotment is filled
Monetta asparagus only comes once a year, and the season is short. For chefs who appreciate ingredients with real regional history and unmatched flavor, this is one of the South’s true agricultural treasures.
NEW! Flowers - Micro - Taylor Turnips
Here as a seasonal special are these gorgeous and delicious cherry-flavored flowers from our Taylor turnips. The micro bouquet pictured here is how these flowers naturally come into bloom; as beautiful little clusters of yellow on a thin and succulent short stem. At the center of the bouquet are some blooms that haven't opened up yet, it adds another texture to the delicate flowers surrounding it. We harvest these in the cool of the morning right before the van leaves for delivery, ensuring a nature-perfect and ultra fresh product from the field and into your kitchen.
These make for a perfect raw garnish and creative preserves for an extended use period.
You can pickle, dehydrate, freeze dry, or individually freeze the bouquets in ice cubes for drinks or to just show off - who could blame you? Honestly, would be perfect for a Mother's Day special.
Key:
** - limited availability
*OUT- currently out of stock
*OFS- out for season
NEW- recent addition
(SlowFood AOT)- appears on the SlowFood Ark of Taste for its exceptional qualities, flavor, story, and historical significance and/or usage.
✅ Bradford Farm Crops: ✅
-NEW Bloom Shoots with flowers, Bradford Collard
-NEW! Baby Bradford Collards
-NEW! Flowers, Micro, Taylor Turnip (heirloom)
-Gilfeather Turnabaga no Tops (Slow Food AOT, heirloom)
-Gilfeather Turnabaga with Tops (SFAOT, heirloom)
-Candy Roaster squash (SlowFood AOT) *OUT -thank you for a great season!
-Bradford collards bagged/chopped
-Bradford collards whole plant
-Winter Charleston Wakefield cabbage (SlowFood AOT) *OFS (returns spring)
-Hybrid green cabbage
-Purple cabbage
-Shredded hybrid cabbage
-Shredded purple cabbage
🤝 Partner Farms: 🤝
-NEW! Spinach - Rooting Down Farms *1 week advance*
-NEW! Arugula - Rooting Down Farms 1 week advance
-NEW! Green garlic - Wild Hope Farm
-NEW! Bolero Carrots - Clem’s Organic Gardens
-NEW! Baby Carrots, Bolero - Clem’s
-Purple Top Turnips (heirloom, SlowFood AOT) - Ricky James’ Farm
-Scotch curly kale - Ricky James’ Farm
-Stampede Sunchokes - Craig Weiner and Clem’s Organic Gardens
-Brussels Sprouts - Hickory Bluff Berry Farm *LAST WEEK*
-Broccoli
-Watermelon radishes - Clem’s
-Appalachian Gold Potatoes - Clem’s *LIMITED STOCK
-Rainbow Daikon Radishes - Clem’s
-Pecans (fresh, shelled, halved) - Johnny McNair
-Jalapeños - FL
-Zucchini
-Yellow Squash
-Green Bell peppers
-Red Bell peppers
-Grape tomatoes *OUT (temp)
-Red round tomatoes *OUT (temp)
-Roma tomatoes *OUT (temp)
-Tomatillos
-Pee Dee sweet potatoes - Dixon Farms
-Beets, Golden
-Beets, Red
Coming soon:
- Purple eggplant
- Banana peppers
- April 1st: Monetta Farm Heritage Asparagus
- Late March: Strawberries - Dorr Farms and Hickory Bluff Berry Farm
- Late March: Santee Sweet Onions (Dorr)
MORE COMING SOON
….let us know if there is something else you are interested in that isn’t on our list