Pictured above: A bounty of summer squash varieties.
Hey there chefs! On this week’s blog we are highlighting a couple major early summer ingredients - peaches from a 3rd generation family peach farm and the current major abundance of summer squash from our friends at Dorr and Fry Farm. Santee sweet onions (dried and bagged) have finally landed. Peaches are available for standing order and price incentives! Scroll down to the highlights, read up on how the McLeods do peaches differently and our options on standing orders this season. Dorr Farm is starting down a train load of yellow crookneck and green zucchini, it’s a touch early for summer but when squash and peaches hit - our kitchens should be adapting to what nature is providing us with. The weather behaves differently than it used to and we will have to adapt to it and help out our farmers. If you’re ready to get on the summer wagon, I think summer squash and peaches are the perfect place to start: plus it’s a nice little way-maker for our Bradford okra which will be hitting the ground running by next week!
COMING SOON
-
Cucumbers - Fry Farm ~ 1 week
- Appalachian Red leaf, green leaf, and romaine lettuce - Clem’s
- Beets, badger flame - 1 week
- Carrots - 1 week
- Hakurei turnips - 2 weeks
- Appalachain tomatoes - Clem’s - June
- Heirloom cherry tomatoes ~ 3 weeks
- Rhubarb - late May
- Bradford Okra - end of week or start of next week!!
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
- NEW! McLeod Farms Peaches!
- NEW! Hanson lettuce, on SALE
- NEW! Charleston Wakefield Cabbage - Bradford Farm
- NEW! Dorr Farms’ potatoes
- It’s squash season f*ckers
- Hanson lettuce, heirloom - Bradford Farm
- Price drop on Wild Hope Green Garlic!
-
Sugar snaps from Fry Farm available for Wednesday delivery
⚠️ **Highlights of the week**⚠️
NEW! Peaches from McLeod Farms
Bradford Farm is offering McLeod Farms peaches, grown in McBee, SC. These iconic peaches come from a 120-year-old family-run farm, now in its fifth generation of stewardship. The McLeods have been producing high-quality peaches since 1916, and their name is synonymous with flavor and tradition across the Carolinas.
Spanning over 1,000 acres of dedicated peach orchards, McLeod Farms is known for its commitment to sustainability and precision agriculture. Under the leadership of father-son duo, Kemp and Spencer McLeod, the farm continues to push forward with smart innovations while holding tight to the generational knowledge that makes these peaches so consistently outstanding.
These peaches bring summer to the plate. They're fragrant, colorful and properly picked. Whether you’re grilling, pickling, baking, or showcasing them raw, they’re a standout on any menu. We’re taking standing orders now, with the season running through Labor Day.
Peaches are picked at peak color, packed and immediately cooled. They will be ready to go in only a couple days upon delivery!
Reach out to Theron, Noah, or Nat to get on the list—we expect demand to stay high through the season.
Standing order pricing -
6 week commitment:
1 case - $55
2 or more cases - $53
12 week commitment:
1 case - $52
2 or more cases - $50
NEW! Summer squash is coming in hot!
Summer squash season is here in full force, and the fields are producing abundantly, which is how they should this time of year — fast, tender, hydrated, and loaded with variety. Between Dorr Farms and Fry Farm, we’re bringing in a wide range of squash and zucchini types:
- Grey zucchini
- Green zucchini
- Gold Bar zucchini
- Yellow crookneck squash
- Round green zucchini
- Round yellow squash
- Scallop squash
- Patty pans
- and more to come
This is the perfect opportunity for menus to introduce the summer transition with a classic, humble and highly underrated ingredient.
When squash is harvested correctly — young, before seeds harden and water balance falls off — it becomes one of the most versatile ingredients in the kitchen. The texture stays delicate, the skins stay tender, and the flavor shifts from watery and bland into something sweet, floral, nutty, and distinctly alive.
What makes these stand out is the harvest timing. Both farms are picking aggressively and consistently, keeping the fruit in that ideal window where the flesh is still dense and silky rather than spongy. The blossoms scars are fresh, the skins are thin, and the seed cavities remain tight.
Variety Notes
Grey Zucchini
Dense, creamy flesh with a slightly nuttier flavor than standard green zucchini. Excellent raw or roasted.
Gold Bar Zucchini
Bright yellow skin with sweet, delicate flesh. Holds color beautifully when grilled or sautéed.
Yellow Crookneck
Classic Southern squash — rich, buttery flavor with soft skin and tender seeds when picked young.
Round Squash & Zucchini
Ideal for stuffing, roasting whole, or hollowing for composed presentations.
Scallop & Patty Pan Squash
Thin-skinned and highly decorative, with a firmer texture that handles grilling and roasting particularly well.
For the Kitchen
This is a category that rewards restraint and technique.
- Raw: Shaved ribbons, carpaccio, crudo accompaniments
- High heat: Hard sear or grill for caramelization without over-softening
- Stuffed applications: Especially the round and patty pan varieties
- Tempura or fry: Thin skins and tight seed cavities hold beautifully
- Roasted with herbs and cultured butter
- Layered vegetable dishes: Tarts, gratins, galettes
- Fermentation & pickling: Especially smaller squash and zucchini
Squash this fresh doesn’t have to be masked or hidden under cream or other dairy products to produce great flavor and texture. It just needs proper heat, proper salt, and enough attention not to overcook it.
NEW! Potatoes, Pontiac - Dorr Farms
The Red Pontiac is one of the classic American potato varieties for a reason. Introduced in the mid-1900s and still favored by growers who care about flavor over novelty, it’s known for its deep red skin, bright white flesh, and dependable texture in the kitchen. It is my favorite white potato.
Dorr Farms grows these in sandy South Carolina soil that allows the tubers to size evenly while maintaining good moisture balance. The result is a potato that’s ultra creamy without becoming heavy and structured without turning dry.
Red Pontiacs sit in that ideal middle ground — enough starch to roast and mash well, enough waxiness to hold shape during boiling or braising.
Flavor & Texture
- Creamy, smooth interior
- Thin red skin with clean earthiness
- Mild buttery flavor
- Holds structure while staying tender
For the Kitchen
- Boiled: Excellent for potato salads or warm vinaigrettes
- Roasted: Crisp skin, creamy center
- Mashed: Smooth and rich without becoming gluey
- Fondant or braised: Holds shape beautifully
- Whole roasted: Thin skin allows even cooking and minimal waste
NEW! Hanson lettuce, heirloom, SALE - Bradford Farm
Our heirloom Hanson lettuce is back for a few weeks, but this time we are pushing them out in a sale. When we transplanted the young lettuces into the ground they went into shock from the stark contrast in soil temperature. This caused the edges of some leaves to burn and crisply. 99% of the head is perfect but there’s a little trimming that needs to be done before this buttery and delicious ingredient can be plated. We wanted to avoid just burying the crop to make way for another planting so you guys can enjoy this seasonal ingredient for another month until it’s gone for a whole year.
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: ✅
-Bradford collards bagged/chopped (spring crop)
-Bradford collards whole plant (spring crop)
-NEW! Spring Charleston Wakefield cabbage (SlowFood AOT)
-NEW! Lettuce, Hanson - heirloom SALE
-Hybrid green cabbage
-Purple cabbage
-Shredded hybrid cabbage
-Shredded purple cabbage
🤝 Partner Farms: 🤝
-NEW! Peaches - McLeod Farms
-Spring Onions, Italian Torpedo (nickel/dime diameter) - Fry Farm
-Spring Onions, Yellow bulb (Vidalia variety) - Fry Farm *OUT
-Spring Onions, Red candy apple - Fry Farm
-NEW! Onions, Santee Sweet (dried) - Dorr Farms
-Matt Fry’s mixed kale (loose leaf) - Fry Farm
-Kale, Matt Fry’s curly green (loose leaf) - Fry Farm
-Kale, Matt Fry’s wild red (loose leaf) - Fry Farm
-Blueberries - Mob ties
-Leeks, Lancelot - young/small - Fry Farm
-NEW! Carrots, Yaya - Wild Hope Farm
-Watermelon
——red seedless
-Tomatoes, heirloom
-Green garlic - Wild Hope Farm *limited stock
-Farm eggs, organic - Wild Hope
-Strawberries - Dorr Farms & Hickory Bluff Berry Farm
-Cantaloupe
-New potatoes
——Red (sizes: A, B, C)
——White (A, B, C)
——Red & white mix (A, B, C)
-NEW! Potatoes, Adirondack Blue - Dorr Farms
-Potatoes, Adirondack Red (1 week) - Dorr
-NEW! Potatoes, Pontiac (red skin, white flesh) - Dorr Farms
-Turnips, White Salad - Wild Hope
-NEW! Radish, purple Daikon - Wild Hope
-NEW! Radish, cherry belle - Wild Hope
-Stampede Sunchokes - Clem’s Organic Gardens
-Broccoli - Southeast (SC, GA)
-Pecans (fresh, shelled, halved) - Johnny McNair
-Jalapeños - FL
-Sweet corn - FL
-Blue Lake Pole Snap Beans
-NEW! Summer zucchini medley - Fry Farm
-NEW! Baby zucchini medley - Fry Farm *limited
-NEW! Zucchini - Dorr Farm and others
-NEW! Yellow Squash - Dorr Farm and others
-NEW! Grey Zucchini - Dorr Farm *limited
-NEW! Summer squash medley - Dorr Farm *limited
-Italian purple eggplant
-Green Bell peppers
-Red Bell peppers
-Banana peppers
-Grape tomatoes
-Red round tomatoes
-Gold tomatoes
-Roma tomatoes
-Tomatillos
-Pee Dee sweet potatoes - Dixon Farms
-Beets, Golden
-Beets, Red
Coming soon:
- Beets, badger flame - 1 week
- Carrots - 1 week
- Hakurei turnips - 2 weeks
- Appalachain tomatoes - June
- Heirloom cherry tomatoes - 3 weeks
- Rhubarb - late May
- Bradford Okra - 1 week
MORE COMING SOON
….let us know if there is something else you are interested in that isn’t on our list