Fresh from Our Farmers: Diverse crops from Bernier Farms

Bernier Farms is currently planting its 2016 garlic crop.

“From now through December is the time to plant, during the waning moon,” founder and garlic wizard Yael Bernier said earlier this week.

This is true for garlic and other crops that grow beneath the ground, she says; for best results, plant when the moon is waning, not waxing.

Bernier Farms sells seed garlic at farmers markets and through its website, should you want to try your hand at it.

Garlic seed is just one element of the Healdsburg-based farm’s diverse year-round harvest.

Currently, some summer crops, including hybrid New Girl and Big Beef tomatoes and Sungold cherry tomatoes, are still strong.

They also have beautiful zucchini, a limited number of cucumbers, Globe eggplant and Asian eggplant.

Fingerling potatoes are just coming out of the ground, they have plenty of fresh herbs and lots of alliums, including leeks, Rossa di Milano onions, shallots and, of course, fabulous garlic.

Fresh Tongue of Fire shell beans, sold in the pod and similar to the large cranberry bean, are ready now, too, but, surprisingly, there are very few chiles.

“Our pepper plants are very tired. They are acting like it is November,” Bernier said, explaining that summer crops went into the ground so early that the season is ending sooner than is typical.

Bernier planted two successions of tomatoes and of cucumbers but could have done a third of cucumbers and second of peppers.

The farm plants and harvests year round and offers an almost uninterrupted supply of French breakfast radishes, arugula, spring mix, several varieties of baby head lettuces, carrots and beets.

Kale is ready to be harvested and the first of the year’s pomegranates should be ready this weekend; the farm grows 20 varieties. Later in the year, there will be persimmons, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage.

At the same time some summer crops are still abundant, certain fall crops have sold out. There was a shortage of pumpkins at the Healdsburg farmers market for a couple of weeks and a lot of customers bought Bernier’s Amish Pie squash instead. The farm has other varieties of winter squash.

Bernier Farms has always been a family endeavor, with matriarch Yael Bernier at the helm. Now her son Zureal, who was born on the farm, is moving into the lead role. In addition, Tristan Zanstirum is managing the four-acre property in Alexander Valley.

It is one of the three properties currently under the Bernier Farms’ umbrella.

Bernier Farms, founded in 1976 and owned and operated by the Bernier Family, attends the Healdsburg farmers market and the Santa Rosa Original Certified Farmers Market on Saturday and the Cloverdale farmers market on Tuesday.

For more information and for special orders, visit bernierfarms.com, email bernierfarms@gmail.com or call 849-7592.

Michele Anna Jordan has written 24 books to date, including the new “Good Cook’s” series. Email Jordan at michele@saladdresser.com. You’ll find her blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.