We are so glad you asked.
The average, ole, run-of-the-mill cucumber grows on a vine that creeps along the ground, growing wherever it wants. Here at Southern Valley, we grow the new and improved cucumber…and we do that by growing it up a stake with trellis netting. It looks a little something like this:
Like all of our produce, our cucumbers are started from seed in our greenhouses and then transplanted by hand into the soil. Once the cucumbers have reached an appropriate height, the vines are then taught to climb up and through the net. This involves intensive training Read More
It’s #FunFactFriday and here are some fun facts about Eggplants!
1. Eggplant is part of the nightshade family, along with tomatoes and potatoes, and all edible members of that family are actually fruits.
2. Tobacco is also a member of the nightshade family and eggplant, like tobacco, contains some nicotine (although in a much smaller amount). Eggplant has the highest level of nicotine of any vegetable, but you would still have to eat 20-40 pounds of eggplant to equal the amount of nicotine you would get from one cigarette.
3. It is called “eggplant” in three countries, the US, Australia, and Canada, because the first varieties of eggplants in those countries were Read More
Zucchini. Chips. Two words I NEVER thought I would be using in the same sentence. Potato chips? Yep, all day long. Zucchini chips? Eh, not so sure about that. I’ve never really been a big fan of zucchini mainly because I didn’t really know how to prepare and eat it. That is until I came across zucchini chips on Pinterest. It has pretty much been life changing.
Go ahead and preheat your oven to 230.
First, you’re gonna want to slice your zucchini rather thin and all as close to the same width as possible. Then you want to lay them on parchment paper or aluminum foil, but do be sure Read More
It’s honestly pretty hit or miss around this house with me and the veggies. Like if a vegetable hits me upside the head and then falls onto my plate I will eat it, but if not I would not be missing it. Fruit I can do. Vegetables, they’re a struggle for me. Which, yes I know is blasphemous because I work for a produce company. Trust me, I didn’t advertise that fact in the interview.
For some random reason I decided to bring home a butternut squash from work this week. I keep hearing people talking about eating butternut squash and felt like I needed to give it another shot. Read More
Ingredients:
- 3 Southern Valley Salad Cucumbers
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 T red wine vinegar
- 1/2 of a lemon- juiced
- 1 clove of garlic – minced
- 1 t chopped dill
- 1 t crushed red pepper
- ½ diced tomato (optional)
- ¼ sliced small red onion (optional)
Directions:
- Peel salad cucumbers if desired and slice into thin slices
- Toss in olive oil, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice
- Mix in minced garlic
- Sprinkle with chopped dill and crushed red pepper
- Add tomato and red onion to taste
Allow me to introduce you to Southern Valley…as I know them.
I grew up hearing about Southern Valley and the Hamilton family long before I ever got the chance to experience them. I lived amongst the agriculture community in small town South Georgia so it was inevitable that I would get word of this family way out in Norman Park that had a unique farming operation. However, I finished college and came back home before I was ever formally introduced to them.
My first interaction with the Hamilton family was with the wife of Southern Valley’s owner, Mrs. Pam. Mrs. Pam was renowned for coming to the local canning plant each Read More