First of the Season Tomatoes

At the Hillsboro Farmers Market, many of you have been asking about tomatoes. Well with all the rain and cloudy days we’ve had this year to date, the truth is they are just not ready yet. At Cottrell Country Farm, we grow our tomatoes in two locations. One, outside where they are first ready. Secondly, we grow many of our tomatoes under a sunscreen in a hoop house. We plant many under the sunscreen, because of the hot July/August sun. During these months, when most people’s outside tomatoes are drying up, ours in the hoop house are flourishing.

I know many of you want the large beefsteak tomatoes. Well the truth is they don’t grow well in Texas. These tomatoes were created for the Midwest. Yes, they will grow in Texas, but you won’t get that many from a vine. If you find a vendor that has large beefsteak tomatoes in early May, you can bet they didn’t come from this area. Most of our tomatoes at Cottrell Country Farm are smaller cherry tomatoes and Sweet 100s. As you can see in the pictures (which were taken on 11 June), they are just starting to get ready. We should have tomatoes for sale in the next few weeks.

To show the development of Cottrell Country Farm tomatoes in June.

Summer Squash

At Cottrell Country Farm, both our zucchini and yellow squashes are at the peak of production. With the warm temperatures and rain, we are picking three large crates a day. Our squash is raised naturally. We use only organic sprays, such as Neem Oil and concentrated garlic juice to repel inspects. We are currently selling our squash at the Hillsboro Farms Market for $4.00 a basket. Summer time is a great time for a squash casserole. Additionally, we will be letting some of our zucchini grow large for use as zucchini noddle’s or a zucchini boat. If you’ve never had a zucchini boat you don’t know what you are missing. If you like pizza, only with a healthy twist, you will love a zucchini boat. So if you prefer naturally raised squash vs commercial chemically sprayed squash come see us at the farmers market this Saturday, while supplies last.

Homegrown Cabbage

Starting the week of 7 June, Cottrell Country Farm will be selling homegrown cabbage at the Hillsboro Farmers Market. While cabbage is usually a fall crop, we’ve tried planting it this last spring. Our results were good. Our cabbage is natural. We only use organic sprays, such as neem oils. Come give our cabbage a try. You’ll taste the difference.

Farm Fresh Cucumbers

Starting 24 May, Cottrell Country Farm will have cucumbers available at the Hillsboro Farmers Market. Our cucumbers are grow naturally, using only rainwater and organic sprays, such as Neem Oil. This weekend will be the first picks of the season. If your looking for something natural, unlike the commercial chemical sprayed cucumbers you get at the grocery, come give our cucumbers a try. You will taste the difference. See you at the farmers market.

First pick of the season cucumbers.

Raising Quail Eggs

Cottrell Country Farm has been selling quail eggs at the Hillsboro Farmers Market for year. However, our stocks are getting older and it is time to replenish the layers. Today we have received 100 new baby bobwhite chicks. Raising quail is much harder than raising chickens. On average, you loose about 30% of your chicks. Also unlike large commercial chicken farms, which provide measures for the birds to lay unnaturally, our quail have as much a natural environment as possible without them being in the wild. Thus, our quail on average only produce eggs from May – October. This is natural not to lay year round. When a bird does not think their chicks will survive, due to weather change, shorter days, etc., they stop laying. Many large commercial bird locations add heat and artificial light to get their birds to lay egg longer. Also, they swap out their layers more often. When a bird is pushed to lay an extended season their laying life span is shortened. I can assure you all our quail live a natural full happy life. We don’t butcher them for meat, only raise eggs. If you have never had quail eggs, you should give them a try. They are a specialty item. See you at the market.

To tell about raising quail and promote our egg sales.

Homemade Pickled Beets

For the start of the Hillsboro Farmers Market, Cottrell Country Farm will carry three variety of pickled beets: Sugar Beets, They’re Not Hot; They’re Spicy, and Chunky Funky Beets. The variety of beet we are using is Detroit Reds. Our Sugar Beets are close to the traditional pickled beets you might find in a store, however our Sugar Beets have a twist. We use just the right amount of cinnamon and clover to give our beets a unique taste. Our Chunky Funky beets are mixed with a variety of spices to give them a very special taste. It is hard to describe, but the closest I can come is a relish type flavor. Once many of our customers try Chunky Funky they buy only that flavor. Trust me, they’re delicious. For those of you old enough to remember The Average White Band or Steely Dan, you’ll know where the funky word comes from. That leads us to They’re Not Hot; They’re Spicy. What an unusual name. Well, unfortunately it is not my original saying. There was a famous cook by the name of Justin Wilson. He came up with the fraise. Come by the farmers market and I’ll tell you the rest of the story about this unusual saying. As unusual as the title is the taste of these beets. I use a wide variety of spices and arbol chiles to give these beets a taste like no other you have ever tried.

As the market season goes on, so does our products at the farmers market. To see the latest item we will have available follow us on our website: cottrellcountryfarm.com or on Facebook under the same name.

Homemade Jams

Soon the Hillsboro Farmers Market will open on 3 May. Cottrell Country Farm has been busy not only planting, but canning too. In preparation for opening day, we’ve made several of our traditional homemade jams. All our jams are natural and made with the same care your grandmother did when canning. At least for those of you whom your grandmothers stayed home and canned and didn’t go off to the beach and casinos after retirement. We are starting with many of our favorite varieties, Jalapeno Jelly, Strawberry Mango, Strawberry Vanilla, and Carrot Cake. Later in the season, we’ll be adding some other (Mustang, Peach, and Pear, etc.) when the fruits come in season. Although you can purchase world market fruits most any time of the year now, we still find the best tasting jams come from the local grown fruits when they come in season. If you haven’t tried our jams, stop buy our booth at the market. We have samples. Once you’ve tried them, you’ll be hooked.

To show our homemade jams.

ZUCCHINI PICKLES.

In preparation for the opening day of the Hillsboro Farmers Market, on 3 May, Cottrell Country Farm has prepared our delicious zucchini pickles. In our opinion, zucchini pickles are superior to cucumber. We could make either, because we grow both vegetables, but we’ve learned to stick with zucchini. We make two types of zucchini pickles, Sweet and Spicy and our standard zucchini pickles, which are similar to bread and butter pickles. If you’ve never tried zucchini pickles before, you should come out to the market and give them a go. You won’t be disappointed

Homemade Soup Kits

In preparation for the opening day of the Hillsboro Farmers Market, Cottrell Country Farm has prepared their very popular soup kits. In past years these kits have been a hit with our customers. The kits were my daughter’s idea, and they have been selling like hot cakes ever since. We made four different varieties of soup kits: Spicy Black Bean, Farmhouse, Friendship, and Five Bean. For those of you that are vegetarians, the Five Bean meets all vegetarian standards, to include using vegetable bouillon cubes. Whether the weather is hot or cold, these soups make a great and easy meal. Our kits contain everything to include all spices and instructions. See you at the market.

Christmas Tree Planting 2025

Cottrell Country Farm is expanding their Christmas tree plot by 75 trees this year. Growing Christmas trees is a long term project. On average, it takes five years for a seedling to develop into a small tree. The main key to growing Christmas trees is the trimming. A tree will not naturally develop into the Christmas tree shape we all love on its own. Trimming begins on the second year, and each year thereafter. Trimming is an art. Our 2024 seedling survival rate increased greatly over past years, due to the installation of a deer fence and the blessed 2024 rains. Growing new trees during the 2022 and 2023 season in Texas was extremely challenging due to the drought. We sell our trees upon request or at the Hillsboro Christmas Market. Cottrell Country Farm does not cut trees prior to order, due to the possible loss of a multi years project. If you are interested in a live tree for Christmas 2025 contact us in the fall.