News and Blog
Yes, we will be open Labor Day. The fall season looks like a wobbly legged new born foal. You are amazed to see it but wonder what it will mature into. I smile at the pumpkins that really look good right now. The bean crop that is progressing well. Special thanks to Jim Hill for his advice on repairing the planter.
At the same time I realize that I don’t have the man power to make Farm Heritage Day and Pumpkin Day what they have been. Because of that, I plan to have four Saturdays of PYO pumpkins. We will miss the full impact of the event days although we will put as much into what we do as we can. We should be able to do night time hay rides by reservations. We want people to experience the real farm wonder of fall so we will focus on less but try to make the experience as good as we can.
Meanwhile we need help with tours and those Saturdays for PYO pumpkins. If you are interested or know of someone who may be contact us. Most people who help with the school tours actually enjoy the time. The schedule is week day mornings depending on the tours that are scheduled. You need not lock yourself into every day. Often it works well to have a number of people who can be flexible and work when it is most needed. I care about the tours and want people to learn about the importance of farms and food. The motivation behind our fall activities is to connect people with the good in farm life. With farm labor getting harder and harder to find and missing family members to help it is very difficult to cover all the ground that needs to be covered. Thank you for your understanding and support.
Wondering how the eclipse might affect the tides and soil while trying to get fields ready for making strawberry beds ended up having to deal with heavy rains that make soggy fields seem the norm. If you ever wonder what we do on the farm try putting as much into 24 hours as you can pack into that time frame and add the days and weeks on top.
Preparing strawberry beds, planting strawberries, making repairs, planting and caring for fall crops, getting the barnyard ready for the fall, training race pigs, making repairs, getting fall tours lined up and PYO pumpkins plus night time hay rides and making repairs. Somewhere in there is a wedding for a special girl I’ve known since she was laid in my hands at her birth.
So if things seem a bit behind trust me there are many reasons why. The true measure of a human being may be less of what they accomplish and more of what they put into others. I am grateful for all who have intersected our lives. The fact you value our service is what makes us a community.
We still have good peaches, eggplant is plentiful, peppers are ready for roasting, stuffing or chopping. The main ingredient needed is you, your imagination and an appetite. We do have a few butter beans and various types of peas. We have planted a late crop of beans and peas we are hopeful they will produce. If you want beans let us know.
The grape season is coming on strong. We plan to make grape juice sometime in the mix of things to do. The mushrooms made a quick short flush. They should begin producing more frequent with this weather.
We will announce soon our plans for the Fall activities.
Beans and peas have been short and not to be found. Part of the problem with butterbeans appears to be with beans actually forming or maturing. This is a strange phenomenon and no one seems to know if it is weather related or a seed issue. We have planted a fall crop of beans and peas and hope if it is weather related we can produce speckled, green butterbeans, peas and green beans. Meanwhile we do have Dixie Lee peas now. We have been able to get white acre, brown crowder, and pinkeye peas. We have October beans ( sometimes referred to as Cranberry beans). O Henry peaches are still in season. If you have never had O Henry peaches you really should try them. Thankfully, we currently have a good supply. SnowJack white peaches are also available. We have planted fall mustard greens, carrots, turnips and sowed cabbage, collards, kohlrabi and more. Our fall crop of tomatoes is looking good. Organic wise we have sowed these as well. So we hope to have organic produce in the fall as well. Currently we have organic eggplant ( many varieties), peppers, okra, a small amount of yellow squash, potatoes and zinnias. Take advantage of the tomatoes, eggplant, pepper. All these veggies are in the same family. This is their time to shine. The eggplant is very good right now. We are just starting to bring in from the mountains some plums and apples.
Believe me we try hard to get to the bottom of things!
Peaches continue to add beauty to the summer. The quality and flavor is still very good to excellent. We have white peaches as well. Figs are coming in well right now but the celeste variety will peak real soon. There will be other figs to follow but not in volume. Our young trees are growing and if harsh winter weather does not interfere they should significantly contribute next year. Savor the tomatoes, especially the heirlooms. Take a closer look at the tomatoes and check out the little grapes that pack a full flavor. Juliet and Jasper are both small little tomatoes with red deliciousness bred in. The sunsugar and solid gold are yellow varieties. It is a good time for peanuts as well. Do any of you know how to parch peanuts. My grandfather was a pro at parching p-nuts. I recently read in a book written in the 1880s telling of how good the p-nuts were when properly parched. Eggplant and pepper season are here! We have some interesting varieties of eggplants. The Black Bianca is an Italian eggplant prized for quality. We have white eggplant in its prime now. Several versions of Asian eggplant also. If you google ( Epicurious, eggplant) you can find recipes for how to use the different eggplant types. In general the long skinny ones are good for stir fry and the white ones are most often a little sweeter. Occasionally you might see a yellow eggplant which generally is stronger in flavor. The large globe are good for the grill. For those interested in organic vegetables we have lots of the eggplants, peppers and just getting in okra. If you will call ahead we can have some set aside for you at he farm market. Sarah generally has a good supply with her at the Myrtles Market. Not enough time to tell you about the potatoes, honey, ham and other good things. A grateful heart most often makes the day sweeter.
The blueberry field will be open Wednesday morning 8 to 10:30. The next picking date may be Saturday if the field is ready.
The peaches are continuing to be some of the best anywhere around. I am surprised that they are this good with the kind of late winter weather we had.
Lovers of Heirloom tomatoes your season is fast coming upon us. We are beginning to pick an increasing amount of heirlooms, German Johnson, Cherokee Purple , Mr. Stripey, Mortgage Lifter and more. We also have a variety of small tomatoes, cherry, grape, in various colors.
Organic wise we have interesting varieties of potatoes, carrots, organic tomatoes, Asian eggplant, beginning soon cantaloupes and watermelons. . Don’t forget the colorful zinnias and fragrant basil.
It is never too early to get honey. We have a good supply now where you can get honey straight from the farm.
I apologize for not getting this email out sooner. The blueberry field will be open Sat. 8 to 10:30 in the morning. The picking is not as plentiful so take time to go the right places.
We are getting Dixie Lee peas in and if you want butter beans let us know as soon as possible. We have some very nice corn, white and bi color.
Happy Fourth of July! The blueberry field will be open Monday 8 to 10 am Monday morning.
Blueberry field will be open Friday June 30 from 8 to 9 am. Then again on Saturday 8 to 11 am. Be sure to check out all the other good fruits and veggies, sweet corn, peaches, tomatoes, etc.
Happy Fourth of July
