I have a very easy way to use kale! I put two or three leaves in the blender with a banana, some apple juice, and either frozen pineapple or frozen mango. This makes a great breakfast smoothie! My next goal is to try adding dairy to see if I can turn it into a delicious ice cream :) Carrmen

• Check out our Farm markets  -SATURDAY, MAY 11
  
  
  Farm Market Stand - Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church 
    Cedar Lane, Bethesada, MD  9am - 1pm
  
  
  Farm Market Stand - St Luke's Episcopal Church 
  Fort Hunt Rd, Alexandria, VA   8am-1pm    
  
  
  
  NEW Farm Market Stand - Staint Mark Presbyterian Church
    Old Georgetown Rd, North Bethesda, MD  8am-1:30pm  
  
  
  
  This week at the farm stand:
  
  
    
  Veggies and Greens
  
  
      Lettuce Mix - many greens
  
      Asparagus
  
      French Radishes
  
      Potatoes
      Spring Onions 
  
      Spinach
  
      Kale
  
  
  Fruits      
  
  
  Apples
  
  
  
  Meats, Baked Goods and others
  
  
  pork - our own
  
  
  Beek  - our own
  
  Honey - our own
  
  jellies and jams - our own
  
  Cheese - Whispering Brook Farm - Great cheese made on the farm! 
  
  
  pies - Strwberry Rhubarb, cherry, and blueberry
  
  
  breads               
  
  eggs - our own 
  
  
  Plants
  
  
  herbs
  
  
  bedding plants 
    
  
  
               
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Come out to stock up on FRESH  spring greens, delicious apples, and great food!   The CSA will start the week of June 3.  Looking forward to seeing everyone again this year.
  
  Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
  
  Gregg, Louise, Sarah, Virginia, and Oliver Keckler                              

Hello all,

Well, after a series of un-spring-like snowfalls in March, we are finally into April and relieved that the temperatures are beginning to go up, slowly but surely.  This weekend we are looking at 60 degree days at last!

Remember: April 13th is our 2013 Farm day. We encourage you to come on up, visit the farm, and do some planting with us! We'll begin around 12pm and work/tour the farm until about 4pm when we will provide supper.  Of course you are always free to leave whenever you need to.  Please let us know if you plan on attending for the day.

CSA Sign-ups: We are excited about this year's CSA.  Each year we learn new things, try new things, and do a better job of growing and harvesting good food.  Don't forget to take advantage of our Early Bird discount for whole-season shares which is good through the end of April. You can learn more about the CSA and sign-up here on our website.

• SPECIAL NOTE: We are offering a special discount to any person who can get a new CSA drop-spot established at their place of work, neighborhood, apartment complex, gym, church, etc.  If you can get 10 other individuals signed up for the CSA at that location for at least 1 session, you will receive a free CSA box for that session (7 weeks).  If you get 10 individuals signed up for the CSA at that location for an entire season (all 3 sessions), you will receive a free CSA share for the entire season as well!!
  
  Please contact us if you are interested in adding a new stop and we will work with you to make it happen!!

Greenhouse Activity:
The greenhouse has been looking VERY green this past week- here are just a few photos below!

On Left:  Now we know Red Beets are not the most popular vegetables, but they are looking good in the greenhouse! On Right: During the spring we often run short on planting containers.  We don't want to buy new planters each year, so we use any plastic containers we can find! Milk jugs, cake lids, etc, we use it!

Farm Stands & Markets: We have added a new farm stand this year.  We will be running a stand every Saturday between 8:30am - 1pm during the market season (May - October) at St Mark Presbyterian church off Old Georgetown Road in North Bethesda.  If you know of folks who live that way, help us spread the word!

Time is moving quickly and the Market season is almost upon us!  Here is a list of markets/stands and their starting dates for 2013:

- National Geographic Society Farm Stand begins April 23rd (week of Earth Day)
- DOT Market begins May 7th
- Columbia Market begins May 9th
- St Mark Presbyterian, Cedar Lane Unitarian U, St Luke Episcopal farm stands all begin on May 11th
- Westminster Market begins May 18th

If you have any questions or need any assistance signing up for the CSA please contact us at 717-486-4653

Gregg, Louise, Sarah, Virginia, and Oliver Keckler  - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
www.orchardcountryproduce.com
http://www.facebook.com/orchardcountryproduce

We've added a new member to the family! Meet Demeter (or Demi) named after the Greek goddess of the harvest. 

She is a 1-year-old basset hound whom we adopted from a family that no longer wanted her.  She is a true basset hound and goes crazy tracking scents down all over the farm.  She especially enjoys trailing down our turkey who seems to live in mild fear of her.  We are glad she's here!

Hello all,

We're beginning to get spring fever here on the farm and are relieved that March has arrived.  Of course it still feels like winter, but 40-degree days will appear more frequently and we can't wait! 

CSA Sign-ups:
The CSA sign-ups are still actively arriving in our e-mail inbox each day.  Don't forget to take advantage of our Early Bird discount.  You can learn more about the CSA and sign-up here on our website.  You can also access our CSA information and farm profile at LocalHarvest.org (search for Orchard Country Produce, Gardners, PA).

• NOTE: We are willing to add new pickups (Neighborhoods, Businesses, Residential Parks, etc.) in the D.C./Alexandria/Arlington and Gaithersburg, MD areas.  We require a minimum of 6 shares to establish a new delivery location.  Please contact us if you are interested in adding a new stop.

Planting/Pruning:
In lieu of Spring, Gregg & Oliver have been spending a lot of time planting in the greenhouse.  Seed orders arrive in the mail several times a week.  So far they have planted 15 varieties of Lettuce, 2 varieties of Kale, and many herbs including Parsley, Cilantro, Basil, Rosemary, Lavender, and even Stevia. Red Beets, Brussel Sprouts, Bell Peppers, and Hot Peppers (Habaneros and Jalapenos) have also been planted in the greenhouse. 

Oliver and Sarah continue to prune the orchard trees and are making great progress.  For the past few weeks, Oliver has been scouring listings for a new market truck.  He finally found one that will suit our needs (and should not break down) for a reasonable price.  The new truck will have more space for loading market goods/produce and will be much more fuel efficient.  Oliver and Sarah will be roadtripping to West Virginia this week to pick it up.

Livestock
We added a pig to our livestock herd a few months ago.  She is known as a heritage grazing pig and her particular variety is hard to find because they are slow-growing pigs and thrive off of foraging, which is not of value to commercial pork producers. Since the pastures are not prime for grazing yet, we let her wander around foraging in the nearby fenced-off woods. Her diet is also supplemented with loads of unused and/or rotten produce from one of our neighboring farmers who is still cleaning out his coolers and winterized fields.

We hope you are all doing well.  Happy March - 16 days till spring!

Gregg, Louise, Sarah, Virginia, and Oliver Keckler  - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm www.orchardcountryproduce.com
http://www.facebook.com/orchardcountryproduce

Hello all,

We can't believe February is here already! Our famous groundhog here in PA has predicted an early spring, but we're skeptical because every day so far this week we've had snow fall.

January ended on a bittersweet note as our wonderful basset hound Homer (of Homer's Famous Dog Biscuits) died in his sleep one snowy night.  We've had him since he was 9 months old and he would've turned 17 this spring- which is very old for a basset hound.  Homer made friends with everyone- animals and people alike.  He especially loved cats, in fact, at one point, he was running a nursery for the barn cats' kittens in his dog house.  Homer often tried to steal fruits and vegetables from the crates at Orchard Country (see below - Homer caught red-pawed with a Methley plum).  We will miss Homer, but we are grateful for the fond memories and his unrivaled excellence as 'watchdog' at Orchard Country Produce.

 
We've been keeping busy with outdoor activities like maintenancing/repairing equipment and fixing crates. Gregg and Oliver have also been compiling seed order lists for spring plantings.  We are also making between 30-50 jars of jams and jellies nearly every day. As you can see from the photo below- we're concerned that the house might start leaning with all that jam in one room!

Left: Two generations of farmers, Oliver and Gregg, pour over seed catalogs. Right: The jams/jellies storehouse at Orchard Country is jammed (pun intended) and this is only half of it!

The CSA sign-ups have been steadily flowing in, thank-you to those who have already signed up and sent  payment! Don't forget to take advantage of our Early Bird discount.  You can learn more about the CSA and sign-up here on our website.  You can also access our CSA information and farm profile at LocalHarvest.org (search for Orchard Country Produce, Gardners, PA).

• NOTE: We are willing to add new pickups (Neighborhoods, Businesses, Residential Parks, etc.) in the D.C./Alexandria/Arlington and Gaithersburg, MD areas.  We require a minimum of 6 shares to establish a new delivery location.  Please contact us if you are interested in adding a new stop.