Dear Folks,
   This week's shares will include:  plums, new potatoes, red beets or Swiss chard, green beans, shallots, blueberries, summer squash or cucumber.

    There are so many different kinds of plums right now that I can not tell you what kind you will be getting.  The two varieties that we have the most of are Shiro (yellow) and Methley (purple), but there are also Ozarks, Red Hearts, and Santa Rosa.  So you could get anything.  These are not cling-free plums so just eat them and enjoy.  Do not try to cook with them.

    The new potatoes are red or white.  They are so good.  You do not need to cook them long or peel them.
    The red beets still have the tops .  The Swiss Chard is the rainbow variety.  Chard is great in stir-fries. 
    The green beans are very tender. 
    We have never had great sucess with shallots, but we still grow them every year.  ( a sign of insanity.  We have to pull them early (now) because if we let them in the ground until Fall they always rot.  So the shallots are small.  Use them with beans, squash or Chard for a delicious taste.

     Think about making some pickles.  I made a sweet dill pickle last week that was heavenly.  One bunch of dill would be enough to pickle about 2 quarts of cucumbers.  Use dill with beans or potatoes for a great taste.  The dill weed (the fern-looking part)  is great in salads.  I even cut up the stems when I made the pickles.
  
    The basil is a very sweet green variety.  I use basil with potatoes and tomatoes.  I made pesto last week.  A bunch of basil will make about a cup of pesto.  I used sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts and the result was great.
    I have been making everything blueberry this week from muffins, to smoothies and even a trifle. 

    Be Creative!  If you come up with any great recipes (especially fast and easy ones. )  send them to me and I will post them on the blog so others can benefit.

      Deadline to sign up for summer session beginning the week of July 25 is this FRIDAY-JULY 12.  If you procrastinated, but still want in, send me an email and I will sign you up. Then you can send the check before the session starts.
  Happy Eating! 

Gregg and Louise Keckler - Orchard Country Produce

pickling cucumbers- $4.00/quart (about 10)
extra blueberries - $5.00/pint
extra plums - $3.50/pint
1 bunch dill - $2.00
1 bunch basil - $2.00
  
Extras List:

CHEESE
$9.99/lb                                                              $11.99/lb                                                       $14.99/lb
Farmers                                                               Smoked Cheddar                                          Mild Goat Gouda
Cheddar                                                              Smoked Jalapeño
Baby Swiss                                                          Sharp Cheddar
Dill and Bacon
Tomato and Basil


BEEF

 $4.50/lb                                                              $6.99/lb                                                        $7.99/lb
Lean Ground Beef (1 lb pack)                                 Round Steak                                                 Flank Steak

$11.99/lb                                                              $13.99/lb                                                      $15.99/lb
New York Strip (2 steaks/pk)                                 Flat Iron (2 steaks/pk)                            Fillet Mignon (2 st/pk)
Sirloin Steak                                                          Delmonico (2 steaks/pk)  
Sirloin Tip (2 steaks/pk)

JAMS                                                                    EGGS                                                              BUTTER
$4.50/half pint jar                                                 $4.00/doz                                                     $3.50/half pound
Red Heart Plum
Strawberry
Raspberry
Black Cherry                                                          HONEY
Grape                                                                     $5.00/half pint jar
Orange Marmalade
Blackberry
Pink Lady and Pomegranate

Pork
7 inch sausage links   $4.99/lb (pack of 3- 4)
Breakfast links    $5.99/lb   (about 3/4 lb per pack)
Fresh pork steaks from the shoulder $5.99/lb (2 per pack)
Pork chops $5.99/lb (2 per pack)
Smoked pork bologna $8.00/lb or $4.00/half lb

Please forward this to any list serves in the Bethesda Area.  Thanks!

This week at the Farm Stand

Come out on Saturday morning 9 AM- 1 PM.
 
We are located in the upper parking lot of the UU Church   9601 Cedar La, Bethesda.  Check us out!


We are heading into the height of the harvesting season.  Come out and enjoy fresh, LOCAL produce.

We  have great SWEET CHERRIES! 

SOUR CHERRIES are here!  Get them now - remember they have a short season.

PLUMS!

PEACHES!  The first of the year.  Very Sweet!

BLUEBERRIES AND red, pink, and yellow RASPBERRIES- here now!

APRICOTS!

GREEN BEANS!

We will have early TOMATOES -Red Alert and the Fourth of July - great tomatoes for sandwiches and salads! 

We will have ZUCCHINI, YELLOW SQUASH, and CUCUMBERS including pickling cukes.

RED BEETS!  Great size, Great taste and GREAT greens. 

We  have salad mixes, fresh herbs including BASIL and DILL and spring onions.

New RED POTATOES!  Good Summer SWEET ONIONS!  Nice green CABBAGE!

Don't forget Swiss Chard, Collards, Fennel and Kale!


CHICKEN - free-range chicken.   These chickens are fresh, local, grown on grass, no hormones or growth enhancers.  Try it!

BEEF -  Buy grass fed hormone- free beef for your cookouts!  Our own beef. 
       ground beef, round steak, sirloin and sirloin tip steaks, Delmonico steaks, fillet mignon, 

PORK -  We have free-range pork for all occasions.  Chops, 7 inch links for the grill, breakfast links, fresh pork steaks, and our own pork bologna.  This bologna is very smooth and deliciously sweet.  

 CHEESE- including dill/bacon, cheddar, smoked cheddar, sharp cheddar, smoked jalapeño, farmers, baby Swiss, tomato/basil and goat Gouda. 
The list of ingredients for these cheeses is simple:  unpasturized milk, vegetable enymes, sea salt - refreshingly short.

Free range eggs!  Our own eggs from our own chickens.

BLUEBERRY PIE and CHERRY PIE - We have our own pies, sweet breads, honey and jams.

Gregg and Louise Keckler -Orchard Country Produce
 Gardners, PA

Dear Folks,
   Our summer is going great!  We are staking tomato vines, picking raspberries and blueberries, early tomatoes, early peaches, and lots of squash.  We are irrigating the tomatoes since it has been dry lately.  We are planting green beans now for a fall crop.  Everything is getting weeded from the carrots, red beets, tomatoes, winter squash, Swiss chard, etc.  The lettuce is about finished.  It is getting bitter with all the heat. Everything is looking good. 
   We butchered 3 hogs in June.  So we have some great sausage and pork bologna.  We will be butchering chickens at the end of July.  The laying chickens are laying eggs every day.  The young turkeys look good.

   If you haven't signed up for the summer session, the deadline is July 15.  The session starts the week of July 25. 

If you are already signed up you will get an email around July 19 with details about pickup and buying extras. 

If you have any questions send us an email.  Thanks for your interest and support of our farm.  Gregg andnLOuise Keckler - Orchard Country Produce

Dear Folks,
This week the shares will include:  sour cherries, blueberries, collard greens, sweet Candy onion, cucumber, string beans, and broccoli.

    Have fun with the sour cherries this week is the last week for them. 
    We have tons of blueberries so everyone is getting a quart of them. 
    Collards should be cooked.  Par boil them for 10 minutes then sauté them with onion, garlic or herbs.  They are delicious and good for you.  When you par boil them keep the juice and use it in recipes that call for vegetable broth.  You can always use the same trick for collards as for red beet greens:  1 cup of green grapes, 2 apples, a handful of collards and 1/2 cup of ice cubes in the blender.
   Sweet Candy onions are good sweet summer onions.  They are great raw or sautéed.  I made a delicious cucumber onion salad this weekend with vinegar, honey and dill.
  The first green beans of the year.  They are very tender.
   Broccoli  - eat if raw or lightly steamed for the best nutritional value.

We have quite a few extra items for purchase.  We offer these items as extras because there are just not enough to go around. Start thinking about ways to "put up" fruits and vegetables this growing season. 

Remember the deadline to sign up for summer session is JULY 15.

Have a great holiday and enjoy the sun , the birds, and the earth!
Gregg and Louise Keckler - Orchard Country Produce

Fennel - $2.00 each
Pink Lady apples - $3.00/six apples
pickling cucumbers- $4.00/quart (about 10)
extra blueberries - $5.00/pint
Red beets/tops - $2.00/bunch
  
Extras List:

CHEESE
$9.99/lb                                                              $11.99/lb                                                       $14.99/lb
Farmers                                                               Smoked Cheddar                                          Mild Goat Gouda
Cheddar                                                              Smoked Jalapeño
Baby Swiss                                                          Sharp Cheddar
Dill and Bacon
Tomato and Basil


BEEF

 $4.50/lb                                                              $6.99/lb                                                        $7.99/lb
Lean Ground Beef (1 lb pack)                                 Round Steak                                                 Flank Steak

$11.99/lb                                                              $13.99/lb                                                      $15.99/lb
New York Strip (2 steaks/pk)                                 Flat Iron (2 steaks/pk)                            Fillet Mignon (2 st/pk)
Sirloin Steak                                                          Delmonico (2 steaks/pk)  
Sirloin Tip (2 steaks/pk)

JAMS                                                                    EGGS                                                              BUTTER
$4.50/half pint jar                                                 $4.00/doz                                                     $3.50/half pound
Red Heart Plum
Strawberry
Raspberry
Black Cherry                                                          HONEY
Grape                                                                     $5.00/half pint jar
Orange Marmalade
Blackberry
Pink Lady and Pomegranate

Pork
7 inch sausage links   $4.99/lb (pack of 3- 4)
Breakfast links    $5.99/lb   (about 3/4 lb per pack)
Fresh pork steaks from the shoulder $5.99/lb (2 per pack)
Pork chops $5.99/lb (2 per pack)
Smoked pork bologna $8.00/lb or $4.00/half lb

Please forward this to any list serves in the Bethesda Area.  Thanks!

This week at the Farm Stand

Come out on Saturday morning 9 AM- 1 PM.
 
We are located in the upper parking lot of the UU Church   9601 Cedar La, Bethesda.  Check us out!



We  have great SWEET CHERRIES 

SOUR CHERRIES are here!  Get them now - remember they have a short season

PEACHES!  The first of the year.  Very Sweet!

BLUEBERRIES AND BLACK RASPBERRIES- here now!

APRICOTS!

We  have SNOW PEAS this weekend. Try grilling snow peas.  They are great.

We have ENGLISH SHELL PEAS!.  Remember those peas that you have to shell.

We will have early TOMATOES -Red Alert and the Fourth of July - great tomatoes for sandwiches and salads! 

We will have ZUCCHINI, YELLOW SQUASH, and CUCUMBERS including pickling cukes.

RED BEETS!  Great size, Great taste and GREAT greens. 

We  have salad mixes, fresh herbs including BASIL and DILL and spring onions.

New Red Potatoes!  Good Summer Sweet Onions!

Don't forget Swiss Chard, Collards, Fennel and Kale!


CHICKEN - free-range chicken.   These chickens are fresh, local, grown on grass, no hormones or growth enhancers.  Try it!

BEEF -  Buy grass fed hormone- free beef for your cookouts!  Our own beef. 
       ground beef, round steak, sirloin and sirloin tip steaks, Delmonico steaks, fillet mignon, 

PORK -  We have free-range pork for all occasions.  Chops, 7 inch links for the grill, breakfast links, fresh pork steaks, and our own pork bologna.  This bologna is very smooth and deliciously sweet.  

 CHEESE- including dill/bacon, cheddar, smoked cheddar, sharp cheddar, smoked jalapeño, farmers, baby Swiss, tomato/basil and goat Gouda  the list of ingredients for this cheese is simple:  unpasturized milk, vegetable enymes, sea salt - refreshingly short.

Free range eggs  Our own eggs from our own chickens.

BLUEBERRY PIE and CHERRY PIE - We have our own pies, sweet breads, honey and jams.

Gregg and Louise Keckler -Orchard Country Produce
 Gardners, PA

Dear Folks,
   This week's shares will include:  Blueberries, Sour Cherries, zucchini/summer squash, cucumbers, lettuce mix, black/red raspberries, red beets

Last week only one fruit - this week 3.  That evens the score.

    Blueberries are in and heavy.  Use them in muffins, pancakes, with shortcake or just plain with honey or sugar.  Sour cherries are a very short season.  These are the old Mortmorency variety so they will turn brown (or brick red) quickly.  Don't worry they are still great to cook with.  Make a pie, cobbler, or crisp.  Mix them with blueberries, rhubarb, or strawberries.  Don't be afiiad to mix fruits.  I rarely make a crisp or a pie with only one fruit.  I made a strawberry/raspberry sauce for a torte this weekend - delicious!

   This week you will either get zucchini or summer squash.  We have the long neck vareity and the small patty pan variety.  Use them all interchangeably.  Try grilling, steaming, baking and stirfrying squash.  
    Cucmbers are great in salad or as a side dish.  Enjoy the lettuce mix - in a few weeks as it gets hotter and drier the lettuce will be gone.  Add red beets greens to your salads.  Enjoy the beet tops now too.  As it gets hotter they will get bitter and we cut them off.

This is the perishable score for the week.

1. Black/ red raspberries (will mold quickly)
2. Lettuce mix
3. Sour cherries
4. Cucumber and squash
5. Blueberries
6. Red beets

Please be sure to regrigerate all the items this week.  If you see you aren't going to get to something quick enough, just freeze it.  Even a small quanity frozen can be used with other items later.  Wouldn't it be great to find a cup of blueberries in your freezer in January?

On another note:  The deadline to sign up for the second session beginning the week of July 25 is July 15.  If you want to sign up, just send us a check with a small note with your name and delivery spot - no need to print off another subscription form.   Don't procrastinate!   If a friend or coworker wants to sign up and they are new - have them send a subscription form as well.

  Happy eating this week!  Gregg and Louise Keckler - Orchard Country Produce

Rhubarb  - $2.00/bunch
Pink Lady apples - $3.00/six apples
Snow peas - $4.00/quart
Lettuce Mix - $3.00/bag
  
Extras List:
CHEESE

$9.99/lb                                                              $11.99/lb                                                       $14.99/lb
Farmers                                                               Smoked Cheddar                                          Mild Goat Gouda
Cheddar                                                              Smoked Jalapeño
Baby Swiss                                                          Sharp Cheddar
Dill and Bacon
Tomato and Basil


BEEF

 $4.50/lb                                                              $6.99/lb                                                        $7.99/lb
Lean Ground Beef (1 lb pack)                                 Round Steak                                                 Flank Steak

$11.99/lb                                                              $13.99/lb                                                      $15.99/lb
New York Strip (2 steaks/pk)                                 Flat Iron (2 steaks/pk)                            Filet Mignon (2 st/pk)
Sirloin Steak                                                          Delmonico (2 steaks/pk)  
Sirloin Tip (2 steaks/pk)

JAMS                                                                    EGGS                                                              BUTTER
$4.50/half pint jar                                                 $4.00/doz                                                     $3.50/half pound
Red Heart Plum
Strawberry
Raspberry
Black Cherry                                                          HONEY
Grape                                                                     $5.00/half pint jar
Orange Marmalade
Blackberry
Pink Lady and Pomegranate

Pork
7 inch sausage links   $4.99/lb (pack of 3- 4)
Breakfast links    $5.99/lb   (about 3/4 lb per pack)
Fresh pork steaks from the shoulder $5.99/lb (2 per pack)
Pork chops $5.99/lb (2 per pack)
Smoked pork bologna $8.00/lb or $4.00/half lb

Please forward this to any list serves in the Bethesda Area.  Thanks!

This week at the Farm Stand

Come out on Saturday morning 9 AM- 1 PM.
 
We are located in the upper parking lot of the UU Church   9601 Cedar La, Bethesda.  Check us out!



We  have great SWEET CHERRIES 

SOUR CHERRIES are here!  Get them now - remember they have a short season

 Rhubarb!  We have it!  But not for long, get it now!

BLUEBERRIES AND BLACK RASPBERRIES- here now!

We  have SNOW PEAS this weekend. Try grilling snow peas.  They are great.

We have ENGLISH SHELL PEAS!.  Remember those peas that you have to shell.

We will have early TOMATOES - Early Girl and the Fourth of July - great tomatoes for sandwiches and salads! 

We will have ZUCCHINI, YELLOW SQUASH, and CUCUMBERS including pickling cukes.

RED BEETS!  Great size, Great taste and GREAT greens. 

We  have salad mixes, fresh herbs including BASIL and DILL, baby French radishes, and spring onions.

We also have stored Eva potatoes - A good all purpose potato

SORRY WE FORGOT THE CHICKEN LAST WEEK!  We will have it this week.

CHICKEN - free-range chicken.  Oliver is butchering today (Thursday) so Bethesda will be the first market to get the chicken.  These chickens are fresh, local, grown on grass, no hormones or growth enhancers.  Try it!

BEEF -  Buy grass fed hormone- free beef for your cookouts!  Our own beef. 
       ground beef, round steak, sirloin and sirloin tip steaks, Delmonico steaks, fillet mignon, 

PORK -  We have free-range pork for all occasions.  Chops, 7 inch links for the grill, breakfast links, fresh pork steaks, and our own pork bologna.  This bologna is very smooth and deliciously sweet.  

 CHEESE- including dill/bacon, cheddar, smoked cheddar, sharp cheddar, smoked jalapeño, farmers, baby Swiss, tomato/basil and goat Gouda  the list of ingredients for this cheese is simple:  unpasturized milk, vegetable enymes, sea salt - refreshingly short.

Free range eggs  Our own eggs from our own chickens.

STRAWBERRY PIE and CHERRY PIE - We have our own pies, sweet breads, honey and jams.

Gregg and Louise Keckler -Orchard Country Produce
 Gardners, PA

Dear CSA,
  This week's shares will include asparagus, French radishes, spring onions, lettuce mix, sugar snap peas/snow peas, strawberries, sweet cherries.

     This is the last week of asparagus. 
     The French radishes are much milder than the round red ones.  Slice them in salad, roast them in the oven.  Treat them as a potato and prepare them for kabobs on the grill. 
     Use spring onions with everything.  They are great steamed with peas. 
     Lettuce is fresh.  The cooler weather will help extend the lettuce season. 
     Peas -You will get either sugar snap peas or snow peas this week.  The sugar snap pea is a full  pod pea.  Both the pods and the peas are edible.  Be sure to string both sides of the pod before steaming.  Snow peas are the flat pod type - great for stir fries or raw in salads.  

If you don't cook your food everything this week can be eaten raw- as is!

   Strawberries - last week. Still very sweet.  
   Cherries - Early light and dark sweet cherries.  Delicious - Eat as is - don't forget the pit!

  We do our best to get the produce to you as fresh as possible.  When the days are extremely hot (like last week)  this can be difficult.  remember that it takes us about 2 - 2 1/2 hours get the things to you and then if they sit at market for several hours before you pick them up or they sit at your drop site for a while before you get them, they will need tender loving care and kindness.

   We have just a bit of rhubarb and apples left after last week's deliveries.  You can purchase these as extras this week. 

Rhubarb $2.00/bunch- bunch is about 1/2 lb
Apples (Pink Lady)  $3.00/six apples

We are adding pork to the extras list.  This is our own pork.  We have them outside on grass, bramble, and among the trees. They LOVE to eat acorns.  The hogs were fed some hormone-free corn to supplement their diet.  The sausages are delicious on the grill. Very mild, not too spicy.

   The sweet pork bologna is our own recipe.  We get the butcher to do it just for us.  We love this bologna.  It is fully cooked, ready to eat and very soft texture - not a lot of chewing required.

Please remember to return your boxes and coolers this week. 

Have a great fresh food adventure this week! 

Gregg and Louise Keckler - Orchard Country Produce 

Please forward this to any list serves in the Bethesda Area.  Thanks!

This week at the Farm Stand

Our first SWEET CHERRIES of the year.  They are small, dark, and sweet!

Good, SWEET strawberries. We are at the peak of strawberry season.  Enjoy these fresh fruits while they are available.  

 Rhubarb!  We have it!  But not for long, get it now!

We still  have asparagus. 

We  have the  SNOW PEAS and SUGAR SNAP PEAS this weekend. Steam them with spring onions.  They are delicious.

RED BEETS!  Great size, Great taste and GREAT greens.  Use the greens in sautes, stir fries, steamed with vegetables.  They are delicious and very nutitious.

We will have salad mixes, fresh herbs, tea, baby French radishes, and spring onions.

We also have stored Eva potatoes - A good all purpose potato

We have the beef!  Buy grass fed hormone- free beef for your cookouts! 
       ground beef, round steak, flank steak, sirloin and sirloin tip steaks, Delmonico steaks, fillet mignon,      New York Strip

  We just got our pork yesterday from the butcher shop.  We have free-range pork for all occasions.  Chops, 7 inch links for the grill, breakfast links, fresh pork steaks, and our own pork bologna.  This bologna is very smooth and deliciously sweet.  

 Also hormone-free cheeses - including dill/bacon, cheddar, smoked cheddar, sharp cheddar, smoked jalapeño, farmers, baby Swiss, tomato/basil and goat Gouda

Free range eggs

Our own beef sweet bologna

We have our own pies, sweet breads, honey and jams.
 
Come out on Saturday morning 9 AM- 1 PM.
 
We are located in the upper parking lot of the UU Church   9601 Cedar La, Bethesda.  Check us out!

Gregg and Louise Keckler -Orchard Country Produce
 Gardners, PA

Ready , Set, GO! CSA week 1

This week your shares will include:  strawberries, apples (stored from last year), spring onions, lettuce mix, rhubarb, asparagus, and jam
 
The jam will keep indefinietely until opened.  We keep the opened jar on the counter with the lid on it.  It will be easier to spread.
    When eating your fruits and vegetables always eat the most perishable things first.  Lettuce mix and strawberries will fade first, so eat these quickly. Even if the onions get limp they are still fine to eat.  Be sure to use the tops for salads and stir fries.    If the lettuce looks limp when you get it home, fluff it up and put it in the frig for a few hours.  If it gets too limp for salad - use it in smoothies or make a wilted lettuce salad with bacon dressing.  Delicious!
    Always try to get the most use out of your items.  The rhubarb will freeze excellently - chop up in small pieces and freeze until needed.  Place asparagus in a pitcher with ends in an inch of watder.  Put it in the frig.  Before using chop about an inch off the bottoms.  Keep apples in frig until ready to eat.
  I hope this will help you get the most use and nutrients out of your share. 

You can order extras from the list at any time to de delivered with the next share. 

  WEDNESDAY DELIVERIES:  Please be patient this first week as we figure out what order works best and how much time the deliveries will take.  Check the previous email for approximate delivery times.

  If you have any questions or concerns, let us know. 

Enjoy the spring friuts and vegetables!  Eat well and live better!   
Gregg and Louise Keckler - Orchard Country Produce



Extras List:

CHEESE

$9.99/lb                                                              $11.99/lb                                                       $14.99/lb
Farmers                                                               Smoked Cheddar                                           mild Goat Gouda
Cheddar                                                               Smoked Jalapeño
Baby Swiss                                                          Sharp Cheddar
Dill and Bacon
Tomato and Basil


BEEF

 $4.50/lb                                                              $6.99/lb                                                        $7.99/lb
Lean Ground Beef (1 lb pack)                                 Round Steak                                                 Flank Steak

$11.99/lb                                                              $13.99/lb                                                      $15.99/lb
New York Strip (2 steaks/pk)                                 Flat Iron (2 steaks/pk)                            Filet Mignon (2 st/pk)
Sirloin Steak                                                          Delmonico (2 steaks/pk)  
Sirloin Tip (2 steaks/pk)

JAMS                                                                    EGGS                                                              BUTTER
$4.50/half pint jar                                                 $4.00/doz                                                     $3.50/half pound
Red Heart Plum
Strawberry
Raspberry
Black Cherry                                                          HONEY
Grape                                                                      $5.00/half pint jar
Orange Marmalade
Blackberry
Pink Lady and Pomegranate