News and blog
We have LOTS, LOTS, LOTS of Honeycrisp apples.
Keep them in mind if you are buying items for a school or organization. These are delicious and we will give you a REAL DEAL!
There are approximately 40 apples to a half bushel - if you buy more them one half bushel we will sell them to you for $10 per half bushel. Let me know via email if you want to buy some in quanity and I will order them for you.
If you buy them from the store the normal price is $15 per half bushel.
Louise
Dear Folks,
This week's shares will include:
Apple cider
Mystery item
Sugar Baby Watermelon - seeded
Spaghetti squash
Sweet Candy Onion
Honeycrisp apples
Mystery item
Personal shares:
Apple cider
Spaghetti squash
Sugar baby seeded watermelon
Honeycrisp appless
Mystery item
The mystery items will not be a mystery to you when you see them, it is just that we are not sure that we have enough of any one item to make it through the entire week. Do not worry we will make sure that each stop gets everything, just not in the same week. The Sugar Baby watermelons are small seeded melons - very sweet.
Spaghetti squash is definitely the most popular winter squash. You can boil it in a pot of water or you can microwave it whole - try it for 10 minuets and keep checking to see if you can put a fork through the shell. When you can put a fork through the shell, it is done. Take it out of the water or the microwave and carefully cut it in half. It will be very hot.
Scope the seeds out of the center. Use a fork to flake up the flesh (the spaghetti). We usually add salt, butter and garlic and eat it like that. Some folks use it as spaghetti noodles with tomato sauce, either way it is very good.
The store is open. I will continue to update items as they become available or go out of season.
Last week's nectarines were very soft and I thought they were good, but Gregg said that he thought some of them were mealy. I guess it is a matter of taste. I hope you thought as I did, if not we apologize if you were disappointed. They were picked last week, but they were the last ones of the season. So....
I just wanted to thank the folks who have already signed up for the Extended Fall session which will begin on October 27 and run through the week of November 17. I appreciated your confidence in our farm and your enjoyment of the Fall produce. You can go to the website and sign up. When you get to the first page - you will be asked to choose a season - scroll down and choose the Extended Fall Session.
We hope that you have a wonderfull week.
Gregg, Louise, and Oliver Keckler
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
Dear Folks,
I just figured out how to get the new session to work. I believe it is ready to go. A few of you had emailed me early saying that you were not able to sign up, but I think I have it worked out. Thanks for your patience.
I am still working on the turkeys. I will let you know when you can begin to order them. Louise
Saturday Farm Stands!
St Luke's Episcopal Church on Fort Hunt Rd, Alexandria, VA from 8-1pm
Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church on Cedar Lane, Bethesda from 9-1pm
We will have these items available this week!
Vegetables
cucumbers
Mexican gerkins
sweet onions
yellow wax beans
kale
salad Mix
zucchini
red beets
Swiss chard
cabbage
green beans
tomatoes
cherry tomatoes
lima beans
Sweet banana peppers
Garlic
eggplant
Sweet Corn
Hot peppers
carrots
bell peppers
butternut squash
spaghetti squash
pumpkins
gourds
buttercup Winter Sqaush
Fruits
raspberries
plums
cantaloupe
watermelon
Jonagold
Golden Delicious
Rambo apples
nectarines
Heirloom apples
Honey Crisp Apples
Gala Apples
Yellow bartlet pears
seckle pears
blackberries
Stayman Winesap apples
Meat
Pork
Beef
Whole Chickens
Baked goods
Blueberry pies
Peach pies
apple pies
Sweet Breads
Teas and other herb greens
mint tea
lemon blam
basil
sage
Other items
jams and jellies
honey
Shagbark hickory syrup
Fresh eggs
Cheese from Whispering Brook Farm
Come out and stock up with good food!
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm, Inc
Saturday Farmer's Market across from the High's Store in Westminster
We will have these items available this week!
Vegetables
cucumbers
sweet onions
Kale
salad Mix
cabbage
red beets
Swiss chard
zucchini
Green beans
tomatoes
cherry tomatoes
yellow wax beans
lima beans
Sweet corn
heirloom tomatoes
plum tomatoes
garlic
spaghetti squash
Mexican Gerkins
butternut squash
carrots
Roma tomatoes
Pumpkins
Gourds
Buttercup winter squash
Fruits
raspberries
blueberries
plums
cantaloupe
nectarines
watermelon
nectarines
Gala Apples
Rambo apples
Honey Crisp apples
yellow Bartlet pears
Seckle pears
Jonagold apples
Jonathan apples
Golden delicious
Apple cider!!!!
Stayman Winesap Apples
Meat
Pork
Beef
Chicken
Baked goods at Tamara's stand - She will be next to us!
Blueberry pies
Peach pies
Apple pies
Sweet Breads
cookies
yeast breads
rolls
sticky buns
cinnamon rolls
Other items
jams and jellies
honey
Shagbark hickory syrup
Fresh eggs
bunches of tea ( great for making a cold pitcher of summer tea)
Come out and stock up with good food!
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm, Inc
Dear Friends of the Farm,
We have been extremely busy this month. I think that September is truly the harvest month. We started out picking all the summer vegetables and fruits and also began to harvest spaghetti squash, butternuts and Gala apples. We were still harvesting tomatoes, raspberries, and okra by mid-month along with broccoli, Honey Crisp apples, and sweet potatoes. Now at the end of the month we are still harvesting some cherry tomatoes, red tomatoes, bell peppers, plus lots of apples and we have begun to press cider.
So September is definitely the busiest month of the year. At least we did not have to do much planting. Gregg is still planting radishes and lettuce, kale and Swiss chard for the fall, but the main emphasis is on harvesting!
What a great time! We are blessed by the number of folks who signed up for the fall session this year. That is great! We are glad that you enjoy the fall crops as much as we do. Today Juan has been picking beans all day. Yesterday he was picking apples and Oliver was picking okra, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Gregg has been picking kale, peppers, and planting radishes today.
We are having some very good batches of apple cider so far. We just picked Ida Red apples and they make a great tart apple for the cider.
Thanks to everyone who contacted us about the farm purchase. We are checking things out and negotiating on the purchase. We will get back to the interested folks when we get word on things. We will probably not be able to make any definite plans until after the New Year.
New Plans:
We have had a Winter Delivery for the last few years, but this year we have decided to do something a bit different. We are going to have an Extended Fall CSA session. We will still have many items available after the Fall CSA session ends in October - so we decided to add another session. It is a 4 week session - It will begin the week of October 27 and run through Saturday, November 22.
Sign up for this session is available now!
You can go to the website and check it out. There are half and personal share options available. We will be giving 5-6 different items each week for the Half Share and 4-5 items each week for the Personal Share. Remember a Personal Share is really only enough food for one person. We also have Egg Share options available for the Extended Fall Session as well. www.orchardcountryproduce.com
As always you can sign up and pay right away or you can click invoice and send us a check. If you pay with a check you can take a 4% discount. We are hoping to keep all the delivery locations, but do check the days. We are hoping to move all the Friday Deliveries to Wednesday, just for this session.
Let me know if you have any questions about this new session.
Turkeys:
Again we will be offering turkeys this year from our neighbor, a Mennonite farmer who raises free range turkeys. He has a very pleasant farm and all work is done by hand. We have been partnering with him for several years and think his turkeys are great. I will be adding the turkeys to the store in the next couple of weeks. If you would like to order one, you can go to the store and order it. You do not need to pay for it until you receive it or you can pre-pay if you like. I will need to have your order by November 8. Price is $3.99/lb for the turkeys.
We are so thankful to have so many of you folks interested in our farm. Your participation keeps us motivated to keep providing food. We could easily lay back and produce just enough for ourselves and to pay the taxes, but we truly enjoy our work knowing that in a small way we are providing food for you and we know you personally. We would love to have you visit the farm. Give us a call or an email and we can work out a time to show you where the food grows.
Let us know if you have any questions.
Gregg, Louise and Oliver Keckler
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm, Inc
We have great apples!
We will be at the East Columbia Library on Cradle Rock Way Tomorrow from 2-6 pm!
We have SWEET CORN!
We will have these items available this week!
Vegetables
White potatoes
kale
Sweet onions
Swiss chard
Red Beets
Zucchini
yellow wax beans
green beans
Sweet corn
broccoli
carrots
sweet banana peppers
bell peppers
egg plant
TOMATOES!!
cherry tomatoes
plum tomatoes
Red Norland potatoes
red and green cabbage
Hot peppers
snacking peppers
spaghetti squash
Butternut squash
Mexican Gherkins
Pumpkins
Fruits
raspberries
peaches -
plums -
cantaloupe
Rambo apples
Golden Delicious
watermelon
nectarines
Jonagold apples
Cox Orange pippins
Gala Apples
blackberries
strawberries
Honey Crisp Apples
Pears
Stayman Winesap Apples
Brussel Sprouts
Meat
Pork - We have chops!
Beef
Chicken whole
beef bologna
Baked goods
Blueberries pies
peach pies
apple pies
Sweet Breads
cookies
Other items
jams and jellies
honey
Shagbark hickory syrup
Fresh eggs
Cheese from Whispering Brook Farm
Come out and stock up with good food!
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm, Inc
We will be at NGS on 17th Street in the Courtyard from 8 - 2:30
Come out and get fresh vegetables. We will have these items available for sale.
Vegetables
summer squash
zucchini
salad mix
kale
Swiss chard
Red Beets
cucumbers
CHERRY TOMATOES
green beans
red tomatoes
banana peppers
cabbage red and green
bell peppers
Sweet Corn!
Heirloom tomatoes
okra
Mexican gherkins
hot peppers
spaghetti squash
butternut squash
eggplant
potatoes
snacking peppers
sweet potatoes
radicchio
green beans
Buttercup winter squash
Fresh cut herbs and flowers
basil
flowers
Fruits
red raspberries
peaches
plums
Summer Rambo apples
Nectarines
cantaloupe
Cortland apples
Greening apples
Watermelon
blackberries
Yellow Bartlett pears
Stayman Winesap Apples
Gala apples
prune plums!
Honey Crisp Apples
Red Jonathan apples
Cox orange pippins
Liberty apples
Golden Delicious apples
Asian pears
Meat
Pork
Beef
Chicken whole
Baked goods
Blueberry pies
peach pies
Apple pies
Sweet Breads
cookies
yeast bread
Other items
jams and jellies
honey
Shagbark hickory syrup
OUR OWN Fresh eggs
Jack - be -Little gourds
Cheese from Whispering Brook Farm
Come out and stock up with good food!
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm, Inc
We will be at DOT for the Farmer's Market tomorrow from 10-2 pm
Come out and get fresh vegetables. We will have these items available for sale.
Vegetables
summer squash
zucchini
salad mix
kale
cucumbers
cabbage
Swiss chard
garlic
cabbage
red beets
cherry tomatoes
red tomatoes
bell peppers
sweet corn!!!
okra
Mexican gherkins
Spaghetti squash
Butternut squash
carrots
hot peppers
green beans
yellow beans
Roma Tomatoes
HOT peppers!
sweet potatoes
broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Fruits
red raspberries
Honey Crisp apples
Gala apples
peaches
plums
cantaloupe
watermelon
blackberries
nectarines
Rambo apples
Smokehouse apples
prune plums
Greening apples
Asian pears
Golden Delicious Apples
Stayman Winesap apples
Cut herbs
Basil
Meat
Pork
Beef
Whole chickens
Baked goods
Blueberry pies
apple pies
peach pies
Sweet Breads
cookies
Other items
jams and jellies
honey
Shagbark hickory syrup
OUR OWN Fresh eggs
Cheese from Whispering Brook Farm
Come out and stock up with good food!
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm, Inc
Dear Folks,
We hope you are enjoying early fall. We still have a lot of summer vegetables, but we are starting to move into our fall things.
This week we will be giving cider. Our cider is natural unpasteurized cider. It has the best flavor and the flavor changes every week depending on the type of apples that we put in. We like to mix the varieties with some sweet and mostly tart apples in the mix. Taste it and see!
One word about unpasteurized cider. --
If you would like to pasteurize it, you can do it quite easily by boiling the cider for several minutes. If you do not use all the cider within a week and it begins to "turn" (meaning it gets a zippy sense - like soda) you can drink it like that - turned cider is also very good and has a completely different flavor or you can pasteurize it by boiling it. When you boil it, it will go back to sweet cider.
Cider should be refrigerated as soon as possible. It will turn quicker if you leave it set out.
We are picking a lot of green beans right now. Oliver and Juan picked 10 banana boxes full of green beans on Friday. So we are stocked. Enjoy the kale and hot peppers! I have been eating the bruised nectarines and they are delicious! We will again be giving you a mystery item. It is only a mystery because we have so many "little bis of this and little bit of that". It is not that you will find a vegetable that you do not know.
Shares:
Honey crisp apples
Nectarines
Apple cider
Green beans
Kale
Hot peppers
Mystery item
Personal shares:
Nectarines
Apple cider
Kale
Green beans
Mystery item
We still have a lot of items on the store and I am always updating with new things. Check it out! You can order items from the store and add them to your order and pay right away with your credit card. Or you can click invoice and save your bill until the end of the session to pay all at once.
Have a great week!
Gregg, Louise, and Oliver Keckler
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm, Inc