News and blog
Tomorrow August 15
Oliver will be at St Luke's Episcopal Church from 8 - 1 pm.
Gregg will be at St. Mark's Episcopal Church on South King's Highway Alexandria on Saturdays from 8-1 pm
These are some of the items that we will have tomorrow at the market stands.
Fruit
apples -Ginger Gold
apples - William's Pride
apples- Summer Rambo
plums
apricots
blueberries
peaches
canteloupe
watermelon
nectarines
Vegetables
Sweet onions
green beans
Kale
lettuce
red and white potatoes
Swiss chard
Red Beets
cucumbers
zucchini
Yellow summer squashi
cabbage
bell peppers
Tomatoes - heirloom!!!
cherry tomatoes
Sweet Corn!
eggplant
spaghetti squash
hot peppers
pickling cucumbers
Meat - our own home grown
beef - WE HAVE STEAKS! Filets, NY strips, Rib steaks, sirloin, flat iron
Fresh chicken - just butchered reduced price $3.99/lb we need to clear out the freezers!
pork - We have chops and ham steak, bacon, breakfast links and 7 inch grillers
Bakery
Raised Breads - Honey Oatmeal and cinnamon bread and herb bread
cinnamon rolls
Sweet breads - pumpkin, zucchini, and apple
cookies
Homemade pies - blueberry pies
peach pies
Home grown eggs
Homemade jellies and jams
HONEY
Shagbark Hickory Syrup
Cheese from Whispering Brook Cheese Haus
Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at the stand!
Gregg, Louise, Oliver Keckler - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
Dear Folks,
We hope that you are having a great summer! We are!
Oliver and Juan and Julie are planting broccoli right this minute for the fall CSA and markets. Oliver has a bit of arugala to plant yet and he wants to plant a fall crop of lettuce and then eventually plant some lettuce in the high tunnel so that we will have lettuce for the markets in December. The cherry tomatoes from the high have been tremendous this year - so sweet-so good!
Gregg has been dutifully picking the okra this year. He is the only one who can stand the prickly plants and also not miss the okra!
Right now we are overwhelmed with eggplant and tomatoes! They are everywhere. The cows are eating them; the pig is eating them; the chickens try to eat them, but they prefer softer juicier stull like rotten tomatoes. Speaking of chickens they are laying very well right now, even the old chickens are laying at 90-95% right now.
We had a tough year for basil. The cold and wet weather in June and early July did not make for a great crop. Oliver has planted a second crop mainly for our CSA customers for the fall.
One thing that has grown very well this year on our new farm land is - weeds! This is one of the worst years for keeping after the weeds. It could be because this new farm had been left fallow for a number of years and so the weeds have a great seedbed there. We are trying to get the best of them, but hopefully next year it will look better. The weeds are taller then the eggplant and the tomatoes. The only thing taller than the weeds is the corn!
We are half way through our summer CSA session. The fall session will begin the week of September 7. If you have not signed up and want to be part of the fall harvest season - you can go to the website www.orchardcountryproduce.com and sign up for the fall.
We have also added an extended fall session which begins at the end of October and goes through the week before Thanksgiving. it is a short four week session. We should have a lot of fall aquash, pumpkins, cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, sweet potatoes, potatoes, Brussels sporouts, cabbage, APPLES,APPLES,APPLES and pears.
We are also raising out our turkeys. I do not want to "count my turkeys before they are grown", but we have a good many at the present time. They are three weeks old and very fun to watch. They are so much more enjoyable to watch then chickens and do such crazy stuff! But as I read in a turkey book once,. the one thing that turkeys want to do in the first five weeks of life is die. So I still am afraid to boast too much about them. I will keep you updated as we get into the fall, but if I do not mention them at all, then you will know that the turkeys got their way and we will not have any for thanksgiving dinners!
We are butchering the last pig this year and we have a date for a steer in September. We also have another steer that we would like to butcher before the winter sets in.
You are probably wondering if we ever have disasters where everything goes wrong, well not everything hopefully, but we do have our setbacks.
Vehicles break down and cost a fortune to repair; Tractors break down and we keep jimmy-rigging them to keep them running until the end of the season; irrigation lines burst apart for no apparent reason; pumps catch fire and melt down before your eyes! But these are just common kinds of problems that you all have too. Thankfully we do not see them as insurmountable obstacles, but just part of living on this earth. We keep smiling and stuff another rag in the leaky pipe!
Have a great month!
Gregg, Louise and Oliver Keckler
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm, Inc
East Columbia Farmer's Market
East Columbia Library
Cradlerock Way
2-6 pm.
Rain or heat!! - We will be here to bring you fresh fruits and vegetables as they are picked!
Come out to check out the great vegetables and berries.
These are some of the items that we will have at the market.
Fruit
Apricots
blueberries
red raspberries- only a couple!
PEACHES
Shiro plums
Red Heart plums
Methley plums
Ginger Gold apples
nectarines
blackberries
cantaloupes
watermelon
Vegetables
Kale
red beets
Swiss chard
zucchini
yellow summer squash
cucumbers
red and green cabbage
Heirloom tomatoes
cherry tomatoes
green beans
bell peppers
sweet peppers
Sweet corn - bi-color
spaghetti squash
eggplant
red shallots
sweet Candy onions
red potatoes
white potatoes
lettuce mix
garlic
Mexican Gherkins
lemon cucumbers
Meat - our own home grown
beef - We have steaks - rib steaks, NY strip, sirloin, filets !
pork- We have chops, fresh ham steaks, 7 in grillers and breakfast links
chickens - whole Reduced price $3.99/lb!!!
Bakery
Raised Breads - honey oatmeal bread
Sweet breads - apple and zucchini - Pumpkin Bread
cookies
Homemade Pies
Peachy pies
blackberry pies
blueberry pies
Home grown eggs
Homemade jellies and jams
HONEY
Shagbark Hickory Syrup
Cheese from Whispering Brook Cheese Haus
Looking forward to seeing everyone at the stand!
Gregg, Louise, Oliver Keckler - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
National Geographic Society - Tuesday, August 11 from 9-2pm in the courtyard.
We will have jellies, honey, Shagbark hickory syrup
Fruit
blueberries
apricots
Shiro plums
Red heart plums
peaches
Methley plums
blackberries
red raspberries
nectarines
cantaloupes
Watermelon
Vegetables
Kale
lettuce
red beets
Swiss chard
sweet candy onions
okra
cucumbers
zucchini
yellow summer squash
sweet corn!
tomatoes
red potatoes
cherry tomatoes
green beans
eggplant
red shallots
cabbage
bell peppers
spaghetti squash
Mexican Sour Gherkins
hot cherry peppers
mild sweet peppers
HERBS
mint tea
catnip
cut basil
parsley
Meat - our own home grown
beef - we have steaks!
pork - we have chops!
whole chicken - $3.99/lb
Bakery
Raised Breads - honey oatmeal
Sweet breads
cookies
blackberry pies
peach pies
blueberry pies
Home grown eggs
Homemade jellies and jams
HONEY
Shagbark Hickory Syrup
Cheese from Whispering Brook Cheese Haus
Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at the stand!
Gregg, Louise, Oliver Keckler - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
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.
We will have jellies, honey, Shagbark hickory syrup
Fruit
Peaches!!!
blueberries
plums - Shiro, Methley, Red heart
apricots
nectarines
cantaloupes
watermelon
donut peaches
blackberries
red raspberries
Vegetables
Kale
lettuce
red beets
Swiss chard
tomatoes
cherry tomatoes
zucchini
summer squash
red potatoes
cucumbers
green beans
sweet corn!
mild peppers
bell peppers
eggplant
spaghetti squash
okra
cooking onions
red shallots
garlic
Mexican sour gherkins
HERBS
mint tea
parsley
Meat - our own home grown
beef - We have steaks!
pork - We have chops!
chickens - whole $3.99/ lb
Bakery
Sweet breads
cookies
Homemade blackberry pies
peach pies
blueberry pies
Home grown eggs
Homemade jellies and jams
HONEY
Shagbark Hickory Syrup
Cheese from Whispering Brook Cheese Haus
Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at the stand!
Gregg, Louise, Oliver Keckler - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
Dear Folks,
It is time for another contest!
This week some lucky people will get Siamese Twin eggplants in their shares. Those folks will win a free CANTALOUPE!
Now how to tell a Siamese twin from a regular eggplant: The Siamese twins must have two different lobes and they must be attached in the flesh of the eggplant.
We have quite a few of these this year. So keep your eyes peeled for one in your share this week.
As before just take a pictures of your winning eggplant and send it to us for confirmation of your Siamese twin and we will include a cantaloupe in the next week's share. If you are unsure if you have one, send a picture anyway and I will let you know if yours is a winner!
On another note- Do not forget - if you got someone to sign up for the summer CSA and they put your name in the question form on the sign up, then you have $20 of free money to spend on the online store. Please check this out! I just updated the store for this week. Keep this in mind if you will be needing any of these items throughout the week.
This week's shares will include:
Full and half shares-
Plums
peaches
eggplant
spaghetti squash
tomatoes
sweet candy onions
Mystery item
Personal Shares:
plums
Eggplant
tomatoes
bell pepper
spaghetti squash
The mystery item is not really an unknown item. It is just that we have a little of this and a little of that, so we will be varying this item from share to share. You may not be getting the exact same thing as your neighbor. If you do get something that you are not familiar with let me know and I will clarify.
We are working hard right now and the market stands reflect this. From now until the end of September, we have the most items available at any one time than through the rest of the year. the harvest is very plentiful this year. I will be sending a general email with farm news later this week. Watch for it!
Looking forward to seeing everyone this week.
Let us know if you need any tomatoes, peaches or any other items bulk. We can probably help you out.
Gregg, Louise and Oliver Keckler
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm, Inc
East Columbia Farmer's Market
East Columbia Library
Cradlerock Way
2-6 pm.
Rain or heat!! - We will be here to bring you fresh fruits and vegetables as they are picked!
Come out to check out the great vegetables and berries.
These are some of the items that we will have at the market.
Fruit
Apricots
blueberries
red raspberries
PEACHES
Shiro plums
Wizard plums
Methley plums
White peaches
sour cherries
William's Pride apples
nectarines
blackberries
cantaloupes
watermelon
Vegetables
Kale
red beets
Swiss chard
zucchini
yellow summer squash
cucumbers
red and green cabbage
Heirloom tomatoes
cherry tomatoes
green beans
bell peppers
sweet peppers
Sweet corn - bi-color
spaghetti squash
eggplant
red shallots
sweet Candy onions
red potatoes
white potatoes
lettuce mix
garlic
Mexican Gherkins
lemon cucumbers
Meat - our own home grown
beef - We have steaks - rib steaks, NY strip, sirloin, filets !
pork- We have chops, fresh ham steaks, 7 in grillers and breakfast links
chickens - whole Reduced price $3.99/lb!!!
Bakery
Raised Breads - honey oatmeal bread
Sweet breads - banana,and apple and zucchini - Pumpkin Bread
cookies
Homemade Pies
Peachy pies
blackberry pies
blueberry pies
Home grown eggs
Homemade jellies and jams
HONEY
Shagbark Hickory Syrup
Cheese from Whispering Brook Cheese Haus
Looking forward to seeing everyone at the stand!
Gregg, Louise, Oliver Keckler - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
National Geographic Society - Tuesday, August 4 from 9-2pm in the courtyard.
We will have jellies, honey, Shagbark hickory syrup
Fruit
sour cherries
blueberries
apricots
gooseberries
red currants
yellow plums
wizard plums
peaches
Methley plums
blackberries
red raspberries
nectarines
white peaches
cantaloupes
Watermelon
Vegetables
Kale
lettuce
red beets
Swiss chard
sweet candy onions
okra
cucumbers
zucchini
yellow summer squash
sweet corn!
tomatoes
red potatoes
cherry tomatoes
green beans
mild peppers
eggplant
red shallots
red beets
cabbage
bell peppers
spaghetti squash
Mexican Sour Gherkins
hot cherry peppers
mild sweet peppers
HERBS
mint tea
catnip
cut basil
parsley
Meat - our own home grown
beef - we have steaks!
pork - we have chops!
whole chicken - $3.99/lb
Bakery
Raised Breads - honey oatmeal
Sweet breads
cookies
blackberry pies
peach pies
blueberry pies
Home grown eggs
Homemade jellies and jams
HONEY
Shagbark Hickory Syrup
Cheese from Whispering Brook Cheese Haus
Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at the stand!
Gregg, Louise, Oliver Keckler - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
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.
We will have jellies, honey, Shagbark hickory syrup
Fruit
Peaches!!!
blueberries
sour cherries
plums - Shiro, Methley, Wizard
apricots
gooseberries
currants
nectarines
cantaloupes
watermelon
donut peaches
Vegetables
Kale
lettuce
red beets
Swiss chard
tomatoes
cherry tomatoes
zucchini
summer squash
red potatoes
cucumbers
green beans
sweet corn!
mild peppers
bell peppers
eggplant
spaghetti squash
okra
cooking onions
red shallots
garlic
Mexican sour gherkins
HERBS
mint tea
catnip
cut basil
parsley
Meat - our own home grown
beef - We have steaks!
pork - We have chops!
chickens - whole $3.99/ lb
Bakery
Sweet breads
cookies
Homemade blackberry pies
peach pies
blueberry pies
Home grown eggs
Homemade jellies and jams
HONEY
Shagbark Hickory Syrup
Cheese from Whispering Brook Cheese Haus
Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at the stand!
Gregg, Louise, Oliver Keckler - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
Dear Folks,
This week's shares will include:
Full and half shares:
plums
peaches
Swiss Chard
Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
cucumbers
sweet corn
peppers
Personal shares:
peaches
Swiss chard
Sweet corn
tomatoes
cherry tomatoes
cucumber
The plums are great! We have several varieties right now. Methley, Shiro and Wizard Wizard is reddish-yellow, Shiro is large and yellow and Methley is reddish purple. Enjoy!
The peaches are yellow and very good. They are free stone - so you can cut them off the seed or just eat them are they are.
I know that sometimes you may feel overwhelmed with greens - chard, lettuce and kale, but we purposely try to givbe you a leafy green every week. Truthfully, even though your taste buds may be tired of it,it is VERY good for you. Your body is not tired of it. Your body needs it. So as you gulp down another dish of sauted chard, remember how happy your body is. Try to add herbs and flavors to enhance the dishes that you eat. Add a sweet onion or a strong onion or garlic or shallots. Add squash - tomatoes, seasonings, Worcestershire, balsamic vinegar, or red wine vinegar to your sautés; also basil and dill. You will be amazed at how a little seasoning can help your taste buds swallow what is good for you!
The Sweet corm is a bi-color variety that we always have in August. it is delicious. I had some yesterday (Sunday) that was picked on Friday and went to market on Saturday, sat out in the heat, did not sell, sat over night and I ate it on Sunday and it was delicious. So- not suggesting that you go to this extreme to see if yours will taste as good, but this is GOOD CORN!
We have lots of tomatoes - heirloom, red and cherry tomatoes, so you will be getting them again. Time for tomato sandwiches or BLTs or just tomato snacks.
Have a great week. Do not forget about the online store. Check it out! I am updating it every week to add new items. We have our first eating apples of the year - William's Pride! We also have blackberries and we still have a few sour cherries left. We are selling chickens very quickly - so check these things out if you are interested.
Gregg, Louise and Oliver Keckler
Orchard Country produce and Fruit Farm, Inc