Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Strawberries Fewer, But Great Tasting!

Blackberries Coming On Strong

Peaches Starting Later This Week!

The strawberries are near the end of their season, and, although the plants are now producing much fewer ripe berries each day than they were at the peak of the season, the berries are the sweetest they have been this year.  With fewer people coming out to pick, the strawberry picking is pretty easy, because the fruit is not getting heavily picked over each day.  The plants will continue to produce until they are completely finished around the first week of June.

The blackberries are now beginning to bear ripe fruit fairly heavily each day, and few people are aware of this.  Therefore, right now is a great time to come pick blackberries!  We have a much smaller area planted to blackberries than what we have planted to strawberries, and also there are several varieties of blackberries, which do not all ripen at the same time.  With the high demand for the blackberries, they are usually picked out each day within the first couple of hours, particularly once everyone finds out that they are in season.  We are now taking appointments for 8:00 a.m. picking each morning for up to about half of the day's estimated crop.  The purpose of the appointments is to spread out the "serious pickers" (4 quarts or more) so that they don't all try to come the same day.  If you are only wanting to pick 1 or 2 quarts, along with other fruits, you do not need to make an appointment -- just show up at opening time, and we will have enough for you to pick.

Our first two peach varieties, Gold Prince and Regal, are ripening sooner that expected!  These two varieties will be available for the first day of pick-your-own this Friday, May 16th!  Each peach variety lasts for only about two weeks.  We have thirteen varieties, from May to early August.  As soon as I can find time, I will sit down with my crystal ball, and try the estimate this year's ripening times for all the varieties!  When I do, the schedule will be posted here, and revised weekly!

We are now opening earlier, at 8:00 a.m. Monday thru Saturday, and closing at 5:00 p.m. or earlier (if we sell out of ripe fruit before 5:00).  This week we will be closed by 2:00 p.m. each day.  Our shorter hours right now are due to lesser quantity of fruit, and lack of sufficient staffing to remain open all day, particularly with the need to tend to other crucial tasks in the afternoon, in preparation for the fast approaching peach season.  It is always best to call before coming to get the current hours and conditions:  830-997-9433

With earlier sunrises and hotter days approaching, it is also much more pleasant to come out for picking during the morning hours.

We usually do not know until the picking is finished on Saturday, whether or not we will have an adequate amount of additional ripe fruit for the next day, Sunday.  At that time the information is posted here and/or on the phone answering machine.  When we have enough fruit to justify opening on a Sunday, the hours are usually 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. 

The price for pick-your-own strawberries is $2.25/lb.  (plus a one-time charge of $.50 for the re-useable picking box).  The price in quart zip-lock bags is $2.35.

The price for pick-your-own blackberries is $2.50/lb.  (plus a one-time charge of $.50 for the re-useable picking box).  The price in quart zip-lock bags is $2.60.

The price for pick-your-own peaches is yet to be determined.  The prices on peaches are adjusted throughout the season to reflect the current average size and quality of picking available in a particular variety at the time.

Sorry, no credit cards -- cash or checks only.

Due to the very time-consuming nature of picking strawberries now that they have become much less abundant, we are no longer taking orders for strawberries that we pick.  Also, it is unlikely that we will be able pick any blackberries on order this year, due to what appears to be a slightly reduced crop, and high pick-your-own demand; and due to a shortage of laborers to pick them.  We may, however, have a few picked berries available for sale on some days, when pick-your-own customers have left us some un-picked surplus.

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Peaches

We began the tedious process of thinning (the hand removal of excess peaches in order to help increase the size of the remaining fruit) the second week of April, and we are now about half way through the orchard, having nearly completed all varieties that ripen between now and late June. 

We are also currently involved with a number of other tasks in preparation for the peach season:  irrigating, fertilizing, cutting suckers, spraying and mowing weeds, and spraying to control insects and diseases.

Most of our peach varieties (with a few exceptions) appear to have a fairly good size crop on them.  However, some varieties are still struggling to overcome a combination of weather-related stresses, which may have some effect on fruit development.  If we continue to fall behind on rainfall, that could become another stress, in spite of our irrigating.

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Blackberries

Our first three varieties of the season, Brazos, Rosborough and Womack, have begun ripening, and will last for about two to three weeks.  About the time these varieties are finishing out, the Apache and Kiowa varieties will be hitting their peak, and lasting until near the end of June.

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Vegetables

We transplanted our tomato plants on March 31st, and they are growing well, but they are probably at least four weeks away from having any significant production.

April 15th we seeded most of our other summer vegetables:  green beans, black-eyed peas, zucchini, yellow squash, okra, cucumber, cantaloupe and yellow watermelon.  Most of these will be available for harvest in June and July.  The cantaloupe and watermelon won't be ready until July.

We do not usually have spring vegetables, but this winter we had some extra space in our strawberry patch, and used it to plant some onions, potatoes, etc.  We are now harvesting our sugar snap peas and onions.  The potatoes will probably be ready late May or early June.