FFOF09
Thanksgiving is coming early at Three Springs as we take time to thank all of you for your patronage this year. What a wild year it was - lots of rain and temperatures that didn't follow any season or schedule particularly well. Please read on as I express my gratitude and detail a few more specials we hope you'll find helpful as you stock up for Thanksgiving and stuff your coffers as we bid adieu to the 2009 Farmers Market Season! Thanks for your patronage, thanks for being great customers we could look forward to each week, and thanks for reading your weekly Three Springs Market updates!
Schedule - last week for all markets! See you all again in May!
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
Market Produce
- Jonagold - bring a ton so you can mix a few into your crates
- Fuji - usually a terrific keeper, these appear to be keeping not as well
- Staymen/Winesap - much much better than meets the eye! Tart and yummy
- Mutsu - sweet, tangy and very large!
- Golden Delicious - STILL NOT MUSHY! Staying very firm!
- Red Delicious - sweet. red. apples
- Empire - you're still in luck for the last week of markets, we will have enough
- Rome Beauty - excellent keepers for your crate deal and pie pursuits
- Cameo - still one of my favorites! If you haven't tried them, you're missing out!
- Bartlett Pears - can't believe we'll have them 'till the end, but here they are!
- Bosc Pears - sweetest of all our fruits, close in texture to asian pears
- Onions - Only 'Candy' yellow remain
- Potatoes - 'Eva' is the white and 'Villetta Rose' is the red. Very versatile for baked, fried, and mashed! 7 pound sacks to take with you!
- Winter Squash - finally getting picked!!!!
"A Reason to Give Thanks"
It's hard to believe it's over! After 148 markets and all the picking, sorting, sweat, stacking, and late night/early morning combinations that went into it all, the 2009 Farmers Market Season at Three Springs Fruit Farm is coming to a close. 
In this, our last regular correspondence with our loyal customers till May, I want to express our gratitude on behalf of all of the Wenks and all of our market staff for taking the time to shop with us. Thanks for making our markets fun events to attend. We're thankful that you've chosen to put a value on local foods in general and on our local foods specifically. Knowing that we are working to make food for people is part of what draws us to this line of work and being able to put faces to and build relationships with those people makes it all the more rewarding for us.
To show our thanks, we're offering a couple additional discounts at all of our final markets. First, we have the seven pound sack-o-potatoes. If you like spuds like I like spuds, you can go through seven pounds with little difficulty - especially if you're mashing some for friends and family this week. Also, our popular canned peaches and jars of fruit butters do make a few trips back and forth to and from market. During their journey, a few labels get roughed up. Check our display for cans and jars with inferior labels marked at $3 for big discounts on these items. Feel free to reply to this email to order a case of any of these at a time for even bigger discounts. Also, because our cider freezes well with a little removed to leave expansion space, help yourself to 2 gallons of cider for $10 in our final weekend at market. All these, in addition to your $0.80/lb bulk apple deal should allow you to stock up for cheap. It's the least we owe you folks for being excellent customers all year long. Thanks again and we'll be in touch again for a mid-offseason update later on!
From Our Farm, to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
Go! State! Beat! The Spartans!
The leaves are falling and our supplies are starting to give way. As many have you have already learned, the Honeycrisp are history for another year. I'm emphasized it before, but we really wish we did have them and we'd rather have them than not. Some folks are really upset by this news, and while we understand, we did everything in our power to have them as long as we could. Could we have done better? Perhaps, but we'll know better 'till next year. In the meantime, we've got Gala to get us "darn close" to Thanksgiving, and popular choices like Jonagold, Fuji, and Staymen continue to be readily available now and well beyond this week's Three Springs Market update.
Schedule - just 2 weeks remain!
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm now extended through Nov
Market Produce
- Gala - now moves to the top of the "best sellers" list for Three Springs
- Jonagold - still staff consensus "best Honeycrisp impression"
- Fuji - following closely behind Jonagold in Honeycrisp similarity
- Staymen/Winesap - cult classic!
- Nittany - it takes more than 3 1/2 dismal hours on a Saturday to damage our Nittany pride!
- Mutsu - Yellow and "Sweetang-y" grower inside joke! Am I allowed to go there?
- Golden Delicious - STILL NOT MUSHY!
- Red Delicious - sweet. red. apples
- Empire - supplies still looking good for now
- Rome Beauty - firm and yummy for all your culinary pursuits
- Cameo - tastes terrific and has that "market apple" look to it - becoming rarer in store shelves because it doesn't look like a "supermarket" apple. Who cares?
- Bartlett Pears - clinging to life!
- Bosc Pears - sweetest of all our fruits, close in texture to asian pears
- Onions - Only 'Candy' yellow remain
- Potatoes - 'Eva' is the white and 'Villetta Rose' is the red. Very versatile for baked, fried, and mashed!
- Winter Squash - finally getting picked!!!!
"Traveling Without Moving"
No fun trips this week, just the day to day routine of a fruit farm that is stuck between the rapid pace of a growing season and the big exhale that signals the start of a little bit of down time. Perhaps as a way to look forward for me, I'm making "down time" the subject of this entry, since we're asked about it frequently.
So what does the farm, meaning "you guys", do in the winter? Well, the work doesn't really end, it's more the pace at which we work and the kind of work being done. There are a number of vital things that we must do every winter that we either can't do during the growing season or do not make time to do during our growing season. The first of which is tree pruning. Nearly all of our fruit trees are pruned every year. A few blocks of processing apples might only be pruned every other year, but it's likely going to be every single tree pruned every year. Most of our larger pruning jobs are handled by our dillegent harvesting crew who do a pretty good job of recieving instruction and pruning the trees the way we like them to be pruned. We pick and choose which crew would be right for which blocks based on their level of skill at the job. We, as farm managers, will cover the delicate jobs ourselves - younger trees, mostly. At its youngest stages, trees are less able to recover from a blotched pruning job, so we insure that this isn't the case by establishing the tree architecture ourselves. Furthermore, there's always a decent amount of machine shop work - patchy repairs that get "fixed", making new equipment, building projects, etc. that are good winter work. We'll be building a cold storage this winter which will be another huge asset for us.
Another significant thing is planning. Farmers know that there is no real point in having a "5 year plan" or something of that nature, because things will always come up, new opportunities arise, new regulations, changing markets etc. - it's a fruitless endeavor, so to speak. We do come together to talk about the general direction or general goals we have and do some nuts and bolts planning at least a year or two in advance - crops we'll grow, trees we'll plant and where, buildings/equipment that might need purchased etc.
Last, but not the least of which is attending meetings and staying on the cutting edge of research and marketing in our industry. We take this very seriously and devote a large amount of time to it. Just for example, meetings we'll currently plan on attending (without the aid of a calendar to catch the ones I can't remember now):
- Great Lakes Fruit Expo Conference, MI
- Mid Atlantic Fruit & Vegetable Conference (State Hort. Assoc. of PA)
- Pennsylvania Assoc. for Sustainable Ag (PASA) Conference
- Adams County Fruit Growers Mtg
- P.R.O.F.I.T. PSU Organic Apple Research Update
- Intensive Fruit School PSU
Plus the likelihood of a good Ag Issues breakfast/Ag Innovations demonstration or two along the way, in addition to our frequent private meetings with our local PSU research/extension professionals, private business consultant, vendor meetings for markets, and marketing excursions. I'm hoping to catch FutureHarvest this year too. I don't bring this up as a testimony our devotion to growing - we hope that comes out in our products. It's just an illustration that our farm maybe isn't as different from where you work in a lot of ways that you maybe hadn't considered. The difference is, we do all of our travelling, meeting, and marketing seasonally - and why wouldn't we, we're a farm afterall!
And of course, we do find some time for rest and relaxation!
From Our Farm, to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
Go! State! Beat! The Hooisers!
As we tarry on, drawing closer to our market finales, we're pleased to announce more bulk deals should you want to stock up to last through the offseason. The baseball offseason came too soon to Phillies and Yankee haters alike. As someone who's passion has been continuously crushed by this sports team, I urge all like-minded folks not to be bitter, enraged, or philosophically downtrodden. I've experienced all of these - it's really best to re-double the pride you have in your team since any person can be/likely is a Yankees fan. For the rest of us, there's pride in not being front runners or bandwagoners. Read on to check out some pics from an awesome orchard tour I attended Thursday in this week's Three Springs Market update.
Schedule - just 3 weeks remain!
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm now extended through Nov
Market Produce
- Honeycrisp - likely last call! Sorry!
- Gala - If we're out of Honeycrisp, Gala and the next five varieties should "take the edge off"
- Jonagold - My personal quasi Honeycrisp replacement
- Fuji - great storage apples if you need to stock up
- Staymen/Winesap - the tartest of the "pick 6" Honeycrisp subs
- Nittany - We've got big time Nittany pride this week!
- Mutsu - Big, sweet, tangy
- Golden Delicious - STILL NOT MUSHY!
- Red Delicious - sweet. red. apples
- Empire - I think it's just one more week after this one
- Rome Beauty - pie makers delight
- Cameo - officially Ben's new favorite apple. Probably the only one I'm eating regularly right now
- Bartlett Pears - don't blink!
- Bosc Pears - sweeter yet, closest in texture to asian pears
- Onions - Only 'Candy' yellow remain
- Potatoes - 'Eva' is the white and 'Villetta Rose' is the red. Very versatile for baked, fried, and mashed!
- Winter Squash - finally getting picked!!!!
"YGA Tour: Milburn Orchards and Adams County Nursery"
I'll cut to the chase on weekly specials and follow that up with my fun day on the road this week.
Starting this week and for the remainder of market season, you can take a case of any of our canned products home with you for a big bulk discount! Canned Peaches are available at $75/24 can case, a savings of 30% off our regular price. Apple Sauce is sold in cases of 12 jars for $35 bulk, a savings of 17%. Twelve jars of apple and pear butter at the same price gives you a 27% discount. We'd prefer these bulk sales be preordered by simply replying to this email or by contacting us through our website, though if you forget, it never hurts to ask at market. We can split up mixed cases of apple butter, if you wanted a few different recipes, mix in some pear butter too! Great gifts for the foodies and locavores on your shopping list!
Now, on to the tour! I'm very fortunate as a young person in the fruit business to be able to travel and network with an inspiring organization called the Mid Atlantic Young Growers Alliance. Those of you with whom I've spoken about my love of travelling have heard me talk about a trip we made to New Zealand in 2008 under the guidance of the awesome folks at Chesley Vegetable Farm in Smithsburg, MD. This past Thursday, our group of young growers travelled to a top drawer U-Pick and retail operation in Elkton, MD and to the production site of Adams County Nursery.
Nathan Milburn (pic, right) of Milburn Orchards is not only certain to blow you away with enthusiasm and honesty when you talk to him, he's also likely to downplay what a great grower he truly is. He and his father Evan, in addition to the numerous other family members operating the farm, farmstand, restaurant etc. have attracted an incredible following of loyal customers. In 2008, Evan and Nathan were honored as Apple Grower of the Year and having seen this farm, I can see the hard work they have both put into making Milburn Orchards what it is now. Definately a destination for pick-your-own folks.
From the PA/DE/MD tri-state area to a little south of Dover, DE our group of 20+ young growers and University personnel trekked to the sandy soils of the Adams County Nursery Delaware production site to see where and how the trees we plant are grown. The Baugher Family (pictured below John, Jen Baugher Snavely - 3Springs alum!) has owned and operated their commerical tree fruit nursery since 1905. It's digging season at the nursery and we were there to see the trees being dug up, cleaned, wetted down and stacked by the thousands on wagons (pic) and put into storage until we can plant them this spring. At a mere eighteen inches between trees and only "20-couple" (pardon my local vernacular) between rows, they're growing over 8,000 trees in every acre (production orchards are between 110 - 600 trees per acre on the east coast, approximately). Very neat for me to check out how all this is done. 
From Our Farm, to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
Go! State! Beat! The Buckeyes!
Is it too much to ask for a little sun to go with this welcomed dry weather? Perhaps I should just be satisfied with seasonal temps and parking our canoes at this point. Apple harvest is drawing to a close here at Three Springs and we're looking forward to finally getting out from under that sizeable load. If I can get into town tomorrow, I'll be sure to grab some batteries and take some pictures because it's too pretty this fall to have no pictures in this week's Three Springs market update.
Schedule - just 4 weeks remain!
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm now extended through Nov
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Honeycrisp - the situation is more dire than my early prognosis. Barely 2 weeks of Honeycrisp left.
- Gala - sweet and crunchy as always
- Jonagold - holdin' on strong
- Fuji - great apples if you want to take advantage of the crate deal
- Staymen/Winesap - likewise these yummy tart apples
- Nittany - apologies for loosing these in the shuffle - they're back again this week
- Mutsu - Big, sweet, tangy
- Golden Delicious - STILL NOT MUSHY!
- Red Delicious - sweet. red. apples
- Empire - two weeks left to get your Empires!
- Rome Beauty - pie makers delight
- Cameo - the more I snack, the more quickly I put them up there with Jonagold
- Bartlett Pears - supplies getting a little shorter now
- Bosc Pears - sweeter yet, closest in texture to asian pears
- Onions - Only 'Candy' yellow remain
- Potatoes - 'Eva' is the white and 'Villetta Rose' is the red. Very versatile for baked, fried, and mashed!
- Winter Squash - finally getting picked!!!! Butternuts and Queensland Blue Pie Pumpkins are finally here!
"Leaves That Are Green Turn To Brown"
Regular blog readers going back to previous years will remember that I tend to listen to a lot more Simon and Garfunkle in the autumn weeks leading up to winter. A lot of those tunes have a really autumn feel to them.
Well, it's been a long, hard couple of weeks now as I recounted to Lem, our "cider man" today. He's finally into "exhale" mode and I see I've got about 5-10 days left before I'm able to exhale and step back from the madness a little bit. I've started getting a little bit zany at market lately so by all means laugh at me because I know I'm laughing at myself already.
Thanks to all of our customers who shop with us at Wakefield. I know it stinks, your market it is the first on our roster to close for the season. However, I know a lot of you folks stocked up on the crate deal and are all set 'till May. Hopefully it will sneak up on you all like I know it does each spring for me.
I'm still coming up with a costume for Harbor East this Saturday (yes, this means I'll be there!)... I'm open for suggestions, although, I'm really comin' down to the wire at this point. I wanted to be Capt. Crunch but I don't think they make sea captain costumes in that shade of blue.
Without wandering too far off topic, this cider batch we've got going tomorrow is one part Staymen, two parts mixed so I think this might be the best one yet. We'll see, but I'm definately anxious to try it. 'Till next time, folks!
From Our Farm, to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
Go! State! Beat! The Wildcats!
Relief! Finally some good weather to follow up the misery that was last week! All the raw, rainy, coldness has been driven away and replaced by the awesome, seasonal temps that make fall so great! Add to that some spectacular foliage in our neck of the woods and we're smack dab in my favorite time of year. Sure we're busy with apples to the point of dizziness, sure - but it's football and apple cider, your favorite hoodie/sweater and some playoff baseball and this Three Springs Market update!
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm now extended through Nov
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm last market this week, thanks to all of our great N'rn VA customers!
Market Produce
- Honeycrisp - still chugging along... might not make it to Thanksgiving though
- Gala - still a go-to option for lunches and sandwiches
- Jonagold - probably my second favorite next to Honeycrisp
- Fuji - The Fuji gap has been bridged! Eat up!
- Staymen/Winesap - One of those you can only find at your farmers market - very sought after fruits this time of year
- Cortland - last week for sure!
- Nittany - have that creamy sweetness, touch of tart flavor
- Mutsu - Big, sweet, tangy
- Golden Delicious - STILL NOT MUSHY!
- Red Delicious - sweet. red. apples
- Empire - snappy little versitile apples
- Rome Beauty - pie makers delight
- Cameo - your favorite this past spring is back and fresh off the tree
- Bartlett Pears - still soft and sweet
- Bosc Pears - sweeter yet, closest in texture to asian pears
- Onions - Only 'Candy' yellow remain
- Potatoes - 'Eva' is the white and 'Villetta Rose' is the red. Very versatile for baked, fried, and mashed!
- Pumpkins - just a few remain!
- Winter Squash - They're out there, but they're not getting picked
"Drying Out"
The coldy rainy week that was is finally over! Grey, raw, windy, and wet - frankly, I don't care to say another word about it!
Besides, it's been really nice out for a few days now - it's my favorite time of year. Put on your favorite hoodie/sweater because it doesn't get much better than this - that autumn crispness in the air. Before winter sets in, it's time to appreciate fall and all it offers - especially when the transition from summer to winter seems to be so short.
This week is the first week in a while where we might have fewer varieties than the week before. Earlier varieties that we don't grow en masse such as Smokehouse, Cortland, and Jonathan are either past their prime, all sold, or on their way out.
Fortunately, we're not going anywhere anytime soon! With the exception of Wakefield Park (fare the well until next year), we'll be attending all of our markets 'till the week before Thanksgiving with plenty of these fall staples you've enjoyed over the past few weeks. As we near the end of the season, don't hesitate to respond to this email and order a whole crate of one variety or another for a large apple pie/sauce/butter etc. project, or just for eating over the winter months. We try our best to cater to these special requests and should be able to handle most of them for most varieties. So long as the weather remains on our side, that is!
From Our Farm, to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
Go! State! Beat! Michigan!
Come on down! We're bringing Fuji and Staymen to market and we're coming down on the price of all 16 varieties of apples and two varieties of pearsat all of our markets starting this week. As always, you can fill a crate of apples (and pears) for $20, an absurd bargain! It's fall - time to take advantage of the peak of apple season! Cider is peaking now too as a little of all our varieties are joining in on the fun! All this and more in this week's market update!
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm only 2 left!
Market Produce
- Honeycrisp! - Still got 'em!
- Old Fashioned "Must Eat" Apple Cider - our award winning cider is chock full of Stayman and everything else! Should be dyn-o-mite!
- Jonagold - Second only to Honeycrisp
- Fuji - BAM! We're back in business. Nice looking crop of Fuji this year
- Stayman/Winesap- is probably the favorite apple of most fruitgrowers we know. It's tart and favorful; great for eating or baking
Smokehouse - Still going strong, tart apple fans
- Cortland - supplies dwindling!
Nittany - mention the PSU score (provided we win) and get a free apple! Offer good for the rest of the season!
- Rome - Pie makers rejoice!
- Mutsu - HUGE and yummy!
- Gold Delicious - STILL NOT MUSHY!
- Red Delicious - sweet. red. apples
- Empire - a lot like Macintosh
- Jonathan - still the most underrated apple we grow! supplies dwindling
- Yellow Bartlett Pears - smooth and sweet
- Bosc Pears - firm and a little bit of grit to go with the sweetness!
- Onions - Only 'Candy' yellow remain
- Potatoes - 'Eva' is the white and 'Villetta Rose' is the red. Very versatile for baked, fried, and mashed!
- Pumpkins - old fashioned Howdens for pies and jack-o-lanterns. Still working out the logistics of getting these hulking things to market (4-30 lbs/piece)
- Winter Squash - our mini acorns are ready, likewise dumpling and delicata squash. Still waiting on our butternuts and spaghetti squash!
"It's Coming Down"
We're down to the last 6 markets, everybody! Can you believe it? I cannot! Aint it funny, how time slips away?
As we march proudly towards the finish, we're going to start rolling out some very cool "customer appreciation-type" specials for everyone! We're starting this week by coming down $0.20/lb on apples across the board! So stock up and get creative! We've heard back from some customers using apples in pretty outstanding ways! Baking them with a little caramel liqueur, sandwiches - a little goat cheese or artisian cheese from some of our lovely neighbors (be sure to ask for recommendations, we've had and enjoyed them all at this point)! Expect some very nice potato deals in the coming weeks as well as we roll out our red and white spuds in our handy 7 lb. sacks! As I mentioned earlier, we'll also hook you up with a 1/2 bushel (approx. 25 lb.) for $20 from here 'till the end of the season. As we approach November, it'll be time to start thinking about email ordering a few crates in advance to get you through the offseason. Varieties like Fuji, Rome, York, and Staymen can often last months is somewhere as cool as your basement! Think of it, local, tasty, IPM apples that don't suck... at your disposal for months after the bad weather comes. It's a good thing!
Am I allowed to use that line?
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
Go! State! Beat! The Gophers!
Wild state of flux! No Harbor East on Saturday due to the Baltimore Marathon - substitute instead a special stand at the Kennett Square Farmer's Market as they celebrate autumn with their Fermentation Festival. How's that for timing? This disruption of my schedule makes for a very "succinct" weekly market update (check out new apple varieties below)!
Schedule
- Friday - Kennett Square Farmer's Market 2-6pm *Fermentation Festival*
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon (Baltimore Marathon - we'll see you the following week)
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Honeycrisp! - it's "the cat's pajamas" of eating apples
- Old Fashioned "Must Eat" Apple Cider - our award winning cider is finally up to the top of my discerning tastes. This week, the cider is as good as I've learned to make it!
- Jonagold - Check these out!
- Fuji Gap! the wait lingers on - forecasting next week arrival!
- Smokehouse - tartish and yummy
- Cortland - If you like Mac - you'll never go back! Try one!
- Nittany - worthy of it's fine name (maybe I'm biased...) baking and snacking, very firm
- Rome - pie maker no.1! Pair with Golds and experience the best pie blend ever!
- Mutsu - similarly to Smokehouse fans, the people who like Mutsu really like Mutsu
- Gold Delicious - STILL NOT MUSHY!
- Red Delicious - sweet. red. apples
- Empire - sought after - featured in Parade magazine!
- Jonathan - still the most underrated apple we grow!
- Yellow Bartlett Pears - smooth and sweet
- Bosc Pears - firm and a little bit of grit to go with the sweetness!
- Onions - Only 'Candy' yellow remain
- Potatoes - 'Eva' is the white and 'Villetta Rose' is the red. Very versitile for baked, fried, and mashed!
- Pumpkins - old fashioned Howdens for pies and jack-o-lanterns. Still working out the logistics of getting these hulking things to market (4-30 lbs/piece)
- Winter Squash - our mini acorns are ready, likewise dumpling and delicata squash. Still waiting on our butternuts and spaghetti squash!
"I Need A Moment to Ferment"
We're pretty pumped about Kennett Square's First-Ever Fermentation Festival and our involvement in it. Me and my uncle John are homebrew/winemaking enthusiasts, making this festival right up our alley! Though we're still novices in this realm, we look forward to meeting some brewers and winemakers in Kennett Square in addition to some new customers in this beautiful old town (Mushroom Capital USA, if you weren't aware).
Because we are asked frequently, I'll pass along that our apple cider is 100% brewer/winemaker approved. While it's true you need to use unpasteurized cider to make hard cider and wine, UV pasteurized (our sterilization method) does not hinder the cider's capacity for fermentation. It's the best of both worlds! So if you're keen to try a batch (it's really simple) or have a friend or relative you know has experimented in the past, we've got you covered! Additional cider, should you need a lot, can always be ordered from us through this email or by our website in advance of your favorite farmers market. This goes the same for (nearly) anything we carry that you might require in bulk. We are here to serve you!
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
Go! State! Beat! The ... Eastern Illinois "Somethings"... !
Away we go! Adding more apple varieties, subtracting a few others. I'm finding the previous two cider pressings to be most pleasing we've had yet and I'm hoping you will too. I have a few words to share about festivities close to our home here in Adams County that I find to be worth passing along. Keep a heads up for Mutsu and Nittany in time for next week's markets with Staymen and Cameo still a little farther from ripening. Read on to discover which apples are new for this week's market update!
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Honeycrisp! - it's "the cat's pajamas" of eating apples
- Old Fashioned "Must Eat" Apple Cider - our award winning cider is finally up to the top of my discerning tastes. This week, the cider is as good as I've learned to make it!
- Jonagold - Another "heavy hitter" on our apple display makes its debut and I've gotta be honest, these apples look as pretty in a bin as any we've grown that I've been around to see!
- Fuji Gap! the wait lingers on!
- Smokehouse - Found another 23-bu bin in the storage today! Great news for everyone!
- Cortland - wow! First crop of Cortland and size is super... likewise the flavor!
- Gold Delicious - ARE NOT MUSHY! THESE ARE FRESH FRESH FRESH!
- Red Delicious - the old standby. Some folks just want a red apple, and we've got 'em!
- Empire - similar and slightly tarter than Cortland (above)
- Jonathan - still the most underrated apple we grow!
- Grimes Golden - last chance!
- Yellow Bartlett Pears - smooth and sweet
- Bosc Pears - firm and a little bit of grit to go with the sweetness!
- Onions - Candy are the yellow onions, Mars the red. Both are sweet and fresh and full of flavor
- Potatoes - 'Eva' is the white and 'Villetta Rose' is the red. Very versitile for baked, fried, and mashed!
- Pumpkins - old fashioned Howdens for pies and jack-o-lanterns. Still working out the logistics of getting these hulking things to market (4-30 lbs/piece)
- Winter Squash - our mini acorns are ready, likewise dumpling and delicata squash. Still waiting on our butternuts and spaghetti squash!
"Getting a Little Crowded"
That's what some of we proud locals of Adams County will be saying this weekend and next. Not only is Adams County PA the top apple county in PA (and 5th largest nationally), but we are the host of the National Apple Harvest Festival!
This year the South Mountain Fairgrounds, located just west of Arendtsville, PA and mere minutes from Three Springs Fruit Farm, will host the 45th Annual National Apple Harvest Festival. Each year during the first two weekends in October, the festival attracts thousands of visitors to our area and our little towns and country roads get a little busier for a change! The festival is full of crafts, music, history and, above all, FOOD! Specifically apples, as you might imagine. If there's anything that can be made from an apple, you can likely find it at this festival! And because folks familiar with the Texas state fair are sure to ask, there are no deep fried apples... yet! Probably a good thing!
Anyhow, I thought it worth mentioning since it does a lot to help our small rural community. I also wanted to put the idea in everyone's head in case there was ever any interest in folks coming to visit the farm. It seems like a natural marriage for folks wanted to tour our farm to be able to take in the festival in the same trip. So, I leave it up to you folks. Is this something you'd be interested in for the future? We're anxious to hear from you. With Gettysburg a mere dozen miles or so from the Festival, it's a great chance for an affordable, however quaint, weekend getaway!
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
Go! State! Beat! The Illini!
And just like that, it's the last full week in September! Where does the time go? I guess it left with summer (officially). Welcome to autumn - where the nights get chilly, the apples get more bountiful, and I wait out my winter squash to find out if they will mature before the frost or if the whole thing was an ill-timed mistake! Gotta get them in earlier next year! A new feature to our blog appeared this week, inspired by two particularly good questions posed by viewers of our website (? #1, ? #2). Some new apples arrived, others are very close, but not in time for this week's Three Springs Market update.
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Saturday - Green Spring Station Farmers Market 2pm-5:30pm
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Honeycrisp! - Boo-yah!
- Old Fashioned "Must Eat" Apple Cider - our award winning cider has been hard to stock! We are officially in demand!
- Fuji Gap! the wait continues
- Smokehouse - These are always gone to soon. 2 more weeks?!
- Empire - The tart-ish, full flavored apple that fills all roles - baking and snacking
- Jonathan - the most underrated apple we grow! Small in size, big on old time flavor. Slightly tart but with distinctive crispness and flavor.
- Grimes Golden - see entry for "Smokehouse" - don't assume "next week" will ever come at this point
- Ida Red - Pie makers' treat!
- Yellow Bartlett Pears - A ripened pear is one of the sweetest fruits you can find at a farmers market!
- Bosc Pears - to rights, the very sweeting thing we pick at Three Springs!
- Gala Apples - Syrupy sweet, not watery sweet and still in high demand
- Gingergold Apples - A tasty blend of sweet and tart, just a few weeks left
- Rambo - we're bringin' it back!
- Tomatoes - gulp! any?!
- Onions - Candy are the yellow onions, Mars the red. Both are sweet and fresh and full of flavor
- Eggplant - see "tomatoes"
- Potatoes - 'Eva' is the white and 'Villetta Rose' is the red. Very versitile for baked, fried, and mashed!
"Close, But No Cigar"
Empire are always good sellers for us - especially for folks that prefer Macintosh. They're new this week. As are Bosc pears - really tasty and as sweet as any tree fruit we grow for sure. Still, we're just barely missing out on having Gold Delicious, Red Delicious, and (most importantly) Jonagold - a "top 5" apple at Three Springs. Tuesday or Wednesday, you might see these making their debut.
Some of you might be saying to yourself, "Please, Wenk - don't even kid me with Gold and Red Delicious! What a joke! Nobody likes that mushy garbage!" To the contrary, without me getting on my soapbox...
Gold Delicious has been around a very, very long time and there's a good reason for it. It's very delicious! It's got a really super flavor that's sweet but not too sweet. It's a terrific baking apple - good in any type of dessert you'd use an apple in. It makes a superior apple juice - with a clarity that's as pure as a bell tone. The fact that many people have been turned off to them with mushy, poor quality, supermarket versions of this variety is an industry-wide problem for we apple growers, but that's not to take away from Gold Delicious as a variety. But, as LeVar Burton might say in a popular Public Television program of my youth, "you don't have to take my word for it!" Check back in next week.
This week, I wanted to introduce everyone to some trees that will be growing fruit for you all in the future. Pictured here (in alternating rows of new Jonathan trees) is a new variety that I don't know of anyone else growing and bringing to market. It's a variety I fell in love with during my semester working at the PSU Horticulture Farm - part of its variety trial. It's identity is to remain a secret for now, but readers of our updates and blogs will one day be able to say "oh, these are from THOSE trees!" And I'll have a big smile on my face, because I know everyone's going to love them!
A quick note before I adjourn. Poor sales at our Saturday afternoon market at Greenspring Station could no longer support our time and effort going there. We hope our friendly and loyal customers seek us out at our other Baltimore area markets Tuesdays at Kenilworth Drive in Towson, or at Harbor East earlier that morning.
(But wait a second, he didn't offer any such retort for Red Delicious...)
... That's all folks!
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
Go! State! Beat! The HAWKEYES!
Feel that chilly wind blowin'? It signals the changing of the seasons, not only outside your window but at your favorite farmers' market. Out with fresh summer produce and in with your favorite autumn comfort foods! Plenty of apples, cider, potatoes, onions, and so much more. But as for the peach season, see link. Sadly, you can all but say the same thing about our tomato crop as well. We'll try to carry on without them, but they will both be seriously missed. But, since we get so many interested folks asking questions, read on to see cider making pics!
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Saturday - Green Spring Station Farmers Market 2pm-5:30pm
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Honeycrisp! - As peaches bid a fond adieu, Honeycrisp inherits the "rock star" status on our display for the near future.
- Old Fashioned "Must Eat" Apple Cider - our award winning cider this week is equal parts 1) Jonathan, 2) Gala, and 3) everything else. Yum! I've been tweeting updates on each batch for weekend markets.
- Fuji Gap! more coming later
- Smokehouse - The folks who love Smokehouse, really love Smokehouse! An old-time favorite
- Jonathan - the most underrated apple we grow! Small in size, big on old time flavor. Slightly tart but with distinctive crispness and flavor.
- Grimes Golden - The response from Relish magazine readers was staggering! We can't ship Grimes to the 15 states we were asked to, our market customers wouldn't get theirs!
- Ida Red - Pie makers' treat!
- Yellow Bartlett Pears - A ripened pear is one of the sweetest fruits you can find at a farmers market!
- Gala Apples - Syrupy sweet, not watery sweet and still in high demand
- Gingergold Apples - A tasty blend of sweet and tart, just a few weeks left
- Rambo - we're bringin' it back!
- Tomatoes - Just a few for this week! I'm sorry - it's not looking good
- Onions - Candy are the yellow onions, Mars the red. Both are sweet and fresh and full of flavor
- Eggplant - just a few, if that
- Potatoes - 'Eva' is the white and 'Villetta Rose' is the red. Very versitile for baked, fried, and mashed!
"How to Make the Cider"
In a preview of a forthcoming blog entry, we have some cider pics to share. These were taken Monday morning on the farm of Eden Valley just over the county line near Dillsburg, PA where Lemuel Christophel custom presses our apple cider. 
Lem also comes from a farming family and our Philly customers can shop with his family at The Food Trust's Overbrook and Clark Park markets on Saturdays. In addition to other odd jobs he keeps up with over the course of the year, he owns and operates his own cider press, Circle C Cider. He made some upgrades to his equipment and showed me around a little bit.
His operation was aided this year with the addition of a used accordian-style press to replace the vertical press he used each of the last two years. This model is more effective - higher yields of cider and also much faster.
The apples are inspected as they are dumped on the conveyor as you see in the first picture. The next stop for the apples is the washer unit, insuring only good, clean apples get pressed. The wet apples next stop is in the grinder where the whole apple, core and all, is finely ground. This ground product, or pumice, is pumped through a tube - the end of which is directed into the folds of the accordian press. As the full section of the accordian presses, the other side opens - ready for the next batch of pumice. The dried, used pumice is applied to the field to decompose and add nitrogen. The cider, meanwhile, is collected and pumped through the UV light which removes 99.9999% of bacteria and pathogens - right on par with any kind of pasteurization, the most common of which is thermal (heat) pasteurization. More on this in an upcoming blog!
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
Go! State! Beat! The Owls!
"You Know It's a 'Normal' Year When Everything is Messed Up" is the thought that occurred to me when I had a chance to step back from it all and take inventory of this year. I'm leading up to something here, don't worry! Whereas diseases were prevalent this year, the strawberries soggy, melons cracked in the field, and tomatoes were way late... apples, this year are maturing earlier than expected. So while we don't have room to "make way" for apples, neither in our trucks or on our tables, here come the apples - including a word on "Fuji", a fan favorite available this weekend. I found my digital camera in time for this week's Three Springs Market Update!
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Saturday - Green Spring Station Farmers Market 2pm-5:30pm
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm Welcome Back!
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Peaches - "Cresthaven" are still Ben's favorite and are proving it again this week! We've confirmed with our customers, they achieved "leaner" status!
- White Peaches - "Snow King" are packed with sugary sweetness!
- Honeycrisp! - The "It" apple of our generation. Simply put, it possesses all of the qualities you ever would want in a fresh, eating apple!
- Old Fashioned "Must Eat" Apple Cider - our award winning cider is a killer blend of Summer Rambo, Gala, Jonathan, and Gingergold this week... it's not even pressed yet and I know it's inspirational-quality stuff!
- Fuji - these tasty, sweet crisp fruits of Japanese origins are available in September!? You heard right! Read more below!
- Smokehouse - Heirloom/Heritage/Old Fashioned variety of distinction. If you have any affinity for tart eating apples, this is a must buy! Super pie apple too, as are...
- Grimes Golden - Smaller, tarter and hard to find - this is an old favorite of Appalachian cider makers! A truly unique flavor!
- Ida Red - A cross between Jonathan x Wagener,
- Yellow Bartlett Pears - A ripened pear is one of the sweetest fruits you can find at a farmers market!
- Gala Apples - Syrupy sweet, not watery sweet!
- Gingergold Apples - A tasty blend of sweet and tart
- Blackberries - slowing down big time!
- Tomatoes - The abundance has quickly diminished! San Marzano specials all week!
- Onions - I'd forgot to menion our onions! The same yummy ones in our spring onions are ready to be taken home and cut up! Red onions for those Labor Day burgers!
- Okra - terrific sounding recipe for sauteed okra on the blog of Relish Magazine!
- Eggplant - starting to give 'way a little bit too!
"Another Normal Year"
There are now sufficient abnormalities to dub the 2009 a "normal year". As far as I can tell, a "normal year" is one in which you can predict nothing about how things will ripen and how the weather we be suitable, or in most cases, unsuitable. 
This revelation occurred when in one day's time, my father had called me and asked what quantity of four different apple varieties I would need for our farmers markets and wholesale deliveries. All apples varieities, it seems, are ripening earlier both here at Three Springs and talking to other growers in our area. This is generally a good thing, seeing as it will likely mean that we will have all of the apples picked earlier than previous years. However, talking to other growers, the size of the apple crop across the United States this year is likely to fit farmers pretty hard as many apple-producing states will have record crops for 2009.
Moving on to better news - you folks are the beneficiaries! This week we will have the heirloom varieties "Smokehouse" and "Grimes Golden" plus our first pressing of our award-winning "Must Eat" cider. We also have Ida Red, sought after apple for pies and other culinary pursuits (all three varieties, incidentally, are referenced in our Relish article). Fuji, also available for this week, provides a "teachable moment", to borrow from an overused phrase.
Three years ago, we planted a large block (actually 2 blocks) of fresh markets apples up the hill from the house in which I grew up. This was actually the first block of apples I helped plant - a footnote to this little story. One of the varieties planted was 'September Wonder Fuji' - a 'sport' or 'species' of Fuji that ripens in September, weeks before your "regular" Fuji variety (also known as 'Myra' Fuji) ripen. So which funky labrat made all of this possible?
To the contrary there is not now available a genetically modified tree fruit you can grow or buy in the US, for those who are concerned about GMOs. Chance mutations within a variety of apples (especially) is not uncommon. Mutations can be 'whole tree' mutations or simply one limb, a 'limb sport'. This is a topic worthy of its own blog, but essentially, somebody found that one limb on their regular Fuji tree was ripe 3 or 4 weeks early. Cuttings were made, and a new variety is born. Other apple varieties are born of classical breeding programs at Universities and Research Facilities alike. Sometimes mutations create new, unique varieties, sometimes significant variations of the parent variety - a well-colored Gala, a larger sized McIntosh etc.
What this means for this year, when September Wonder Fuji is bearing its meager first crop of fruit, is that we will have a "Fuji Gap" between September Wonder and Myra until next year when the harvest will likely increase at least three fold! So "Mind The Gap" as they say in the UK, lest you be without Fuji for the "in between". 
Thanks to my friends Jordan and Alyssa, pictured here on location in Fishtown in front of the awesome and picturesque box truck of Greensgrow Farm. They helped me out with deliveries on Wednesday and are just plain good folks.
Ta-ta for now! Have a fun weekend everybody!
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
Go! State! Beat! The Orange!
If you needed to sum up last week's market update thematically, you might have characterized it as "a call to relish this part of the harvest season". Had I been been so clever, it would have served as timely foreshadowing of our feature in the nationally circulated Relish Magazine. You can read that article here. But even this exciting news pales in comparison to what all of our reader's have been waiting for, the arrival of Honeycrisp! That's right, we began Honeycrisp harvest this past Monday and you can expect those jewels at market from now until (hopefully) the end of market season! A fair warning about tomatoes, a much-anticipated pond update, and a special welcome to the new subscribers that fancy article generated, plust so much more in this week's market update!
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Saturday - Green Spring Station Farmers Market 2pm-5:30pm
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm Have a fun holiday Greenbelters, we'll miss you 'till next week!
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Peaches - "Cresthaven" are still Ben's favorite and are proving it again this week! We've confirmed with our customers, they achieved "leaner" status!
- White Peaches - "Snow King" are packed with sugary sweetness!
- Honeycrisp! - The "It" apple of our generation. Simply put, it possesses all of the qualities you ever would want in a fresh, eating apple!
- Yellow Bartlett Pears - A ripened pear is one of the sweetest fruits you can find at a farmers market!
- Gala Apples - Syrupy sweet, not watery sweet!
- Gingergold Apples - A tasty blend of sweet and tart
- Blackberries - slowing down big time!
- Tomatoes - The abundance has quickly diminished! San Marzano specials all week!
- Onions - I'd forgot to menion our onions! The same yummy ones in our spring onions are ready to be taken home and cut up! Red onions for those Labor Day burgers!
- Okra - terrific sounding recipe for sauteed okra on the blog of Relish Magazine!
- Eggplant - starting to give 'way a little bit too!
Labor Day Weekend Arrives!
Man, did this weekend look so far away in planting season four months ago! Blink an eye, turn around, and a few of our markets have as few as eight more days until they are done! How could this be?
Hopefully everyone reading this has had more of a chance to savor summer than folks at the farm had, though I'd suspect that's not the case. I don't think we have to bail on summer just yet, but I know there are something like thirteen college football games tonight plus a full roster of high school contests on Friday and the rest of the college tilts on Saturday (Let's Go State!)... so, it's about that time!
Want to address a few things in this update, it'll be a little "all over the place", but bear with me here.
- How about a hand for the other vendors at these markets we're in? We have some excellent farmers and excellent people who attend these markets and make their living along side of us. I wouldn't be comfortable naming them, because I'd miss some great ones but seriously - really good people who take their business seriously (not too seriously), create beautiful displays, grow top drawer stuff, and are courteous to customers. Cheers!
- What was once a thriving patch of vegetables that often produced more tomatoes than I could handle is now slowing and browning. The tomato supply is likely going to be seriously dwindling in the coming weeks.
- On a brighter note! I no longer have my digital camera handy when I'm travelling around - it's probably in my house somewhere, but I do have a pond update! Without a visual aid, it is not likely as exciting as before, but the water level is now nearing the top of that white fill pipe! Nearly 75% of capacity!
- "Those are pretty" - often overheard sentiment concerning our red Bull's Horn peppers. These Italian types are good for frying and roasting and, as Hannah put it, have "a good kick" to them, though they are not a hot pepper by any stretch. Hannah stuffed some Tuesday and said they were fab!
So, in sumamry: Peaches, Honeycrisp, Tomatoes, Gala... all at once! Sah-weet!
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
It's almost September?!! Really?!! Looking back can be dangerous when you're moving forward at break neck speed - which is what this time of year feels like! We're promising peaches for this week and for next week and the forecast is looking pretty decent for a third week ... but we're at the beginning of the end of peach harvest. We're enjoying massive picking of heirloom tomatoes and Gala apples. Pears burst onto the scene! Folks - when you've got peaches, apples, tomatoes, and pears all at the same time... that's what I call a locavore utopia. And to think, we're only another week away from our first pressing of "Must Eat" Cider! We're reaching peak season in this Three Springs market update.
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Saturday - Green Spring Station Farmers Market 2pm-5:30pm
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Peaches - "Cresthaven" are Ben's favorite! Check out that neon yellow background color... and the old fashioned, juicy, dripping peach flavor!
- White Peaches - "White Lady" this week, "Snow King" next week!
- Yellow Bartlett Pears - We've been patient and now it's paying off! Sweet, juicy yellow pears for all!
- Gala Apples - A sweet favorite for those back to school bagged lunches!
- Gingergold Apples - A tasty blend of sweet and tart
- Summer Rambo Apples - tart eating apples - starting to save for cidering purposes
- Blackberries - plenty of supply, plenty of flavor!
- Red Raspberries - fall berries are in for the red raspberry fans!
- Tomatoes - Plenty of deliciousness on display - plus "sauce makers" baskets!
- Okra - fry some up!
- Eggplant - have you tried those adorable Fairytales?
- Tomatillo - last few weeks of harvest
It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year
That's the joke Staples used to make in their "Back to School" commercials. If you're a locavore who goes out of his or her way to eat seasonally, then, all jokes aside, this really is the most wonderful time of the year! Tomatoes, Sweet Corn, Peaches, Apples, Pears, Onions... Potatoes and Cider right around the corner... this is when so many of the things we all enjoy eating - things whose qualities are only best enjoyed in season... all of these things are ripe and in prime production! It's turned everyone at the farm into a volitile bundle of raw nerves to be completely honest - myself perhaps moreso than others. But this is it! This is what we do! We rely on these weeks when we're the busiest to keep our family going for a whole year! If we aren't getting that done now, we're really falling behind.
Gone are the nectarines, donut peaches, squash, artichokes, and cucumbers from our display. If there is anything you're looking for, never hesitate to ask because this time of year, our table space is at a premium and it's possible that we have items on the truck that we have no space to display at market. Just ask - we'll be happy to pull some out for you to choose.
Looking ahead, we will start spot picking Honeycrisp in hopefully two weeks! If you see Honeycrisp elsewhere before ours are in, I'll just save you the trouble now. Don't be disappointed - just wait them out! Every year, the "cool" thing to do at other stands is to bring Honeycrisp before they're ripe because the reputation alone will sell them. We refuse to do that and acknowledge that those who do sell Honeycrisp too early are ruining it for everyone! Though I'll still be asked why the Honeycrisp aren't any good this year, you will know - if they aren't good, they were picked too soon. We pledge to wait for your benefit and ours!
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
The turnover continues, as we bid a fond farewell to our nectarine crop. Donut peaches are likely in their last week. Yellow Bartlett Pears are harvested, but will be at market next week. Why's that? Read on to learn more. I thought we'd have San Marzano for this past weekend, but they didn't pick as many as I thought they would. Now, we should start having them... I'm serious this time. Another late season tomato makes its peachy debut. A word on french tomatoes and anticipating Cresthaven season, one of my favorite pastimes.
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Saturday - Green Spring Station Farmers Market 2pm-5:30pm
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Peaches - "Bounty" are the best looking fruit we've had all year. Good late season flavor!
- Donut Peaches - Sales have been picking up, likely to be the last week!
- White Peaches - "White Lady" this week, "Snow King" next week!
- Gingergold Apples - The people who knew these from before were ecstatic to find them last week!
- Summer Rambo Apples - BIG with good tart flavors
- Blackberries - will surely have blackberries in pints this week! Yum!
- Red Raspberries - fall berries are in!
- Tomatoes - Wapsipinicon Peach and Jaune Flamme are "feel good" options! Read on!
- Okra - fry some up!
- Eggplant - have you tried those adorable Fairytales?
- Cucumber Melons - dwindling
- Cukes - baby Armenian cukes and big green slicers
- Artichokes - Globe artichokes are more scarce now than before
- Tomatillo - last few weeks of harvest
Hodgepodge Update!
We're all over the place in this update!
I'm sure you've heard foods characterized as "feel good foods". I think a few of the things we grow would qualify - apples, winter squash, potatoes - the list goes on. Today, I wanted to talk about some food, tomatoes specifically, that kind of feel good in a different kind of way! Two tomatoes that I'm trying this year that have caught our eye feel different than all the rest. Wapsipinicon Peach and Jaune Flamme are tomatoes with a skin that feels different than the rest. These two weren't satisfied tasting differently to all of their tomato varieties, but developed a external skin texture all their own! Wapsipinicon Peach, as you might expect, has a slightly fuzzy, pale yellow exterior that's peculiar but 100% unobtrusive. Inside that skin is a super juicy sweet flesh that incredibly sweet... sweet enough to elicit a "wow"! Jaune Flamme are firmer, tougher skinned orange tomatoes that grow to about the size of a golf ball. This slightly tougher skin will be noticeably less smooth to the touch, but is functionally important in eating this delicious tomato. As your teeth bite through, the flavor bursts through the skin of the tomato. They have a really cool tangy flavor that's really unique. Two "feel good" tomatoes that are new to our heirloom mantle!
Pears are picked and not available?! How so? Pears are tricky devils. They require a lot of special attention since they have a myriad of insect problems that are uniquely their own. Moreso, they love to ripen quickly and fall to the ground. Invariably, if you discover that Barlett Pears have colored on the tree, the bulk of them will be on the ground before you can get a picking crew in to harvest them. As a result, on or around the 20th of August, Bartlett Pears are picked just before they turn and ripened off the tree. Trust me, the flavor does not suffer. In a week's time... especially in two weeks time, you'll be replicating that trademarked Three Springs "Peach Lean" (in which you lean forward, the juice missing your clothes and hitting the ground) on delicious yellow pears!
Speaking of "Leaner" peaches - the only kind we grow... the Bounty are looking super! But, if you've shopped with us at the end of August, beginning of September before, you're quite aware that we're nearly ready to harvest my favorite peach, the Cresthaven! Cresthaven have that old school look; a neon yellow background color with a bold red blush. They have that big, juicy, peachy flavor. They are my favorite peach for flavor. This isn't a swipe at the flavor of any other peaches. It's just a matter of preference. Cresthaven are coming!
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
People come and go so quickly here! Adios, apricots! Peace out, Necarines and Squash (limited quantities expected this weekend). Wilkommen, onions and peppers! Three Springs recieves a major award, prompting us to update our testimonials page. We're suddenly all a-twitter over the whole thing! We're but a few weeks away from locavore's paradise as delicious apples are displayed right beside our peaches and tomatoes. Heads up for tomato surveys coming your way! It's another Three Springs Market update.
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Saturday - Green Spring Station Farmers Market 2pm-5:30pm
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Peaches - "Red Star" and "John Boy" are big, juicy and delicious!
- Donut Peaches - We will have full supply for this weekend... after that... ?
- White Peaches - "White Lady" are better each week!
- White Nectarines - last week!
- Gingergold Apples - The people who knew these from before were ecstatic to find them last week!
- Summer Rambo Apples - BIG with good tart flavors
- Blackberries - will surely have blackberries in pints this week! Yum!
- Gold Raspberries - supplies dwindling
- Tomatoes - San Marzano and Green Zebra have finally ripened, we're at full strength!
- Summer Squash and Zucchini - last week
- Okra - fry some up!
- Eggplant - continue to be a sought-after item
- Cucumber Melons - dwindling
- Cukes - baby Armenian cukes and big green slicers
- Artichokes - Globe artichokes are more scarce now than before
- Tomatillo - last few weeks of harvest
Must-Eat!
Our delicious apple cider was given the distinction of being one of Philadelphia's "50 Best Eats" by Philadelphia Weekly! What a nice list and certainly a huge honor for our family. It's gonna make for a long 3 weeks before we start to press!
I used this momentous occasion to update our testimonials page. If you'd like to add your testimonial, we'd be more than happy to broadcast your praise (hard to believe, I know)! Seriously though, we're glad to be recognized for our hard work and we appreciate those who have contributed, the folks at PW and all the kind words we hear at market, we don't take any of it for granted.
I'd kicked it around a few times and been back and forth on the idea before finally succumbing and signing us up for Twitter. It didn't take me long to realize that this particular website and social network is likely to be far more helpful to us than any other! Whether or not anyone else finds us intereting enough to follow on this site remains to be seen, but when I have a moment to poke around, I'm getting good information from those whom we are following. We will see how it goes.
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
All the sudden, a little rain could go a long way! Read on to find out why our specialty melons have suffered the same fate as our strawberry crop. Tomatoes have arrived en masse, followed tightly on its heels by our inaugural crop of sweet corn. Will we have some for the weekend? That's not rhetorical, your guess is as good as mine - gonna be close. Onions and potatoes are soon becoming reality. Also below, learn why apple lovers have cause for celebration in this week's Three Springs market update.
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Saturday - Green Spring Station Farmers Market 2pm-5:30pm
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Peaches - "Red Star" and "John Boy"... the stuff we're picking right now stands head and shoulders above all the others we've brought!
- Donut Peaches - We're "on the other side" of the season. Don't miss out!
- White Peaches - "White Lady" are looking marvelous and tasting sweet
- White Nectarines - new variety, more sugar! "Arctic Jay"
- Gingergold Apples - Haha! You've been waiting so patiently too!
- Summer Rambo Apples - Black tank tops and headbands optional (rimshot)
- Apricots - Curtain call!
- Blackberries - could have some pints for jam makers (and big berry fans)
- Gold Raspberries - mixed into our "Mixed Berry" boxes
- Tomatoes - Wham! We've got a barn full! See below
- Summer Squash and Zucchini - the end is near, bid a long farewell
- Okra - have you seen that credit card commercial with the crawdads and okra? Man, I wish we had good creole food in Adams County!
- Eggplant - have been terrific! Check out the "sautee-able" Fairy Tale eggplant in boxes
- Cucumber Melons - Have you tried one yet?
- Cukes - baby Armenian cukes and big green slicers
- Artichokes - Globe artichokes continue to be very very popular! Come early!
- Tomatillo - We've got some serious Salsa Verde nuts out there! I'm with ya! Yum!
They Sure Know How To Make an Entrance...
For weeks now, the wait has been on; Wenks and customers alike. But at long last, we have tomatoes!
While I wish my time permitted me to write an in-depth blog on heirlooms and how to choose the the one for you, I do have time to give a few pointers to everybody. For me, there are 6 heirlooms that everyone should try - tomatoes that distinguish themselves from your red, slicing "beefsteak" types.
- Cherokee Purple - The most sought-after of all the heirlooms we grow. The flavor is a unique "smoky" sweetness that has no equal in the heirloom tomato world. They will look more brown than purple and will always be in a separate container to save people looking through every tomato to find one that got mixed in (its happened)
- Green Zebra - I cannot explain why these are so late this year. I worry they might have been stunted by some factor I cannot explain. These smaller tomatoes are lime green when ripe with darker green "zebra stripes". The tanginess of this tomato is what sets it apart. Some think it tastes as if it's already been salted, for the salt shaker tomato snackers among us.
- Arkansas Traveler - These tomatoes are smaller, slightly pink and have a very "neat" stem end. Right now they are being mixed into our quart boxes of smaller tomatoes - soon we'll they'll have their own boxes. These just have loads of old time tomato flavor and are red the whole way through. Good "tomatoey" heirloom with a smooth finish and mild acid.
- Brandywine - Big, pink, and ribbed on the shoulders, these guys also pack loads of that "old tomato" flavor. There are too many strains of Brandywine to name and I'm playing it close to the vest on which one I grow, but suffice it to say - its flavor won out!
- Pineapple - Yellow with a red "sunburst" (a guitar term)... it's kind a tie-dyed with red. This is your sweet tomato! No acidic bite just sweet, sweet, sweet! Dad's favorite BLT tomato - it jives with a good salty bacon.
- "Mr. Ugly" - Not a "true heirloom" as it is a modern tomato variety, the product of an heirloom cross, but it is loaded with flavor. When you close your eyes and taste a tomato, this is what you imagine! These ugly fruit are tomato red in color and particularly ribbed and misshapen. As I often say about Mr. Ugly, "you know it tastes good because it's clear to everyone that I cannot sell one of these on appearance alone!"
Plus, the cherry tomato boxes have been out of this world! Green Grape, Brown Berry, sweet Yellows, juicy Reds, Flamme yellows plus miniature boxes of currant sized tomatoes to maximize your tomato flavor.
More good news! Gingergold and Summer Rambo are in!
These to apple varieties are more than a sign of things to come, they are delicious eating apples with flavor not usually associated with early "summer" apples. The Gingergold are firm, yellow, and sweet with a slight zingy tanginess to set it apart from sugar-soaked one dimensional apples like Red Delicious (not that there's anything wrong with that). Moreover, they're my sister's favorite apple! While I wonder what she looks forward to if the first good eating apple is the best, my sister knows apples - she grew up around them same as I did and there is no apple she'd rather have!
Rambo (bears no resemblance to green apple 'Rambo') has the same eating quality but is the choice of tart apple fans. If you're the Granny Smith to everyone's Gold Delicious or the Jonathan to everyone's Fuji, this is the apple for you! I haven't seen anyone else make this comparison before, but the skin texture, flesh texture, and tart flavor would also compare favorable with Macintosh if that's your speed. All and all, two awesome eating apples which (though it's hard for me to believe) will be featured in the first batch of Three Springs Fruit Farm Apple Cider in approximately four weeks... that can't be right. Cider in four weeks?! Time flies when you're having fun!
I'll touch on the unpleasant news quickly... rains cracked our melons... bad. These melons are sweeter than other melons but they are prone to cracking and we got cracking - too much rain. But! We'll have them this weekend and through the week... and if the rains are kind, we'll pick again... but I can't promise there will be many more than there is now.
Really just four weeks until Labor Day?! Wow!
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
The peach reception has been almost overwhelming and we're still just getting into freestones! Perhaps the last weekend one can buy apricots to compliment your peaches and donuts. Artichokes are elusive but popular! Rain and water continue to be a theme as we check in on Three Springs pond-building. Will the tomatoes ever ripen? Check and see in this week's Three Springs Market update!
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Saturday - Green Spring Station Farmers Market 2pm-5:30pm
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Peaches - "Rising Star" (last picking), "Red Star" and "Starfire" (freestones)
- Donut Peaches - Alright, you win! I give! We'll bring more!
- White Peaches - "White Lady" (freestone) a customer once looked around and asked me, "you really think this farmer's market needs any more White Ladies?" This is just another reason why I love my job!
- White Nectarines - we'll bring more of these as well! "Arctic Sweet"
- Apples - On second taste, not a bad eating apple... just particularly tart!
- Apricots - Kind of like fans of Black Licorice and the Grateful Dead; those people who like apricots, really like apricots!
- Blackberries - finally picking in the quantities I thought we would!
- Gold Raspberries - mixed into our "Mixed Berry" boxes
- Tomatoes - Cherry tomatoes are here in earnest! The eye popping sweetness of those orange "Sun Gold", the delicious "Brown Berry" and don't forget the currant tomatoes. Slicers and heirlooms still just trickling in from the field
- Summer Squash and Zucchini - slowin' down big time!
- Okra - yum! Finally a lovely selection!
- Eggplant - Piles of pretty eggplants! Ask about all of our heirlooms!
- Cucumber Melons - The plants are slowing down majorly!
- Cukes - baby Armenian cukes and big green slicers
- Artichokes - Globe artichokes continue to be very very popular! Come early!
- Tomatillo - We've got some serious Salsa Verde nuts out there! I'm with ya! Yum!
Water!
At this time last year, you couldn't get me to say one nice thing about water, rain or the lack thereof. Without jinxing our good fortune, I'll have a few words about water in general, irrigation, and what all of this means!
So there's you're pond update. As you can tell by the water line relative to the white PVC pipe, we're filling up fast. My uncle, John Wenk, in a display of good "farmer ingenuiety", ran a pipe from our veggie irrigation overflow and used that to help fill the pond!
In our inaugural year, for lack of suitable alternative, I irrigated veggies out of our house well. This led to many low flow showers, ill-watered veggies, and dissention in the ranks. So, the following year, we devised a water system that would capture the natural spring at the old springhouse, hold it there, pump it to our farm buildings, under the road and off to the patch. Irrigation in the Three Springs veggie operation was a success.
This year has seen the Gardners farm undergo still more irrigation improvements around Dave and John's houses. The most noticeable is pictured above. John's house, when it was purchased along with the ajoining farm in the later 1980's, already had a high capacity farm pond in front of the house. In a project that started last year and came to fruitition only one week ago, we've laid pipe all over the farm to improve our access to water and watered our Starfire and Blazingstar peaches with microsprinklers. This irrigation system includes a portable pump we'll be able to employ at other farm ponds at the home farm in Wenksville and other rental farms. Check out John's pics!
We're new to them, but we are 100% behind the microsprinkler concept. It more evenly distributes irrigation water to the feeder roots - the small, fibrous ones that take up the majority of a trees moisture. Soils with less clay (our silt loams) don't get as much capillary action as clay soils, making simple drip irrigation less effective (though better than nothing). Water is so important, look for a future rainy day blog entry on the subject! Till then, sleep easy knowing we're gaining leverage on future droughts, I know I will be!
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
We are making our YouTube/video blog premeire this week! Much love and appreciation to Ryan Taylor who did excellent work with our grainy video footage. I also embedded it at the end of the email for good measure! This week - millions of peaches, peaches for me! Plus, donut peaches - the breakfast of champions! A few oddities coming out of the veggie patch this week as well, plus a word on barn swallows all neatly packaged into this week's Three Springs Market update!
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Saturday - Green Spring Station Farmers Market 2pm-5:30pm
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Peaches - "Rising Star", "Sentry", and a few "Red Star" being picked over
- Donut Peaches! - as Paul Stanley might say, "you wanted the best, you got the best!"
- White Peaches - early birds noticed we eeked some out for last weekend, just ahead of schedule. "Snow Brite" is this variety's name.
- White Nectarines - sweet, yummy, and fuzzless! "Arctic Sweet"
- Apples - Lodi Applesauce - apple supplies are running short!
- Apricots - They continue to be plentiful and flavorful
- Blackberries - here they come! Lots of huge, tasty berries
- Red Raspberries - gonna be scarce
- Tomatoes - the mixed pints are still scarce, but they are looking terrific this year. Plenty more cherry tomato varieties mixed in - more on this another day.
- Summer Squash and Zucchini - we can't grow enough all the sudden! Very popular item right now.
- Okra - more and more okra being picked all the time
- Eggplant - slowly but surely making their way to market
- Cucumber Melons - people bold enough to try them have been coming back for them in droves!
- Cukes - baby Armenian cukes and big green slicers
- Artichokes - you heard me right, see below!
- Tomatillo - likewise! see below!
- Homestyle Apple Sauce
- Canned Peaches
- Apple Butter - 3 kinds
- Pear Butter - only with sugar remains!
This update is for the birds! (and it's pond-free this week)
A few odd things are coming out of the veggie patch right now that are worthy of mention.
As you can by Hannah's suprised expression, We've never witnessed an heirloom tomato that grew into a completed circle like that! I'm still in disbelief! I believe this oddity is coming to one of our markets this week so you can view it for yourself!
For those who haven't tried them and wondered what the heck they are, these are Cucumber Melons on display at Kenilworth Market this past week.
Odd but not yet pictured are our artichokes! They were harvested today for the weekend and they are looking super! Dig up your favorite dip recipes! Also not pictured is our first-ever crop of tomatillos, for my fellow salsa verde fans out there! Dice these bad boys up and add some tex-mex zing to a few entrees!
As far as I can remember back, by the time March or so rolled around, we've been hosting multiple families of migratory barn swallows in the back of our barn. This year has been no different, so I wanted to introduce everyone to our tenants! As their name suggests, they migrate north every summer time to make nests in barns and raise their swallowy offspring. Although they've been known to "dive bomb" barn cats who get too close to their nesting site, aside from a little "clean up" required directly under their nests, they don't bother us at all! Moreover, it's just another way we feel like we're attached to our natural world, working in and around these barn swallows. Plus, we find we aren't swatting nearly as many mosquitoes as we might if we visited a friend's place in the evening.
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
PS. Grab a bag of popcorn and enjoy! ... make it a handful, it's a little short... heck, make it a pint of apricots, for that matter! Less greasy! Roll that beautiful cherry footage!
Three Springs is up to speed, picking peaches en masse this week! No early bird specials, peaches for one and all! Meanwhile we bid adieu to cherries for another year while some mid-summer favorites slowly begin to trickle in... eggplant... tomatoes... gold raspberries... blackberries. People are buzzing about those fuzzy cucumber melons, plus we're looking ahead to donut peaches and a few early plums!
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Saturday - Green Spring Station Farmers Market 2pm-5:30pm
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Peaches - crowd pleaser "Rising Star" is in! Look out for a white peaches starting to trickle in as we speak!
- Apples - Lodi Applesauce! See what the fuss is about! Golds are cashed out until the fall!
- Apricots - We hit the "apricot jackpot" this week according to my father! I've seen the fruit myself, and I think he's right on the money!
- Blackberries - only a few at first... patience, folks!
- Red Raspberries - Just when I think the harvest is winding down, the guys bring in another killer picking of red raspberries
- Tomatoes - don't get too excited, but we're getting 10 lbs/wk from our 30 greenhouse plants and about 16 qts/wk of early slicing tomatoes. Tomatoberry and cherry sized trickling in as well
- Summer Squash and Zucchini - people are catching on to those bland-looking light green squashes. Don't believe me? You know I couldn't sell those things on appearance alone, check 'em out!
- Okra - Southern favorite! Yummy fried vegetable or try it in your soups... ESPECIALLY GUMBO! mmmm
- Eggplant - Maybe a half dozen will be ready for weekend markets, so come early all ye eggplant fans
- Cucumber Melons - worthy of their own feature! Folks who have sampled these have scarffed them up with enthusiasm. Furry and green, they're used like a cucumber, only sweeter!
- Cukes - baby Armenian cukes and big green slicers
- Homestyle Apple Sauce
- Canned Peaches
- Apple Butter - 3 kinds
- Pear Butter - only with sugar remains!
Three Springs Weekly Pond Update! Plus more...
Don't worry, we'll talk produce too!
The pond construction is done and we await its filling up!
Peaches from our older, full production trees are swelling! You're looking at Sentry on the left and Rising Star on the right. Coming to a market near you in the next week or more!
A few web hits! I updated our blog with the second in the Growing Greener series; "Scouting and Monitoring". Plus, check this handy guide on choosing peaches like a pro! Sorry if the text is a little messy looking, it's a glitch I'm working out.
Cucumber melons are being sampled and, consequently, devoured at a striking rate for such a new item for our display. Seek out our sample containers to try these markedly sweeter cucumber alternative. An old Italian heirloom that puts the cool back in cucumber.
That's all for right now! Embrace peach season, foodies! It'll make the summer fly by!
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
PEACHES! How sweet it is! It appears our first picking on our early peaches will occur this Friday, in time for our weekend markets! And, though we still have to sort them on Friday, we believe we've managed to stretch one more week of sweet cherries into the weekend, saving some that we picked earlier this week. So, for one week only, peaches, cherries, blueberries, apricots, and raspberries all at once!
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Saturday - Green Spring Station Farmers Market 2pm-5:30pm, we're back on!
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Peaches - I've been waiting 9 months to write that!
- Apples - Lodi apples are making believers out of homemade apple sauce makers. Here's that recipe link again! Golds are hanging around for one more week for sure... doubtful after that
- Apricots - supplies will be low again this week as chilly nights seem destined to slow fruit maturation
- Sweet Cherries - it's your last chance!
- Sour Cherries - Just a few remaining - last week
- Red Raspberries - Still picking lots of large, red berries. Gold berries to be mixed in shortly
- Black Raspberries - they are not blackberries! try one
- Summer Squash and Zucchini - I've grown enough to all but insure that your favorite variety will be waiting for you when you get there. Don't have a favorite? Pick up the variety pack!
- Broccoli - last week?
- Spring Onions - Huge!
- Homestyle Apple Sauce
- Canned Peaches
- Apple Butter - 3 kinds
- Pear Butter - only with sugar remains!
"At Last" and “Pond Nearing Completion”
The peaches start swelling and somewhere, I can hear Etta James sing! Peaches are ready, "At Last"! I cannot promise that they will last the whole market, the trees are young and the peaches are few - slim pickings in the truest sense of the word! But since we love giving the inside dish to our subscribers, you'll know to plan ahead and arrive a little earlier than you might otherwise, for peaches sake!
The pond is nearly done! The spring beside it is creating a little pool at the bottom - a little rain and our freshwater ecosystem will be up and rollin'!
Also nearing completion is cold storage number one (of two) - the veggie storage! Likewise, our new machine shed at Uncle John's is coming along quite nicely.
I'm putting a common myth to the test this week. I was always told it was a misconception that sweet cherries keep better with stems, so we always picked stems off. However, a friend insists that pulling stems leaves a little scar that allows moisture to escape. He's respected enough for me to pick some with stems early this week to see if they hold up for the weekend. The one's on top still look good, but we have a sorting date on Friday. I still say they look nicer without those brown stems... and you get more in a box too, but I'm willing to admit I'm wrong if they hold up nicely!
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
P.S. looking ahead, cherry-sized tomatoes and blackberries are on the horizon
Independence Day weekend and summertime has officially arrived on the scene. While everyone waits for those tasty yellow stone fruits (peaches) to come in, a smaller yellow stone fruit (the apricot) has arrived! The landscape is changing around us - quite literally! Read more in this week's market update!
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Saturday - Green Spring Station Farmers Market 2pm-5:30pm CLOSED this week! If you can't make Harbor East in the morning, have a Happy 4th!
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Apples - Lodi apples make the best sauce! Give it a try! Golds as well are still around this week
- Apricots - our early 'cots are a little larger and tarter, but it'll certainly tide you over till our biggest pickings
- Sweet Cherries - Likely the last hurray, don't miss out!
- Sour Cherries - Cherry Pie on the Fourth of July (or just after) If you'd like to bulk order sour cherries at a discount, don't hesitate to simply respond to this email!
- Red Raspberries - Wow! They're comin' on strong! Big harvests this week surely means bigger harvests as we go along!
- Black Raspberries - my favorite accompaniment to a summertime bowl of yogurt
- Summer Squash and Zucchini - picking prominent piles of pretty pieces of squash!
- Broccoli - Baby broccolis of our side shoots are extra tender!
- Spring Onions - Looking better now than ever before!
- Homestyle Apple Sauce
- Canned Peaches
- Apple Butter - 3 kinds
- Pear Butter - only with sugar remains!
“On Wenksville Pond”
It almost feels like a new building, a new piece of equipment, and a new member of the family all rolled into one! That's how excited I am about the new pond being built at the Gardners farm. This pond will provide much-needed water to a wide variety of crops, add to the local ecosystem, and provide our family with great birdwatching and fishing opportunities, not to mention some valued aesthetics in general!
And boy, has it gone up quickly! Quickly too is it filling up with water, as this little piece of land (previously called "The Meadow") is notoriously wet and water logged as it sits very close to a natural spring and in a huge vein in the aquifer. This is a great chance for me to use the "-ecology" end of my PSU Agroecology degree, and I cannot wait to put that knowledge to use for adding to the biodiversity of our farm! It's right beside the woods, so there are nearly limitless possibilities for different birds and wildlife to frequent the place. I don't have anything specific nailed down for sure, but my mind is racing with many different ideas and I'll be sure to update "The Pond Project" as it comes to fruition.
There is nothing that more surely signals the coming of fresh peaches than fresh apricots and blueberries. They are like the standard-bearers that go before the throngs of fresh peaches. That's not to say that apricots are to be overlooked! Afterall, years before we did farmers markets, apricots were planted almost entirely because they are among our favorite fruits to eat, and that's no lie! So don't munch on an apricot wishing it were a peach, appreciate that 'cot for what it is! 'Till next time (when we will be a few days from peaches)...
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
The times they are a-changin'! Swap out our first crop of lettuce and swap in sour cherries, squash, and blueberries. A few of you saw the early encarnations of those crops last week. The time has come again for Three Springs to shake things up, but you don't have to take my word for it! We're decidely less put off by the weather as sunshine finally returns to lush, beautiful Adams County, PA!
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Saturday - Green Spring Station Farmers Market 2pm-5:30pm
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Apples - The farmer in the dell had his cheese stand alone. After this week, the Golds stand alone! Last gasp for Grannys.
- Sweet Cherries - in better shape this week, cracking wise
- Sour Cherries - with all kinds of deals to satisfy the most ambitious pie maker! Don't be surprised if you find them snackable fresh too. If you'd like to bulk order sour cherries at a discount, don't hesitate to simply respond to this email!
- Red Raspberries - we picked more on Tuesday this week as we did the whole of last season! Raspberries - they're not just for early birds anymroe!
- Black Raspberries - completely different texture and flavor to red raspberries. The only raspberries Nanny Wenk will eat!
- Summer Squash and Zucchini - finally getting good harvest volumes - plenty to go around this week, but even more as we go along
- Broccoli - We've got lots of tasty broccoli - stock up!
- Spring Onions - the tops are getting huge, scallions fans!
- Homestyle Apple Sauce
- Canned Peaches
- Apple Butter - 3 kinds
- Pear Butter - only with sugar remains!
“Come On Over, Baby”
There's a whole lot of shakin' going on! With a Knouse Foods facility on either end of the road on which they're grown, we've been successful over the past 20 years or so growing sour cherries for Lucky Leaf and Musselman's brand pie filling. The success lies in our ability to mechanically harvest them with a tree shaking machine (no trees were harmed in the making of this pie filling). As they are just starting to shake as I write you all, I envision myself swinging by on my way to getting ready for markets and taking some pics and video to be featured on an upcoming blog entry about just how this is done!
Meanwhile, we're entering an exciting time for the farm. Every week, there's something new we can take to market! As much as I like lettuce, onions, and apples - they've had their day in the sun. It's time to diversify! It really is envigorating too, after having it out three rounds with lousy, maddening weather. We lost a third of our crop to rot, birds, and cracking and fruit set was light across the board. Bad temperatures during bloom kept us from having a full crop at the onset.
So while last week's entry was a little sour, how's this for a pick me up? Approximately two and a half weeks until Peaches!!!
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
It’s a cold and rainy day the likes of which is enough to really bum a guy out! We’ll talk about taking lumps in regards to weather and product availability and take time to trumpet the arrival of sweet cherries (fingers crossed), raspberries, squash, and broccoli in this week’s edition of the Three Springs Market Update!
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Saturday - Green Spring Station Farmers Market 2pm-5:30pm
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Apples - The Cameo are history, leaving Gold Delicious and Granny Smith on our apple display
- Sweet Cherries - provided they ripen and don't crack - see below
- Red Raspberries - volumes will be very low as we get started
- Summer Squash and Zucchini - baby sized squash and zucchinis are available for the weekend - all 10 varieties to be available by next week
- Broccoli - The first ever crop for Three Springs, picked fresh!
- Lettuce - We're nearing the end of our harvest, could be the last week
- Spring Onions - Size and quantity now both very bountiful
- Homestyle Apple Sauce
- Canned Peaches
- Apple Butter - 3 kinds
- Pear Butter - only with sugar remains!
“Mind the Gap” or “Three Springs Lettuce Farm”
This week has been a frustrating reminder of just how vulnerable we are in this line of work. Think of other retailers – you place an order and the product arrives. You shelve it, promote it, and sell it. Surely this is an oversimplification of the business, but it seems to me to be true to the form. Grocery store chains and big box stores are able to get nearly anything to fill their shelves – some things are just more cost-effective than others. Then there’s the producer-only farmers market business. It’s a business we’ve embraced and enjoyed, but it’s often frustrating.
Rainstorm after rainstorm decimated our strawberry crop and the harvest was cut short. We can’t just order more… they’re done. No worries, we pick sweet cherries in the middle of June. And we will… when they’re ripe. With the weather being as cold and wet as it has been, the cherries were not ripe in time to take them to midweek markets. I’m fairly confident they will be ripe in time for the weekend markets, but this gap made Wednesday market a mostly lettuce and onion affair. Lettuce, onions, and canned goods do not a successful market make.
So you probably think I’m just desperate for a bright, sunny day after all of this rain. Yes, but then again no. While a sunny day will allow me to enter our fields without first putting on a snorkel, it’s very likely that a really hot, bright day after all the rain we’ve had and are forecast yet to have will crack many of our ripe cherries and make that gap even larger. So there it is – the weather might delay the harvest of new crops so severely that could have little to offer anyone this weekend and there’s simply nothing we can do about it. Such are the joys and hardships of the agriculture business.
This does provide an opportunity to thank local-only restaurateurs and businesses who have not only embraced the chaos that we farmers face in providing food to our customers and their businesses, but have also voluntarily taken that same burden upon themselves, in a way. Quality eateries such as White Dog Café in Philadelphia and Woodbury Kitchen and Atwaters in the Baltimore area make and change their menu based on what is available locally and in season. Moreover, by your choice in finding us at a farmers market and adding seasonality as a part of your diet, you’re participating as well. And for all these things, we are thankful. And just in case there is any confusion we are also, at present time, very wet. Grr.
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
P.S. Because a lot of this update was a bit of a downer, some good news! Provided they aren't underwater, we could be talking blueberries, apricots, and tart cherries at this time next week!
Away we go! It's our first "full" week of farmers markets for the year, highlighted by the Inaugural Green Spring Station Farmers Market and the first Harbor East Farmers Market of the season! Strawberries, lettuce, and spring onions prove to be hot commodities in their debut last week - brocolli, cherries, blueberries, and apricots are nipping at their heels in the weeks to come!
Schedule
- Saturday - Harbor East Farmers Market 8am-12noon
- Saturday - Green Spring Station Farmers Market 2pm-5:30pm
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Apples - Golden Delicious, Cameo, Granny Smith - make your pie this week, the Romes are nearly gone!
- Strawberries - They might not be the biggest berries, but oh what flavor!
- Lettuce - Lettuce to suit fans of crunchy leaf and delicate lettuce - check 'em out!
- Spring Onions - getting better and more numerous each week
- Herb Plants - last chance to get your potted herbs!
- Tomato Plants - likely your last chance to put in that extra tomato plant!
- Homestyle Apple Sauce
- Canned Peaches
- Apple Butter - 3 kinds
- Pear Butter - with/without sugar
Providing Some Info!
I used today's rain shower to add some things to our website that I've been working on for weeks!
We recieve a lot of questions regarding how our products are grown - and rightfully so! You'll never get an answer in a supermarket - that's the reason you come to the farmers market in the first place. In the meantime, when we're not around to ask - you can learn how we grow our produce on our website. I just posted this link on Growing Practices. At the bottom of that page, you'll find a link to the first entry in a blog series entitled "Growing Greener" that will get into a little more detail about a few of the methods described. This week's focus is on Pheromone Mating Disruption. Expect more of these as the summer goes along. Thanks for following along!
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
News! News! Our first day at Kenilworth Market this coming Tuesday! Strawberries, lettuce, and spring onions join our current products! Just one week 'till Harbor East and the brand new Greenspring Station Market! Plus, round out your garden with our leftover tomato plants in four inch pots - including yummy heirloom varieties! Exciting week, eh?
Schedule
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Tuesday - Kenilworth Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Apples - Golden Delicious, Cameo, Granny Smith, and Rome Beauty are all remaining crisp and tasty
- Strawberries - Spruce up that morning cereal, make a shortcake, make a pie, eat 'em right out of the box - it's all good!
- Asparagus - likely the last week
- Rhubarb
- Lettuce - our first-ever heads of Romaine, Buttercrunch, and the really pretty and delicious Red Leaf!
- Spring Onions - kick it up a notch!
- Herb Plants - Genovese Basil and Parsely "Gigante di Napoli" from imported Italian seed, 4" pots - supplies are limited
- Tomato Plants - what's left after our planting - many varieties to choose from
- Homestyle Apple Sauce
- Canned Peaches - continue to be popular
- Apple Butter - 3 kinds
- Pear Butter - with/without sugar
The Trap Is Set!
Exciting times around Three Springs Fruit Farm. Our early crops are coming on right in time for our first full week of markets! Saturday market fans have only one week to wait until the freshness returns to your neighborhood!
In another preview of an upcoming webpage about growing practices, I wanted to take a little time to talk trapping to the throngs (if you pardon my illeteration). Trapping is the main thrust of our scouting program here at Three Springs Fruit Farm. We have approximately 80 traps that I personally check every week to monitor the population of eight different species of pests. Checking these every week insures that we know what's in our orchard so we can set our management plan based on what we know is there, not merely on some kind of guess. So when we say we only spray when we have to, its based not on some calendar - its based on what we know is in our orchards, not only in our traps but in what I find on the slow drive between all of our trap sites.
Here's a picture of one of these insect traps. The same pheromones used in mating disruption are used to lure males into these triangular contraptions. Not pictured is a sticky piece of paper on the floor to glue them to the spot until I arrive to count them and scrape them off. As noted in the writing on the inside of the trap, this trap will catch Oriental Fruit Moth (OFM) and Lesser Apple Worm (LAW) in the same trap. These counts are put into a spreadsheet and reviewed by Dad, Uncle John, and I to decide what, if anything, we need to control and how best to do it. An example of the graphs these spreadsheets generate is also pictured.
Codling Moth (CM) fly high in the tree, so when my cousin Greg Wenk (John's son) helps me put them out, we have to put them on poles and hang them at the tops of our trees (pictured).
Just another way we limit our sprays at Three Springs!
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
We're getting close to having some new stuff for everybody! Spring onions and lettuce are going to be really close to being ready this weekend, be sure to check our current products page for the most up-to-date product listing. We have also fielded a lot of questions about CA storage of apples, so I got a little in depth with the subject on our blog, if you wanted to learn more about this valuable innovation.
Schedule
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Headhouse Farmers Market 10am-2pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park Farmers Market 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Apples - Golden Delicious, Cameo, Granny Smith, and Rome Beauty - Empire are expired!
- Asparagus
- Herb Plants - Genovese Basil and Parsely "Gigante di Napoli" from imported Italian seed, 4" pots
- Homestyle Apple Sauce
- Canned Peaches - continue to be popular
- Apple Butter - 3 kinds
- Pear Butter - with/without sugar
Planty, Planty, Planty!
Planting season has peaked and we're head and shoulders on the other side of it! Whew! 100% of your favorite 3Springs tomatoes are in the ground, meaning a few of our leftovers should be arriving to our stand in 4" pots in the near future. Peppers, eggplant, okra (new), melons, squash, and cucumbers the same (the latter after a whole year's hiatus)! We're also rapidly getting our apples thinned off to insure good cropping for this year and next. It's been a very busy week to say the least!
I know most folks are swamped with email these days, myself included. This being said, I certainly appreciate you reading our contributions to your inbox! It would have been easy to just mark it read and move on, so thanks for taking the time. I do want to take the opportunity to point out that many of our markets to have email listservs as well, and I found a few of them to be particularly good this week.
Both Greenbelt Farmers Market and The Food Trust in Philly came out with email updates this week with not only good information about the market, but also with nifty recipes! While our recipe selection is sparse at the moment, Greenbelt had this offering for those wondering how to prepare rhubarb - this Balsamic Rhubarb Compote sounded yummy. The information is good for us to have before we arrive and I'd wager it'd be the same for you as well. So check 'em out, see if you find them helpful - signup at these market websites:
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
Hello again, and welcome to another edition of our weekly produce updates. News from the farm is up and down this week as the rains held up long enough to get the last of the apples trees in, but only half of the tomatoes and other veggies. It's also slowing our progress in placing our mating disruption ties in the peaches and apples. First week of Greenbelt market this week! Our selection is virtually the same for another week.
Schedule
- Sunday - Headhouse, Philly 10am-2pm
- Sunday - Greenbelt Farmer's Market, 10am-2pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park, Annandale, VA 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Apples - Golden Delicious, Cameo, Granny Smith, Rome Beauty, and Empire. Empire are nearly gone!
- Asparagus
- Herb Plants - Genovese Basil and Parsely "Gigante di Napoli" from imported Italian seed, 4" pots
- Homestyle Apple Sauce - Quickly becoming a favorite. It's your local, farm fresh babyfood option.
- Canned Peaches - Our "No Sugar Added" supplies are exhausted but we might be getting some reinforcements labeled.
- Apple Butter - 3 kinds, No Sugar with Spice outpacing the rest
- Pear Butter - with/without sugar
Pheromone Mating Disruption and You!
Before you get too excited, I'm not getting personal - I'm talking sustainable orcharding here! Pheromone Mating Disruption is an innovation we use to limit our sprays on your fruit.
The rain that's trickling down our window pane here at Three Springs Fruit Farm "HQ" is, so many times, a blessing and a curse, as I alluded to at the beginning of this email. Whereas Western growers in arid areas like California and Washington's Yakima Valley have to pay for water rights to irrigate their crops, we come by the majority of our irrigation naturally and on the cheap. However, that irrigation water never touches any fruit or foliage in Western orchards and our is routinely drenched. Every drop that moistens the leaves and fruits creates an environment for many ubiquitous pathogens. This is why organic agriculture is so difficult here in the East.
Luckily for everyone, fruit tree research has given us a great tool to help control insects without sprays. Imagine for a moment you're a attractive, single male Oriental Fruit Moth trying to find some female accompaniment - maybe start a family. Now imagine you stroll into a bar where you know available females can be found and you find yourself surrounded by them... but you can't see them!
This (sort of) is how Pheromone Mating Disruption works. We buy tens of thousands of ties - they look like plastic pipe cleaners or tags (pictures forthcoming when it's sunny). These pheromone ties emit the insect's pheromone for a period of 100-150 days, approximately. We place these ties in our orchard to create the illlusion that tens of thousands of available females populate the area. When the males seeks the females out, these ties send him on a confusing "wild goose chase" of sorts and mating is successfully disrupted!
Here at Three Springs, Mating Disruption is a key component of our IPM program. We've had some form of mating disruption on our farm for over 5 years now and we're currently disrupting 100% of our peaches and nearly 90% of our apples, covering four harmful insect species (we don't know ties exist for more species than that).
Again, stay tuned for pictures of pheromone ties and our crew placing them once tomatoes are planted and the sun is shining. We like mating disruption too much to take bad pictures of it in cloudy weather!
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
P.S. Congratulations to my sister Rachel who graduates Saturday from Penn State with a degree in Classical and Medieval Studies! She always was a better student than I was and she deserves a lot of credit for all her hard work.
Hello again from 3Springs. We're back in action for week two of the market season. It's looking like more of the same in terms of our offerings. We'll soon be adding our first-ever crop of rhubarb and tomato plants to our mix, so keep a heads up for that. It's looking like planting week around the Three Springs veggie patch - I'm hoping to make a blog entry out of the event. We're also busy putting up insect traps and pheromone ties this week - I'm trying to document these events as well so I can demonstrate how it makes our produce unique, so heads up on that. Also, ask for a sample this week - we're planning on doing much more sampling as the year goes on. Don't be shy - have as many samples as you like!
Schedule
- Sunday - Headhouse, Philly 10am-2pm
- Wednesday - Wakefield Park, Annandale, VA 2pm-6pm
Market Produce
- Apples - Golden Delicious, Cameo, Granny Smith, Rome Beauty, and Empire from last year
- Asparagus
- Herb Plants - Genovese Basil and Parsely "Gigante di Napoli" from imported Italian seed, 4" pots
- Homestyle Apple Sauce - Seek out a sample of this stuff at your market this week
- Canned Peaches - The "No Sugar Added" is nearly gone. See, I wasn't bluffing!
- Apple Butter - 3 kinds
- Pear Butter - with/without sugar
Mom's Day!
We're excited to celebrate Mother's Day with all the mothers reading this in addition to all who should happen by our stand this Sunday. And if you do wear proudly the title of mother, ask for your free apple in observation of Mother's Day and all mothers do for all of us. I'm fortunate enough to be spending all day Sunday with my mother and I certainly appreciate all she continues to do in my life, not the least of which is help me with my Farmers Market pursuits. Thank you, mom!
I had a good time playing a little music with Cowmuddy last week. I'd anticipated a lot more "jam time" when I saw the rains were imminent, but we ending up being very busy - so thanks for braving the rain. We're looking forward to our "Grand Sunny Opening" this week at Headhouse. And here's hoping the skies are equally sunny the rest of the week - especially Wednesday for Wakefield.
From Our Farm to Your Home,
Farmer Ben
PS, since I had a word about music... I'm really enjoying The Avett Brothers Emotionalism cd and highly recommend it!