News and blog
Come to the Farm Stand at National Geographic Society-
in the courtyard - 9 am- 1:30 PM Tuesday - August 20
Farmer's Market at DOT this Tuesday August 20
Check out our Farm Stands -SATURDAY, August 17
Farm Market Stand - Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
Cedar Lane, Bethesda, MD 9 AM - 1 PM
Farm Market Stand - St Luke's Episcopal Church
Fort Hunt Rd, Alexandria, VA 8 AM- 1PM
NEW Farm Market Stand - Saint Mark Presbyterian Church
Old Georgetown Rd, North Bethesda, MD 9 AM-1:30 PM
What's New
We have cherry tomatoes and heirloom!!! tomatoes
Sweet Corn!
Eggplant!
Cantaloupe
Blackberries!
Seedless Watermelon
Early apples
Sweet pears
This week at the farm stand:
Veggies and Greens
Sweet corn
bell peppers
Zucchini
Red Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Heirloom tomatoes
Red Beets
Swiss Chard
cucumbers
pickling cucumbers
Kale
Summer Squash
Sorrel
Cabbage
Sweet Candy Onions
Green Beans
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Lima Beans
Spaghetti Squash
Butternut Squash
Hot peppers
Lettuce Mix
Fruits
Plums
Raspberries
Peaches
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Early Gold Apples
Paula Red Apples
Clapp's favorite Pears
Watermelon
Blackberries
Nectarines
HERBS and TEAS
Mint Tea
Mountain Tea
Parsley
Basil
Chocolate Mint tea
Meats, Baked Goods and others
Beef - our own
Honey - our own
Jellies and jams - our own
Cheese - Whispering Brook Farm - Great cheese made on the farm!
Pies - peach, cherry, blueberry, and blackberry
Breads
Eggs - our own
Come out and stock up on FRESH summer vegetables, tomatoes, and delicious peaches! The cantaloupe is great! We have a great bi-color and yellow sweet corn!
Let us know if you would like to buy QUANITY of any fruits or vegetables. We can do a bulk price. If you are interested in seconds (not perfect) fruits or vegetables, let us know!
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
www.orchardcountryproduce.com
Gregg, Louise, Sarah, Virginia, and Oliver Keckler
This week's shares will include:
Peaches
Plums
Pepper
tomatoes
sweet onion
sweet corn
eggplant
Personal shares
peaches
sweet onions
sweet corn
tomatoes
pepper
Last week I know that I said there would be peaches and it turned out to be blackberries! We realized that the blackberries would not keep, but the peaches would. So this week I PROMISE there will be peaches!
I have been making fried eggplant almost every week, but this week I made eggplant lasagna. It is great with the tomatoes. I also made some chunky tomato sauce and spaghetti sauce for canning.
It is very easy to make a chunky sauce. Pour boiling water over the top of the tomatoes. Let them sit for a few minutes, peel and core. Throw them in a pot and put on to boil then simmer until they break down into chunks. If you want to - you can drain off the water/juice to make it thicker. I have used this sauce for many dishes especially right now when they are fresh. It is a great thing to have on hand in the winter so that you do not need to buy the tin can.
We are probably at the height of the season right now for harvesting. There are so many items! Check out the store for things that you would normally buy at the grocery store. You can order it to be delivered with your share.
We took two pigs to the butcher last week so we should be back into pork by next week.
Have a great week!
Gregg, Louise, Sarah, Virginia, and Oliver Keckler - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
www.orchardcountryproduce.com
Come to the Farm Stand at National Geographic Society-
in the courtyard - 9 am- 1:30 PM Tuesday - August 13
Farmer's Market at DOT this Tuesday August 13
Check out our Farm Stands -SATURDAY, August 10
Farm Market Stand - Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
Cedar Lane, Bethesda, MD 9 AM - 1 PM
Farm Market Stand - St Luke's Episcopal Church
Fort Hunt Rd, Alexandria, VA 8 AM- 1PM
NEW Farm Market Stand - Saint Mark Presbyterian Church
Old Georgetown Rd, North Bethesda, MD 9 AM-1:30 PM
What's New
Tomatoes!
We have cherry tomatoes and heirloom!!! tomatoes
Sweet Corn!
Eggplant!
Peppers
Cantaloupe
Blackberries!
Seedless Watermelon
This week at the farm stand:
Veggies and Greens
Sweet corn
bell peppers
Zucchini
Red Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Heirloom tomatoes
Red Beets
Swiss Chard
cucumbers
pickling cucumbers
Kale
Summer Squash
Sorrel
Spanish Onions
Kohlrabi
Cabbage
Sweet Candy Onions
Green Beans
Red Potatoes
Lima Beans
Spaghetti Squash
Fruits
Plums
Peaches
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Early Gold Apples
Watermelon
Blackberries
Nectarines
HERBS and TEAS
Mint Tea
Mountain Tea
Parsley
Basil
Chocolate Mint tea
Dill
Meats, Baked Goods and others
Beef - our own
Honey - our own
Jellies and jams - our own
Cheese - Whispering Brook Farm - Great cheese made on the farm!
Pies - peach, cherry, blueberry, and blackberry
Breads
Eggs - our own
Come out and stock up on FRESH summer vegetables, tomatoes, and delicious peaches! The cantaloupe is great! We have a great bi-color and yellow sweet corn!
Let us know if you would like to buy QUANITY of any fruits or vegetables. We can do a bulk price. If you are interested in seconds (not perfect) fruits or vegetables, let us know!
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
www.orchardcountryproduce.com
Gregg, Louise, Sarah, Virginia, and Oliver Keckler
Hi Greg,
We love Eggplant as well – I have made a very similar recipe to yours but a bit lighter I think –
I use Egg Whites and Canola oil – salt/pepper – Panko Bread crumbs with a little bit of cayenne in the crumbs (we like a bit of heat)
Canola oil for frying in a heavy iron skillet. Same process- soak as your recipe with different ingredients.
Also can bake the slices at 350 degrees – spray a flat cookie sheet with PAM - lay out the slices - flip after 10 minutes, then cook another 10 minutes – timing is approximate, depends on the oven and desired texture, we like golden brown and crunchy outside.
No time to give this right now BUT we have also made lasagna with the eggplant – cut eggplant long wise as close to thickness for a lasagna noodle as possible (or whatever your taste is) to use in place of noodles. ** Same soaking process prior to putting the dish together. Use your favorite marinara sauce and cheeses. Build like you lasagna in a baking dish. Cover, cook at 350 for about 45 minutes, remove cover, pour extra sauce over the top, add parmesan on top, back in the oven about 10 minutes.
Btw – corn last week was outstanding. Made corn salsa – steam corn; cut corn from the cob, drain and rinse one 16 oz can of Black Beans, dice fresh tomatoes and onion. Mix all together, sprinkle with salt & pepper, mix again, let chill – we have put bits of jalepeno and smoked paprika as well
Dear Folks,
Just a word before I launch into this week's share. If you want to order things from the store throughout the week for delivery with your CSA share, PLEASE use the SAME email that you used to sign up for the CSA. In other words, use the email address that THIS email goes to. If you use a different email, the store does not connect you with the person who signed up for the CSA and then we do not know that you ordered things from the store. This year I have had this happen several times, so I thought I would mention it here.
If you are planning to purchase items from the grocery store and we have it on the store, please check it out and order from us. You will be supporting local sustainable farming and you will be getting fresh things.
This week's shares will include:
Peaches
Cantaloupe
Plums
Limas
tomatoes
eggplant
Kale
personal shares:
cantaloupe
plums
limas
tomatoes
kale
eggplant
This is the greatest time of the season - peaches, tomatoes,and sweet corn! We have given sweet corn for a couple of weeks, now for tomatoes and peaches.
The plums this year are not sweetest, but do not let that deter you from them. They are a great summer fruit. I had some folks say that they were using them to cook with or for spreads or smoothies. They are just a bit tart this year. So much has to do with the weather in May and early June. This year it was cooler and very wet.
But this year we have lima beans. Lima beans are one of those crops that depend so much on the weather. They cannot stand any late frost so they can not be planted until mid-June. This year the weather was perfect for them. So enjoy. They require a bit of work in shelling them, but they are great boiled with salt and butter!
WE LOVE FRIED EGGPLANT! It may not be the best thing for you, but it is delicious! If you have any great EASY recipes for eggplant, please send them to me and I will post the recipes on the blog.
Fried Eggplant - take a medium- size eggplant, peel and slice in quarter-inch slices. Soak the eggplant in 1 Tbs salt and enough water to cover. Soak for 30 minutes. Drain eggplant, heat 1/4 c oil. Beat two eggs in a dish and put 1 1/2 cups of flour in a flat second dish. Dip eggplant in egg and then cover with flour and fry in the oil until a light brown. Drain on paper towel. it is GREAT!
Have a great summer week! I love the cool evenings and mornings - it is letting us know that change is in the air! Be sure to watch for the meteor showers on August 8. Should be big. Look to the North!
Gregg, Louise, Sarah, Virginia, Oliver Keckler - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm www.orchardcountryproduce.com
Come to the Farm Stand at National Geographic Society-
in the courtyard - 9 am- 1:30 PM Tuesday - August 6
Farmer's Market at DOT this Tuesday August 6
Check out our Farm Stands -SATURDAY, August 3
Farm Market Stand - Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
Cedar Lane, Bethesda, MD 9 AM - 1 PM
Farm Market Stand - St Luke's Episcopal Church
Fort Hunt Rd, Alexandria, VA 8 AM- 1PM
NEW Farm Market Stand - Saint Mark Presbyterian Church
Old Georgetown Rd, North Bethesda, MD 9 AM-1:30 PM
What's New
Tomatoes!
We have cherry tomatoes and heirloom!!! tomatoes
Sweet Corn!
Eggplant!
Peppers
Cantaloupe
Blackberries!
This week at the farm stand:
Veggies and Greens
Sweet corn
bell peppers
Zucchini
Red Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Heirloom tomatoes
Red Beets
Swiss Chard
cucumbers
pickling cucumbers
Kale
Summer Squash
Sorrel
Spanish Onions
Kohlrabi
Cabbage
Sweet Candy Onions
Green Beans
Red Potatoes
Fruits
Plums
Apricots
Peaches
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Early Gold Apples
Lodi Apples (Great tart sauce apple)
Blackberries
HERBS and TEAS
Mint Tea
Mountain Tea
Parsley
Basil
Chocolate Mint tea
Dill
Meats, Baked Goods and others
Beef - our own
Honey - our own
Jellies and jams - our own
Cheese - Whispering Brook Farm - Great cheese made on the farm!
Pies - peach, cherry, and blueberry
Breads
Eggs - our own
Come out and stock up on FRESH summer vegetables, tomatoes, and delicious peaches! The cantaloupe is great! We have a great bi-color and yellow sweet corn!
Let us know if you would like to buy QUANITY of any fruits or vegetables. We can do a bulk price. If you are interested in seconds (not perfect) fruits or vegetables, let us know!
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
www.orchardcountryproduce.com
Gregg, Louise, Sarah, Virginia, and Oliver Keckler
Sweet corn
cucumbers
Red potatoes
tomatoes
Early Gold Apples
Plums
Mystery item
Personal shares:
Early Gold Apples
plums
tomatoes
cucumber
sweet corn
onion
mystery item
The mystery item is a mystery because we have a little of this and a little of that right now. So some shares will get one thing and other shares will get another. Be surprised!
Remember to return all cartons, boxes, rubber bands, etc in your boxes each week when you return them. Thanks. We are looking forward to a good week in mid-summer.
Enjoy the seasons - get outside - the butterflies are everywhere!
Gregg, Louise, Sarah, Virginia, and Oliver Keckler
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
www.orchardcountryproduce.com
Come to the Farm Stand at National Geographic Society-
in the courtyard - 9 am- 1:30 PM Tuesday - July 30
Farmer's Market at DOT this Tuesday July 30
9 am - 2 pm
Check out our Farm Stands -SATURDAY, July 27
Farm Market Stand - Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
Cedar Lane, Bethesda, MD 9 AM - 1 PM
Farm Market Stand - St Luke's Episcopal Church
Fort Hunt Rd, Alexandria, VA 8 AM- 1PM
NEW Farm Market Stand - Saint Mark Presbyterian Church
Old Georgetown Rd, North Bethesda, MD 9 AM-1:30 PM
What's New
Peaches!
Apricots!
Tomatoes!
We have cherry tomatoes and heirloom!!! tomatoes
Plums!
Sweet Corn!
Eggplant!
Peppers
This week at the farm stand:
Veggies and Greens
Sweet corn
bell peppers
Zucchini
Red Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Heirloom tomatoes
Red Beets
Swiss Chard
cucumbers
pickling cucumbers
Kale
Summer Squash
Sorrel
Spanish Onions
Kohlrabi
Cabbage
Sweet Candy Onions
Green Beans
Red Potatoes
Fruits
Plums
Apricots
Peaches
Red and Black Currants
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
HERBS and TEAS
Mint Tea
Mountain Tea
Parsley
Basil
Chocolate Mint tea
Dill
Meats, Baked Goods and others
Pork - our own We are almost out of pork - Get it while it lasts!
Beef - our own
Honey - our own
Jellies and jams - our own
Cheese - Whispering Brook Farm - Great cheese made on the farm!
Pies - peach, cherry, and blueberry
Breads
Eggs - our own
Come out and stock up on FRESH summer squash, tomatoes, and delicious peaches!
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
www.orchardcountryproduce.com
Gregg, Louise, Sarah, Virginia, and Oliver Keckler
Hello to all new folks signing up for the summer session. We are looking forward to a great summer of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Just a few items about the deliveries and pickups. If you pick up at a market stand - come to the stand and pick up your share and cross your name off of the list so that we know that you have picked up.
DO NOT THROW YOUR BOXES AND CARTONS AWAY! Please bring them back the second week and pick up a new box or if you would like you can transfer your produce into your own bags and leave the boxes at the stand.
If you get a delivery to your location- either leave your box at the designated drop off site and put your produce into your own bags or take the box home, but bring it back the next week so that the driver can pick it up.
A work about our store. We have an online store that you can order extra fruits, vegetables, meat, cheese, eggs, jams, honey, bakery and other things. If you want to order from the store - go to the online store and order items, they will be included with your share for the week. You can either pay when you pick up at a farm stand or if you have a delivery to your location, we will keep a running total and send you an email bill at the end of the seven week session. (Kind of like the old general store with the running account! Key element: TRUST!) Within the next hour I will be updating the store with the new items and deleting the items that are now past. So Check it out. If you were going to buy these things at the grocery store anyway, buy from the online store. You will be supporting local farming and you will be getting fresh local produce.
Our meat is own own. We are getting to the end of the pork for the year, but we will be butchering chickens during August. The bakery items are made by our daughter-in-law, Tamara. The cheese is from Ed Breckbill, a neighboring farmer in Chambersburg. He has his own dairy animals and makes his cheese on the farm WITH HIS OWN milk. Gregg makes all the jams during the winter months with fruit from the summer before. He has some interesting combinations. Check them out! The honey is ours. We use the bees for pollination, but their side business is honey.
This week's shares will include:
White peaches
Apricots
cabbage
Green beans
Sweet candy onion
Basil
Sweet corn
Personal shares:
Apricots
Green beans
Sweet Candy Onion
Basil
Sweet corn
If you have any questions about the delivery, the produce or the procedures, just send us an email. Thanks for your support!
Gregg, Louise, Sarah, Virginia, and Oliver Keckler -
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm, Inc
www.orchardcountryproduce.com
PS: Another good link for kohlrabi, with recipes and other tips: