News and blog
If you are getting this email you are on our list to get a share at:
DOT Farmer's Market on Tuesday, June 2 or
NGS Farm Stand in the Courtyard on Tuesday, June 2
You should come to the stands and give your name. Either Gregg ( at NGS) or Oliver (at DOT) will get your share. It will be in a cardboard box. DO NOT TRASH OR RECYCLE THE BOX OR ANY ITEMS INSIDE! Please bring the box and all rubber bands, cartons, etc back the next week and trade in the empty box for a full one. There will be a check off list at the stand, be sure to check off your name showing that you picked up your box.
If you cannot come for any reason, please arrange to have someone else come to pick up your share for you. We are not able to give double shares or add extra weeks. If you let us know ahead of time, you can donate your share to the DC Soup kitchen if you will not be able to pick up.
You may choose to change your pick up spot within the same week that you are missing if this would help you plan your schedule. For example: If you normally pick up on Tuesdays at DOT and you will be out of town that day, you can send us an email and pick up your share at St Luke's on Saturday. You must choose a site that is open to the public, usually one of the farm stands or Farmer'' markets. We have them listed on our website. www.orchardcountryproduce.com
Extras: We do offer extras that you can purchase in addition to your regular share. These items will be listed on the online store on the website. You can go to the store and order items that will be included in addition to your share. You can pick these up at the stands and pay for them when you pick up. The store will be open by Monday, June 1 for delivery on Tuesday. The items that are sold by the pound will be weighed out and priced at the stand.
Each Monday I will send an email with the listing of the items that will be in your share that week. We try very hard to keep to this list, but occasionally we do have to substitute when things do not work out. If you have any questions about what something is or how to use it, do not hesitate to send me an email and ask. I will answer your questions as promptly as possible.
Thank you for joining us this year for a great harvest. We are looking forward to meeting everyone again. We love what we do and we hope that you will love it too!
Gregg, Louise, and Oliver Keckler
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm, Inc
We will be at DOT for the Farmer's Market tomorrow from 10-2 pm
Come out and get fresh vegetables. We will have these items available for sale.
We will have jellies, honey, Shagbark hickory syrup
Fruit
apples
Rhubarb
STRAWBERRIES
Vegetables
French Radishes
China Rose radishes
spring onions
Asparagus
Kale
lettuce
spinach
red beets with the tops
HERBS
mint tea
catnip
lovage
Meat - our own home grown
beef
pork
Bedding plants SPEACIAL DEALS
herbs
flowers
vegetable plants
Bakery
Raised Breads
Sweet breads
cookies
Homemade strawberry-rhubarb pies
Cherry pies
Home grown eggs
Homemade jellies and jams
HONEY
Shagbark Hickory Syrup
Cheese from Whispering Brook Cheese Haus
Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at the stand! The asparagus is great! The Pink Lady apples are still very sweet and crisp!
Gregg, Louise, Oliver Keckler - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
Dear Folks,
We will be at National Geographic Society Tuesday, May 26 from 9-2pm in the courtyard.
We will have jellies, honey, Shagbark hickory syrup
Fruit
apples
Rhubarb (Is this a Fruit?)
STRAWBERRIES
Vegetables
French Radishes
China Rose radishes
spring onions
Asparagus
Kale
lettuce
red beets with the tops
HERBS
mint tea
lovage
catnip
Meat - our own home grown
beef
pork
Bedding plants SPECIAL DEALS!
herbs
flowers
vegetable plants
Bakery
Raised Breads
Sweet breads
cookies
Homemade strawberry-rhubarb pies
Cherry pies
Home grown eggs
Homemade jellies and jams
HONEY
Shagbark Hickory Syrup
Cheese from Whispering Brook Cheese Haus
Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at the stand! The asparagus is great! The Pink apples are still very sweet and crisp!
The strawberries are sweet!
Gregg, Louise, Oliver Keckler - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
East Columbia Farmer's Market
at the East Columbia Library on Cradlerock Way
from 2-6 pm.
Rain or shine - We will be here to bring you fresh fruits and vegetables as they are picked!
Come out to check out the great spring vegetables and apples. Say Hello to Virginia and let's start the new year right with great asparagus!
These are some of the items that we will have tomorrow at the market.
We will have jellies, honey, Shagbark hickory syrup
Fruit
apples
Rhubarb (Is this a Fruit?)
Vegetables
French Radishes
China Rose radishes
spring onions
Asparagus
Kale
lettuce
spinach
red beets in the bunch!
Meat - our own home grown
beef
pork
Beef Bologna
Bedding plants
herbs
flowers
vegetable plants
Bakery
Raised Breads honey oatmeal bread and raisin bread
Sweet breads
cookies
Homemade strawberry - rhubarb pies
Cherry pies
Home grown eggs
Homemade jellies and jams
HONEY
Shagbark Hickory Syrup
Cheese from Whispering Brook Cheese Haus
Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at the stand! The asparagus is great! The Pink Lady apples are still very sweet and crisp!
Gregg, Louise, Oliver Keckler - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
We will be at DOT for the Farmer's Market tomorrow from 10-2 pm
Come out and get fresh vegetables. We will have these items available for sale.
We will have jellies, honey, Shagbark hickory syrup
Fruit
apples
Rhubarb
Vegetables
French Radishes
China Rose radishes
spring onions
Asparagus
Kale
lettuce
spinach
HERBS
mint tea
catnip
lovage
Meat - our own home grown
beef
stewing hens
pork
Beef Bologna
Bedding plants
herbs
flowers
vegetable plants
Bakery
Raised Breads
Sweet breads
cookies
Homemade pies
Cherry pies
Home grown eggs
Homemade jellies and jams
HONEY
Shagbark Hickory Syrup
Cheese from Whispering Brook Cheese Haus
Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at the stand! The asparagus is great! The Pink Lady apples are still very sweet and crisp!
Gregg, Louise, Oliver Keckler - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
Dear Folks,
We will be at National Geographic Society Tuesday, May 4 from 9-2pm in the courtyard.
We will have jellies, honey, Shagbark hickory syrup
Fruit
apples
Rhubarb
Vegetables
French Radishes
China Rose radishes
spring onions
Asparagus
Kale
lettuce
spinach
HERBS
mint tea
lovage
catnip
Meat - our own home grown
beef
stewing hens
pork
Beef Bologna
Bedding plants
herbs
flowers
vegetable plants
Bakery
Raised Breads
Sweet breads
cookies
Homemade pies
Cherry pies
Home grown eggs
Homemade jellies and jams
HONEY
Shagbark Hickory Syrup
Cheese from Whispering Brook Cheese Haus
Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at the stand! The asparagus is great! The Pink Lady apples are still very sweet and crisp!
Gregg, Louise, Oliver Keckler - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
Dear Folks,
Winter turned to summer with very little spring in between. Gregg, Oliver and Juan are planting lots of plugs from the greenhouse into the fields. Julie is weeding sweet onions.
We have very nice radishes, spring onions, lettuce, spinach and kale in the high tunnel. We still are selling some good apples from last year. Pink Lady and Fuji are the best. Cameo is still very sweet but getting softer and Gold Rush is tart but soft.
Gregg has planted several tomatoes in the high tunnel too. So we should be getting some early tomatoes as well.
The second batch of broilers are now about a week old. The first batch are almost 6 weeks old. Our year old pullets are laying well. The new pullets have not begun to lay yet. They are only 18 weeks, but they should be starting by June.
We took one hog to the butcher last week and we have an appointment for two more this week. So we should be stocked with pork, chicken and eggs for the summer.
We are going to try our hand at turkeys again this year. We are getting 100 poults in June.
We have rows and rows of kale, spring onions, sweet onions, peas, snow peas, snap peas, potatoes, Swiss chard and tomatoes. Oliver and Juan planting the first planting of green beans. They are just starting to come up. All the garlic looks great. Thanks to all the folks who came for the work day. You did a great job digging the garlic up so that we could replant it on our own land.
We are now using the new farm that we purchased this winter. Thanks to all who helped with that capital investment. If you would be interested in helping with future capital investment, please let us know.
Juan and Oliver got rid of most of the willow trees around the new pond. They have also convinced the groundhogs to move on. We do not have the use of the building yet, but the owners are working at cleaning out the buildings. The worst part is the poison ivy that is growing in the grass. It is impossible to get rid of unless we spray an herbicide. Oliver is looking into other options.
It has been very dry. We have had to irrigate the lettuce, the new strawberries, and the kale and chard. We did get a little rain on Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully more is coming in the early part of the week.
The CSA will start on June 2. Our markets have already started. Check them out if you are in the area.
We have opened a new farm stand at St. Mark's Episcopal on King's Highway, Alexandria, VA on Saturdays from 8 - 1 pm Come out or encourage any friends that you have who live in the area to come out and visit Gregg there on Saturdays.
We are still at Westminster Farmer's Market on Saturdays, from 8-12.
St. Luke's Episcopal on Fort Hunt Rd, Alexandria, VA Saturdaysfrom 8 - 1 pm
East Columbia Library at the Library on Cradle Rock Way on Thursdays from 2-6pm
NGS Farm Stand on Tuesdays in the Courtyard from 8-2 pm
DOT Farmer's Market on Tuesdays from 9-2 pm
We are looking forward to a great year! Strawberries are right around the corner!
Let us know if you have any question or concerns
Gregg, Louise and Oliver Keckler
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm, Inc
East Columbia Farmer's Market
at the East Columbia Library on Cradlerock Way
from 2-6 pm.
Come out to check out the great spring vegetables and apples. Say Hello to Oliver and let's start the new year right with great asparagus!
These are some of the items that we will have tomorrow at the market.
We will have jellies, honey, Shagbark hickory syrup
Fruit
apples
Rhubarb (Is this a Fruit?)
Vegetables
potatoes
French Radishes
China Rose radishes
spring onions
Asparagus
Kale
lettuce
spinach
Meat - our own home grown
beef
stewing hens
pork
Beef Bologna
Bedding plants
herbs
flowers
vegetable plants
Bakery
Raised Breads honey oatmeal bread and baggettes
Sweet breads
cookies
Homemade pies
Cherry pies
Home grown eggs
Homemade jellies and jams
HONEY
Shagbark Hickory Syrup
Cheese from Whispering Brook Cheese Haus
Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at the stand! The asparagus is great! The Pink Lady apples are still very sweet and crisp!
Gregg, Louise, Oliver Keckler - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
Dear Folks,
We will be at National Geographic Society Tuesday, May 4 from 9-2pm in the courtyard.
We will have jellies, honey, Shagbark hickory syrup
Fruit
apples
Rhubarb (Is this a Fruit?)
Vegetables
potatoes
French Radishes
China Rose radishes
spring onions
Asparagus
Kale
lettuce
HERBS
mint tea
lovage
Meat - our own home grown
beef
stewing hens
pork
Beef Bologna
Bedding plants
herbs
flowers
vegetable plants
Bakery
Raised Breads
Sweet breads
cookies
Homemade pies
Cherry pies
Home grown eggs
Homemade jellies and jams
HONEY
Shagbark Hickory Syrup
Cheese from Whispering Brook Cheese Haus
Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at the stand! The asparagus is great! The Pink lLdy apples are still very sweet and crisp!
Gregg, Louise, Oliver Keckler - Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm
Dear Folks,
If you have been meaning to sign up for the CSA for 2015 and are procrastinating - you have ONLY 4 days left to sign up for the whole season and get a 6 % discount. After May 15th you will still be able to sing up for the different season, but there will not be a discount.
The deadline to sign up for the spring session will be May 27.
Let us know if you have any questions about the CSA. We would be happy to arrange for CSA pick ups are your apartment building or community. We can send you flyers to email or hang up. We can also do deliveries to your business as well. Let us know if there is any way that we can accommodate you.
Remember a CSA supports local food in your area - where you live.
To sign up for the CSA go to www.orchardcountryproduce.com to sign up. You can pay right away with a credit card or you can save 4% by clicking invoice and sending a check.
I will be sending out reminder emails to folks who still owe money for the spring session and the full season discount.
You MUST pay for the full season by May 15 in order to get the discount.
At midnight on May 15 the discount will disappear! So pay up now. the email that I send will give you either a link to pay with a credit card or you can send a check.
Thanks for letting us serve you.
Gregg, Louise and Oliver Keckler
Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm, Inc