MONADNOCK BERRIES

That was a great Summer, and now already Fall is here.  But, let’s back up a moment to Summer again.  The raspberry season was amazing, in that the weather made sure we had an abundance of raspberries with warm days and nights to keep the fruit ripening all the way through until late July.  The blueberry season was short and the crop was light. Remember last year’s drought?  The plantation made hardly any fruit bud due to the lack of water.  Many of our customers who usually pick in September were disappointed that we only just made it to Labor Day with fruit to pick. That’s Mother Nature for you, what with Tropical Storm Irene, and other heavy rains, not a berry was left on a bush anywhere.  We did not sustain any flooding on our farm and are thankful, sometimes living on a hill is a good thing!  We would like to remember all those folks that did suffer through the floods, especially the farmers who lost their crops and livelihoods.  We will all remember the summer of 2011.

Now that Fall is here with those crisp, sunny, warm days and cold nights, it is time to gather in the later harvest. We have almost finished the apple picking and are eagerly awaiting my favorite apple and the last to be picked, Ida Red.  Regular customers to the farm stand on Route 12 will know many of the 25 varieties that we grow, but may not know of the Ida Red.  You can make pink apple sauce, bake, juice or just munch away on this large red hard and juicy apple.  It keeps superbly well into the winter and still tastes and looks beautiful into the dark days of winter.  Remember to stop in to get your Halloween pumpkins.  You’ll once again find a large assortment of Fall decorations in our Pumpkin Barn, from mums to little jacks, gourds and sugar pumpkins  (for baking), and that special Jack’o Lantern for the front porch on Oct 31st.

That reminds me Oct 31st is also the last day of the season for us at the farm stand on Rt 12. Happy Halloween and Trick or Treating,