Farm News
Spring 2009
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Just a reminder, the opening of the 2009 Farmer’s Market season is fast approaching!
We hope that you will enjoy this first edition of our Kuhn Orchards newsletter. Our plans are to publish the newsletter at least once a month in order to provide you with up to date information about our products! If you would prefer to receive our newsletter via email, you can sign up on our website at www.kuhnorchards.com.
In January a new Production Manager, Rusty Lamb, joined our team. He brings a diverse background of growing vegetable and fruit crops in Massachusetts and New Jersey after acquiring a Associate of Science degree in “Fruit and Vegetable Crops” from the Stockbridge School of Agriculture (University of Massachusetts). We think he will be a great asset to our business!
After a nice winter break, we look forward to seeing you all again at market.
Sincerely,
David, Mary Margaret, and Sidney Kuhn
Sandy Lombardi
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2009 Farmers Market Schedule
Tuesday
Fairfax – Van Dyck Park on Old Lee Highway
May 5 – October 27
8:00 AM – Noon
Wednesday
Oakton at the Oak Marr RECenter
May 6 – November 18
8:00 AM – Noon
Wednesday
Annandale – Wakefield Park, Braddock Rd.
May 6 – October 28
2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Saturday
Fairfax – Behind old Fairfax Co. Courthouse
May 2 – October 31
8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Saturday
Vienna – Beside the Red Caboose
May 2 – October 31
8:00 AM -Noon
Saturday
Washington DC – 14th and U Street, NW
May 2 – November 22
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
May at the Market
For the first weeks of market, we will have the following available for sale:
- Apple Cider – Our cider is pressed at a local mill (Kime’s) from a mixture of our own apples! There are no preservatives or sweeteners added, just pure apple juice.
- Asparagus
- Rhubarb
- Fuji, Pink Lady and Goldrush Apples – from Storage.
- Canned Peaches – Our own Bounty peaches canned in light syrup.
At some of our farmers market locations we will also be offering:
- Eggs – Fresh white and brown eggs from free-walking hens raised by a neighboring farm. Check out their website at www.weikertseggfarm.com. Their hens do not live in cages, they walk freely in their rooms. Taste the difference!
- Fresh North Carolina Strawberries – Grown about 10 miles outside of Wilson, NC where Mary Margaret was raised, by James Sharpe of Fresh Pik Produce. Check out their website at www.freshpik.com. To get a jump on the season, we haul these large and sweet Chandler berries up once a week until ours ripen.
- Honey – Harvested and bottled by the bee-keeper who tends the hives on our farm that pollinate our fruit trees.
- Jams and Jellies – Rhubarb butter, Gooseberry Jam, Raspberry Jam, Tart Cherry Jam, yum!!!
Produce of the month………. Asparagus!!!!!
So what makes our asparagus different from what you will buy anywhere else???
Our 1 ½ acres of asparagus is harvested every day, because we won’t bring tough, woody spears to our customers. We sell our homegrown asparagus in bunches of tender “tips” with the tough base already removed! Our firm bright green spears have closed, compact tips, a sign of their tenderness.
Asparagus has a wonderfully distinctive flavor and a meaty texture. It’s often served as a side dish, after being steamed or briefly boiled. Fat and skinny spears are equally tender. To store asparagus, place cut ends in a glass with a small amount of water. Refrigerate for up to a week. Today we saw the first purple tips poking up through the mulch. A sure sign that spring has finally arrived!!
Our Favorite Asparagus Recipe
MARINATED ASPARAGUS
1 lb. fresh asparagus
3 TBL. vinegar – we use cider vinegar
¼ cup vegetable or olive oil
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground pepper
1 TBL. fresh parsley
1 clove crushed garlic
½ tsp. sugar
Cook asparagus until tender crisp and drain well. Add all other ingredients until well blended. Pour onto asparagus and place into sealed container and refrigerate at least six hours or overnight.
For more Asparagus recipes, check out our website at www.kuhnorchards.com
On the Farm …………..
While we are not busy with farmers markets during the winter months, we were very busy pruning all of our fruit trees, shrubs and vines, updating our website www.kuhnorchards.com and preparing for the 2009 season.
We are currently in the process of completing our new farm repair shop building and are putting together plans to add a second story to our office.
Planting time!!!
Spring has brought a lot of planting so that we can continue to provide a large diversity and longer season of fruit for our customers. We hope that some of these will be in production in 2-3 years. Some of our most interesting new crops:
- ‘Meader’ American Persimmon and ‘Fuyu’ Asian Persimmons
- A new cherry orchard that includes many varieties of sweet and tart cherries
- Later season blueberry varieties –‘Elliott’ and ‘Aurora’
- ‘Anne’ yellow raspberries and ‘Jewel’ black raspberries
- ‘Sugar Pearls’ white apricots
- ‘Boyer’ Quince
- Many more currants and gooseberries and even Jostaberries!
What is a Jostaberry??? Jostaberries are a cross between a Black Currant and a Gooseberry.
The apricots and plums are already blooming; cherries, peaches and nectarines will follow soon, and then the farm will be covered with a blanket of white petals when the apples bloom.
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Coupon
During the month of May, bring this coupon to any of our farmers markets and receive $3 off a $12 purchase.
One coupon per customer, please.
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Kuhn Orchards ph: (717) 334-2722 email: kuhnorch@superpa.net
Box 95 Cashtown, PA 17310
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