Crop Talk May 6, 2015: Celebrating Mothers

Crop Talk

The Newsletter of Great Country Farms
May 6, 2015: Celebrating Mothers

May 2015

The Promise of Things to Come...

Strawberries are usually ready to pick about 30 days after their flowers first open, and the flowers in our fields started opening four or five days ago. As strawberries ripen, their sugar content rises from about 5% to almost 9%, and that change requires a lot of days like today -- 80 degrees and sunny. If this weather holds, we'll be picking a bumper crop of sweeties at the end of the month.

Ninety percent of a ripe strawberry is water, so they need rain, but too much rain will disrupt the delicate balance between water, sugar, and citric acid that makes berries delectable.

By the way... organizers estimate that fans at this year's Wimbledon tennis tournament will eat 60,000 pounds of strawberries in two weeks.

In This Issue

Mother's Day at GCF

Great Country Farms celebrates Mother's Day with asparagus

bouquets and chocolate-dipped strawberries. Wagons will go out for tours of the farm and visits to the U-pick fields at 11:00, 1:00 and 3:00.

Bluemont Vineyard is offering Mother's Day specials by The Butcher Station, a restaurant in Winchester that features local meats and vegetables.

Eat like this at The Butcher Station!

Spinach, Asparagus, and GCF Membership Cards in the Market

Spinach likes frigid February nights better than hot May afternoons, so with temperatures in the 80s this week, our early spring crop might not last much longer. Come and get it while you can! U-pick bonus for this week: one bag of spinach. And there's so much asparagus in the market that we're offering that as a member bonus, too. Wagons leave for the U-pick fields at 11:00, 1:00, and 3:00.

And remember...

We've kept your membership card in the market so we can welcome you back the first time you visit the farm this season. Come to the counter to chat with us and pick up your welcome package.

Featured Partners:

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