Greetings!

Everyone will agree that the sunshine this week has been a welcomed change.  THIS is what spring is supposed to feel like!

Not only are we loving it, but our plants are loving it too.  It's weird to think about, but plants get sad and depressed with poor weather, just like we might.  They were getting pummeled with rain drops, and their "feet" were soggy and wet, day after day.  They received no sunshine to help them grow and make delicious tasting fruit and veggies.  And plants have no relief from the weather.  They are outside under Mother Nature's control 24/7.  

But now, the plants are happy!  Asparagus is growing more abundantly.  We are finally harvesting strawberries!  (HOORAY!)  And the rhubarb is looking full and lush again.

We'll see you at the Farmers Market.  
Shop early to ensure you get your pick-of-the-crop for your Memorial Day Festivities!
Kuhn Orchards' e-Newsletter | late MAY 2016 | www.KuhnOrchards.com
STRAWBERRY UPDATE
Strawberries have been slowly (I mean slowwwlyyy) ripening. They have been suffering from a major lack of sunlight and heat.  And all the rain has not helped either. 

Many customers have asked us over the past couple of weeks if we were picking any berries yet, and our response has been, "No.  And we're glad they're not ready yet!" Sounds crazy, I know.  But here is why.

Strawberries do not like wet and cloudy weather.  The sweetness of a strawberry is directly related to how much sunlight there is while it is ripening.  If the berry is ripening during cloudy rainy days, it will be pumped up with a lot of water and not much sugar, so the flavor will be lackluster. Also, the rain and cloudiness cause lots of disease problems with strawberries, especially grey mold (also known as Botrytis).  And water saturated strawberries tend not to store very long once they are picked.  So you can see why we were glad not to be picking strawberries during that three week period of clouds and rain. 

So far, the strawberries we have picked look shiny and bright, have very little grey mold, and have good flavor. And after this week's ideal growing conditions (warm sunny days), their quality will only improve.  So even though Mother Nature was not kind to growers during the early part of the strawberry season,  we're hoping that you'll give strawberries another chance during the late season - because our crop of berries looks to be high quality and flavorful!

Strawberries
CROP 101:  Asparagus
We have 3 acres of Asparagus on the farm. Our oldest patch was planted in 2000. Our newest patch was planted in 2015, and includes the first purple asparagus we’ve ever grown.  We will only harvest a few spears from the new patch this year.  We want it to have a good strong foundation, and picking too much will stress the plants and possibly decrease future production.

Asparagus is one of the very few vegetables that is a perennial, which means we harvest from the same plants for many years, instead of planting new plants each year. 

We begin harvesting asparagus as soon as the first spears emerge from dormancy (begin poking out of the ground) in the spring – this can be anywhere from early to late April depending on how warm the spring is.

Even though it requires an intense amount of labor (all asparagus is harvested by hand), we are dedicated to harvesting our asparagus daily.  When it is really warm, asparagus can grow up to 1 inch per hour so we will harvest it twice in one day! Our strict harvest schedule prevents the asparagus from becoming tough and the tips from ferning out; many folks have said that our tender asparagus is the best they have ever eaten.

Over 90% of the Asparagus eaten in the US is imported from places such as Mexico or Peru, so every bit you can do to support your local Asparagus farmer is important! 

Here are some Asparagus recipes you might enjoy.

OUR FARMERS MARKETS

Tues | 3pm - 7pm
Apr 5 - Nov 22

Wed | 8am - noon
May 4 - Nov 16

Wed | 2pm - 6pm
May 4 - Oct 26

Thurs | 11am - 2pm
April 7 - Nov 17

Thurs | 3pm - 7pm
May 5 - Oct 27
Closed June 9, Celebrate Fairfax set-up

Sat | 8am - noon
May 7 - Oct 29

Sat | 8am - 1pm
May 14 - Oct 29
Closed Oct 8, Fall Festival

Sat | 9am - 1pm
May 7 - Nov 19

Sat | 9am - 1pm
May 7 - Nov 19

Sun | 9am - 1pm
May 1 - Nov 13

Sun | 9am - 1pm
May 1 - Nov 20

Sun | 9 am - 1pm
Year Round

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KUHN ORCHARDS | 1041 Old Route 30 | Cashtown, PA  17310
EMAIL US:   enewsletter@kuhnorchards.com