Greetings!

Well, that's a wrap folks.  Peach season has officially concluded.  And a great season for peaches, it was!  It was ridiculously hot, with not nearly enough rain, but the peaches and nectarines relished in the summer climate.  HOWEVER.  The Farmers Markets have not concluded for the season, and we hope you will continue to attend market!! 

Most of the markets that we attend continue well into November.  I know, no one is starting to think about Thanksgiving yet, but we have all the glorious fresh fruits and vegetables to keep your kitchens cooking as the weather gets cooler and people start thinking about holiday feasts.  

And if you are starting to plan for the winter months and where you'll get your local produce, keep Kuhn Orchards in mind!  We have our Winter CSA with pick-up locations in Vienna and Lorton, VA, and our on-line Webstore that you can purchase from all winter long.  

One good thing about the conclusion of peach season:  we have more room for apples!  Most of our markets will be bringing 12 varieties of apples for you to sample and purchase at market.  Newbies in the line-up include:  Crimson Topaz, CrimsonGold, Candy Crisp and Nittany.  We'll also be bringing the yellow Asian pear variety, Shinseiki. One piece of advice for this apple season, and I know we sound like a broken record: Because of the cold spell we had in the spring, our fruit set wasn't where it usually is, so our harvest of apples has been much less than usual.  What that means for you:  We may not have some apple varieties as long as we usually do at market.  So when you see them, buy them!  Some varieties we'll only carry for 2 weeks or so before we sell out.  If you have any questions about supply, please ask a Kuhn Orchards market employee or contact us by emailing info@kuhnorchards.com.  

Just a reminder to all Saturday Fairfax Farmers Market Customers:  The Farmers Market will be closed this Saturday, October 8th because of the Fall Festival.  We encourage you to shop with us at the Vienna Farmers Market on Saturday from 8am until noon, located at the Faith Baptist Church at 301 Center Street.  

We'll see you at the Farmers Market!!   
Kuhn Orchards' e-Newsletter | early Oct  2016 | www.KuhnOrchards.com
HEIRLOOM PUMPKINS 101
An oldie, but a goodie.  Get your refresher course on Heirloom Pumpkins from Sidney in this YouTube video.  She'll walk you through a number of our delicious (and also decorative!) heirloom pumpkins.

And if you get to market and think "Now, what was the variety Sidney mentioned?"  We have pumpkin charts with names and pictures so you can narrow down your selection.

STARTING THIS WEEK:  We will have our Pumpkin Sale the last hour of market.  The last hour of the Farmers Market, all pumpkins will be half price (with the exception of the mini pumpkins and gourds, winter squash by the pound, and any pumpkins that are marked with an orange sticker.)

To keep people excited about fall, post a picture of your fall pumpkins on any social media outlet and use #KOPumpkinLove.  We're on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
FALL RECIPE IDEAS
Fall is the time of year that I get excited to cook.  Summertime means quick salads, BLTs, and trying to not spending much time in the kitchen.   So the cooler weather has me thinking about warm and hearty meals.  

The Kuhn Orchards website has a great collection of recipes featuring our produce.  Many of the recipes are cross referenced among categories, so you'll be sure to find something you love.  Here are a few seasonal suggestions of our many recipes.  

CROP 101:  V-Trellis Apples

In a previous newsletter, the Crop 101 featured our Pennsylvania 4-Wire Trellised apple orchard.  So it seems appropriate to continue with the apple trellis theme and talk about the "V-Trellis."

The apple trees in this block are trained to a growing system known as a “V-trellis” and were planted in the spring of 1996.  In the photo above, you can see how two trees, angled in different directions, make the V-shape.  As the tree grows, we tie the branches to wires to maintain the V-shape and to keep the canopy narrow.   This training system makes the most of the tree row space while still allowing for sunlight to reach both sides of the tree to properly grow and ripen the apples.  The trees have dwarfing rootstocks (the rootstock limits the size and vigor of the tree), so the trees will never grow as large as standard apple trees. 

The varieties grown in this planting include: Elstar, Gingergold, Liberty, Gala and GoldRush, and they are planted 4 feet apart in double rows. There are 900 trees per acre in this block. 

We grow over 25 acres of apples, mostly on the higher ground on our other 3 properties. Apples are the second largest volume crop we grow.

WINTER DELIVERY LOCATIONS

Emmanuel Lutheran Church
2589 Chain Bridge Rd
Vienna, VA  22181

VRE Parking Lot
8990 Lorton Station Blvd
Lorton, VA  22079

WINTER DELIVERY DATES

Nov 5
(Vienna only)
Nov 19
(Lorton begins)
Dec 3 & 17
Jan 7 & 21
Feb 4 & 18
Mar 4 & 18
April 1, 15 & 29
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

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

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