Monday, March 18, 2024

Fruit Buds Survive 25 F Frost

    The temperature dropped to 25 F here near dawn today, but most of our budding fruit crops survived.  Peaches and Asian pears were in full bloom due to the early spring.  Our earliest-ripening, and earliest-blooming, peach variety had very few blooms due to mid-winter cold damage from -5 F in Jan., and most of these few blooms were killed by this morning's frost.  But our later-ripening peach varieties, especially 'Intrepid' and 'Contender', still have a good crop as of now.

Asian pears were in beautiful full bloom during this morning's frost. Many flowers ensure that a good amount survive frosts.
   My husband Bill and I have been very busy pruning all our fruit trees and blackberry bushes, and we'll keep pruning them for the next few months.  From Dec. 16 to June 14, we're open by appointment.  During these dates, phone 620-597-2450 a day ahead and leave a message on our answering machine saying the day and about what time you'll come, and what you want to buy.

I'm using pneumatic loppers, powered by the air compressor on the tractor, to prune vigorous watersprouts from 'Enterprise' apple trees here. This is a big job that takes several weeks each spring.
   You can make an appointment to arrive here between 10 a.m. and noon or between 1:30 and 5 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, or between 2 and 5 p.m. on Sundays, but please state a specific approximate time in your message. Then I'll be out in the sale building to meet you when you come.

   If you want a return call, you must state your phone number in your message, or we won't know it.  Our phone is a landline that rings in our house, so you may get our answering machine if you call during the day, and we return calls after dark.  We'll answer the phone if you call while it's dark or very cold, so please do not call after 10 p.m. or before 7 a.m.  Thanks.

   We still have many harvested, cracked pecans for sale now.  We sell cracked pecans in 4-pound bags, which are over 75% pecan kernels and under 25% shell fragments.  Each bag has the equivalent of 6 pounds of in-shell pecans, and when you pick out the pecan kernels, you get 3 pounds or more of nutmeats.  Each bag costs $19.32 + sales tax.

   As always, we take cash or checks for payment, but NO credit cards or debit cards, and no "apps".  We don't use a smart phone, and have no phone line to the sales building.  So please bring your checkbook or enough cash to cover the amount of fruit you want to buy.  Thanks.

Some sweet cherry varieties, with white blooms at left, are blooming in our small cherry orchard. Redbud trees I planted are blooming along our driveway, and our red sales building is at right.
   Expected sales dates for all our crops for the next 12 months are shown in the left sidebar under Crops Sales Seasons.  That also show which crops we sell harvested, and which crops we sell pick-your-own.  More info is at our new website with our new name, Reid Orchards, at https://reidorchards.blogspot.com/

Monday, February 12, 2024

Our New Name: Reid Orchards

   We're changing our name to Reid Orchards from Brenda's Berries & Orchards, to reflect our evolving crop offerings.  When we opened for business in 2001, our main crop was pick-your-own thornless blackberries, which we still offer from late June to late July.  We also offered pick-your-own strawberries from 2002 to 2016, and pick-your-own raspberries from 2003 to 2022, but we're now retired from growing strawberries and raspberries for sale.

   Our main crops are now pecans, apples, pears, Asian pears, peaches and thornless blackberries.  Almost all these crops grow in orchards, hence our new name.   So we now have a new website, Reid Orchards at https://reidorchards.blogspot.com/

Our new sign is up on our sales building, and our highway & driveway signs will be changed soon.
   Expected sales dates for all our crops for the next 12 months are shown in the left sidebar under Crops Sales Seasons.  That also show which crops we sell harvested, and which crops we sell pick-your-own.

   We only sell crops that we grow, and we sell everything that we grow at our retail market here on our farm.  We do not sell wholesale to people who want to resell our crops, nor do we buy produce from others to resell here.

   We still have many harvested, cracked pecans for sale now.  We sell cracked pecans in 4-pound bags, which are over 75% pecan kernels and under 25% shell fragments.  Each bag has the equivalent of 6 pounds of in-shell pecans, and when you pick out the pecan kernels, you get 3 pounds or more of nutmeats.  Each bag costs $19.32 + sales tax.

We still have many cracked pecans in 4-pound bags, which are over 75% pecan kernels and under 25% shell fragments.
   We grow and sell only pecan varieties that my husband Bill has named, and selections from his pecan breeding program.  All pecans that we sell have large nuts with thin shells and flavorful kernels.

   For making pie filling, applesauce or apple butter, we also have many #1 and #2 apples from our bumper 2022 'Enterprise' apple crop.  These 2022 apples have a rich flavor and are ideal for cooking, but aren't crisp enough for fresh eating.

   Harvested #2 (2nds) apples from 2022 cost $1.06 per pound + sales tax; a 20-pound box of #2 2022 apples costs $21.26 + sales tax.  We've reduced the price on #1 2022 apples, with no damage, to $1.26 per pound + sales tax, since they are for cooking only.  So a 20-pound box of #1 2022 apples costs $25.12 + sales tax, and you save 4 dollars.

   From Dec. 16 to June 14, we're open by appointment.  During these dates, phone 620-597-2450 a day ahead and leave a message on our answering machine saying the day and about what time you'll come, and what you want to buy.

   You can make an appointment to arrive here between 10 a.m. and noon or between 1:30 and 5 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, or between 2 and 5 p.m. on Sundays, but please state a specific approximate time in your message. Then I'll be out in the sale building when you come.

   If you want a return call, you must state your phone number in your message, or we won't know it.  Our phone rings in our house, so you may get our answering machine if you call during the day, and we return calls after dark.  We'll answer the phone if you call while it's dark or very cold, so please do not call after 10 p.m. or before 7 a.m.  Thanks.

   As always, we take cash or checks for payment, but NO credit cards or debit cards, and no "apps".  We don't use a smart phone, and have no phone line to the sales building.  So please bring your checkbook or enough cash to cover the amount of fruit you want to buy.  Thanks.