Many Red Raspberries Ripe

   Red raspberries are now ripening in quantity, and have excellent quality despite all the excess rain we've gotten (12.5 inches in May, over 3 times the  ideal rainfall of 1 inch per week).  Our raspberry planting is still waterlogged, but our workers and I wore rubber boots all day so we could prune and train the raspberry plants.  Several families also wore rubber boots to pick red raspberries today, and harvested a total of 33 pints today.

David and Dustin Eck and their parents, Trisdan and Valerie, picked 20 pints of red raspberries today.  Their rubber boots help with waterlogged soil.

   We are grateful that no more rain is predicted for the next week, and floodwaters should recede soon.  Our road, 95th St., is clear.  Our raspberry planting should dry out in the next couple days.
   From June 1 to Aug. 31, as the sidebar at left shows, we'll be open Mon. to Sat. 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 7 to 9 p.m., and Sundays 7 to 9 p.m. only.  We're closed Sunday mornings for church (as we are year-round), and from June 1 to Aug. 31 we're closed from 12 noon to 7 p.m. due to high heat.

Red raspberries are now ripening in quantity, and have excellent quality.  More will ripen over the next month.

   We'll have plenty of red raspberries to pick for the next month, but it's a good idea to call 620-597-2450 a day or so ahead before driving a distance, and let me know when you're planning to come.
   Ripening times for all our fruits are listed in the sidebar at left.

Strawberries Winding Down, Red Raspberries Starting

   Strawberry harvest season is winding down now, and we already have people scheduled to pick strawberries each day through the end of strawberries, about June 7.  Frequent rains lately have made things more difficult, as we've had to reschedule several people.  So we can not make any new appointments for strawberry picking.

I picked these 3 pints of red raspberries on Mon. evening May 25, and customers picked 14 pints of red raspberries today, May 26.

   Red raspberry harvest season started today.  Raspberries, like all our berries, are sold pick-your-own only.  Pick-your-own raspberries cost $1.86 per pint + tax.  We're still open by appointment through May 31.  Phone 620-597-2450 to set up a day and time to pick raspberries, and I'll return your call to confirm.

Kinley and Kamryn started our pick-your-own raspberry season today.

    From June 1 to Aug. 31, as the sidebar at left shows, we'll be open Mon. to Sat. 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 7 to 9 p.m., and Sundays 7 to 9 p.m. only.  We're closed Sunday mornings for church (as we are year-round), and from June 1 to Aug. 31 we're closed from 12 noon to 7 p.m. due to high heat.
   Asparagus harvest season is also winding down now, and we already have orders for the remaining asparagus to be harvested.  We have now sold out of 'GoldRush' apples and 'Kanza' pecans until next Nov.
   Our workers just finished thinning peaches today, and will start thinning pears tomorrow, then thinning apples.  They'll also need to help prune raspberries and blackberries, and prune the apple and pear trees.
   We should have bumper crops of raspberries, blackberries and peaches this year.  Ripening dates for all our fruits are listed in the sidebar at left.

PYO Strawberry Harvest, Thinning Peaches

Our fresh strawberries on waffles, with a little real maple syrup, make a great breakfast.

   Strawberry harvest started on May 11, and will run to about June 6 this year.  Strawberries are sold pick-your-own only, by appointment only, for $2.55 per quart + tax.  We already have people scheduled to pick strawberries each day through May 31, and have openings in the first week of June.  Phone 620-597-2450 to set up a day and time to pick strawberries, and I'll return your call to confirm.

Cheyenne and Clayton Mayfield had a great time picking strawberries with their mom Melinda on May 14.  The smaller strawberry plants in the background were just planted last fall, so only the established planting in front is producing many berries this year.

    Asparagus harvest should go for the next 2 weeks or so.  These are nice thick spears and I snap them off where they break easily, instead of cutting them at ground level, so almost all of the spear is tender and usable.  Phone 620-597-2450 to order asparagus, which we sell harvested for $2.79 per pound + tax.
   We still have about 80 lbs. of harvested  #2 'GoldRush' apples for sale now and for the next 2 weeks or so.  #1 'GoldRush' apples are now sold out until next Nov.  Cracked 'Kanza' pecans are also sold out until next Nov.

Three of our workers and I thinned peaches today.  Left to right, Brandon Ledford, Ben Miller and Tim Epler are on ladders thinning peaches on upper branches.

   Hand thinning of peaches, described in the previous post, continues.  This is a very labor-intensive job that takes over 500 hours.  Now that our college-age workers are done with classes for the semester, and our high schoolers are almost done, each of our 5 workers and I will thin peaches 40 to 46 hours per week for the next 2 weeks.
   From Dec. 1 to May 31 we're open by appointment.  We'll be very busy thinning fruit on our 160 peach trees all during May, and from the peach orchard I can't see the driveway or hear cars come in, if people just drop by.  Thanks.

Thinning Peaches & Harvesting Asparagus

   Peach thinning began last Saturday.  This is a huge job each May when we have a peach crop, and will take over 500 hours to thin excess fruit on our 160 peach trees. With no thinning, limbs would break from excessive fruit loads, all the fruit would stay too small to sell, and fruit rots would spread quickly as fruit touch each other.  So we remove excess fruit, leaving peaches 6 to 8 inches apart so they don't touch, enabling peaches to develop good size and increased sweetness, and greatly reducing fruit rots.

I used a pneumatic limb shaker, powered by an air compressor on the tractor, to start the peach thinning process on our younger peach orchard on Monday May 4.  These smaller trees thin fairly quickly, but the older trees in the background take much longer.

   First we use pneumatic limb shakers to shake loose fruit from the trees.  We shake each limb of each tree, which takes about 40 hours for 160 peach trees.  Then we follow up with hand thinning, keeping the best and largest fruit and twisting off the rest.  This will take about 480 hours.

Before thinning, peach branches have far too many fruit, which would cause limb breakage and result in tiny peaches with much fruit rot if excess fruit weren't removed.

The same branches, after limb shaking and hand thinning, have a good number of fruit that will develop increased size and sweetness.

   With temperatures in the 80's, I'm also harvesting asparagus three times each day, so we have lots to sell. Asparagus harvest should go for the next 3 weeks or so.  These are nice thick spears and I snap them off where they break easily, instead of cutting them at ground level, so almost all of the spear is tender and usable.  Phone 620-597-2450 to order asparagus, which we sell harvested for $2.79 per pound + tax.

Asparagus grows so fast with temperatures in the 80's, that I have to harvest it three times each day, in between thinning the peach orchard in the background.

   We still have some harvested 'GoldRush' apples, both #1's and #2's, for sale now and for the next 2 to 3 weeks or so.  Harvested apples are kept in top condition in our cooler, which is now down to about 240 pounds of apples (about 80 pounds of #1's and 160 pounds of #2's).  #2 apple prices are still $1.00 less for each 20 lbs. than last fall.  Scroll down 4 posts for prices.
   We also still have 5-lb. bags of cracked 'Kanza' pecans for sale, for $14.86 + tax per bag.  We now have 7 bags (35 pounds) of pecans left before we're sold out (until next Nov.)

'Ouachita' blackberries are heavy with blooms now.  We should have a great thornless blackberry crop this year, from mid-June to early August.

   Strawberry harvest will start next week, and will run from about May 12 to June 5 this year.  Strawberries are sold pick-your-own only, by appointment only, for $2.55 per quart + tax.  We already have people scheduled to pick strawberries from May 12 through May 19, and have openings from May 20 on.  Phone 620-597-2450 to set up a day and time to pick strawberries.
   From Dec. 1 to May 31 we're open by appointment, so phone a day or so ahead (or at least a few hours ahead) and leave a message on the answering machine saying when you're coming for asparagus, apples and/or pecans.  We'll be very busy thinning peaches all during May, and can't see the driveway or hear cars come in from the peach orchard.