Raspberries Blooming

   Red raspberries are now blooming heavily, and purple raspberries and the earliest thornless blackberries have started blooming.  It takes about 1 month from bloom to harvest for raspberries, and about 6 weeks from bloom to harvest for blackberries.  The expected ripe dates for raspberries and thornless blackberries are shown in the sidebar at left.

'Reveille' red raspberries are now blooming raspberries raspberries raspberries heavily, with many more fruit buds that will flower over the next month.

   Red raspberries will start ripening about June 4, so we'll probably open the red raspberry row for pick-your-own harvest that day.  From June 1 to Aug. 31 (as shown in the sidebar at left), we're open our summer hours: open 7:30 a.m.-12 noon & 7-9 p.m. Mon.-Sat., and Sundays 7-9 p.m. only.  We're closed noon-7 p.m. every day due to high summer heat, and closed Sunday morning for church.

The earliest thornless blackberries  have started blooming, with much larger flowers and showier petals than raspberry flowers.

   From Dec. 1 to May 31, as shown in the sidebar at left, we're open by appointment.  That means, until May 31, to phone 620-597-2450 a day ahead and leave a message on the answering machine with your name, the crops you want, and the day and time you're coming.  The phone rings in the house, so I'll get your message when I come in from working in the orchard or the sales building.  Then I'll meet you in the sales building when you arrive here.
   (Don't wait to call until you're on your way here, or I probably won't get your message before you arrive here.  When I'm out pruning, as I will be each non-rainy day for the next month, I can't always see or hear vehicles come in if I'm not looking for you.)
   You can make an appointment, through May 31, for between 9:00 and 11:45 a.m. or between 1:00 and 5:15 p.m. Mon. to Sat., and between 1:15 and 5:15 p.m. Sundays.  We're closed every Sunday morning, year-round, for church.
   Asparagus harvest is going strong, and we have lots for sale now and for the next 4 to 5 weeks, until early to mid-June.  Asparagus is sold harvested, still for $2.78 per pound + tax, and you do need to phone 620-597-2450 a day ahead and order it.

This 'Enterprise' apple tree still has some blooms, and the young apples that have set are now the size of my thumbnail. These apples will ripen in Oct. and Nov., but we still have many apples, harvested  last Nov., for sale now.

   We still have many harvested 'Enterprise' and 'GoldRush' apples for sale now and for the next 2 months or so.  Our #1 apples, with no damage, sell just as fast as I sort them (when it's raining), so you do need to phone 620-597-2450 a day or more ahead and order them.  We have many 2nds apples, with small cracks, cork spots, hail damage, or other surface damage.  These are great for baking, slicing for salads, or for making applesauce or apple butter.  Usually 95% to 99% of each fruit is still usable, but they're 70% or less the cost.
   We're still selling our last and largest pecan variety, 'Pawnee'.  We sell our papershell pecans in 4-pound bags.  These pecan bags contain at least 75% pecan kernels, so you get the equivalent of at least 6 pounds of in-shell pecans in each bag.  These pecans are very fast and easy for customers to pick out, and when you pick out the pecans, you get over 3 pounds of nutmeats.  We still have enough pecans for about 150 bags, and we'll have cracked pecans for sale until we sell out, probably till mid- to late June.
   Scroll up to the May 25 blog post for apple and pecan prices.