Thornless Blackberries Ripening

   Thornless blackberries are starting to ripen in fairly good quantities now, while only a few purple raspberries are still ripening.  Many years, as soon as the calendar turns from June to July, purple raspberries dwindle fast, while many thornless blackberries begin ripening.  Raspberries do best with cooler temperatures, while blackberries love heat, and higher temperatures make all kinds of berries ripen faster.
   The thornless blackberries are being heavily picked during this week leading up to July 4th, as they are every year, so those wanting to pick large amounts should wait until July 6th on.  We'll have literally tons of thornless blackberries to pick from July 6 to July 31.

These 'Natchez' thornless blackberries get huge, and many love them for cobblers, so they're being heavily picked. More will ripen for the next 3-4 weeks, and we'll have other blackberry varieties ripe until early Aug.

   Thornless blackberries cost $3.70 per quart + sales tax, pick-your-own, and are sold pick-your-own only.  There are NO chiggers, and you can pick a quart in 5 minutes.  Please arrive at a time that allows you enough time to finish picking and check out by our closing time.  Thanks.
   Please pray for rain to fall specifically on our farm.  This morning it rained heavily 12 miles north of us and 15 miles south of us, but we got only a brief sprinkle on our farm.  During the entire month of June, we got only 0.36 inches of rain, when ideally we'd get 5 to 6 inches of rain.  We've been irrigating the raspberries, blackberries and early peaches, but we can't pump or apply the amount of water that is needed.  So far we've maintained fruit size on the blackberries, but we really need rain.
   Our peach crop will be greatly reduced this year.  We just started harvesting the earliest peaches, but they are very small due to lack of rain, and we have only a few pounds for sale.  Last year we had excess rain for 13 months, which killed many peach roots, so when this drought started the peach roots couldn't take up enough water.  If we get some rain, we hope to have some good-quality peaches for sale from mid-July to late Aug.

I packed this 20-lb. box of 'GoldRush' apples a few days ago and it sold today. I give taste samples, and many say it's the best apple they've ever tasted.

   All those disappointed about few peaches this summer should try our 'GoldRush' apples.  They were harvested in Nov. 2019 and keep well for 10 to 11 months in our cooler or your fridge, so they'll still be great for fresh eating until Sept.  They're very sweet and crisp, and many customers lately have been amazed at how good they are.  I still eat a raw 'GoldRush' apple every day with my lunch. 
   Small amounts of harvested #1 apples cost $1.30 per pound + tax.  You save $1.00 if you buy a 20-lb. box of apples for $25.00 + tax.  Our harvested #2 (2nds) apples sell for just $0.93 per pound + tax, so a 20-lb. box costs $18.60 + tax, which is $7.00 less than a box of #1 apples, including tax.  If you get 40 lbs. or more of #2 apples, the price goes down to just $0.88 per pound + tax, so each 20-lb. box costs $17.59 + tax, and 40 lb. of #2 apples costs just $35.18 + tax.
   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.  We're open our regular morning hours on July 4th, but closed the evening of July 4th.
   Our parking areas can fit 3 vehicles between each pair of oak trees (which provide nice shade for your vehicle).  So please pull in straight, fairly close to a tree, or into the middle spot if 2 other vehicles are already parked next to the 2 trees.  That way we'll have enough parking spots for everyone who's coming to get fruit.  Thanks.
   For payment, we accept cash or checks from any state.  We do NOT accept any credit cards or debit cards, as we have no card reader or 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.