Pick Blackberries in Early Morning to Beat the Heat

   Praise God, we got a total of 1.34 inches of rain this past Thurs. July 9 and Sat. July 11.  We're still at a deficit of over 6 inches of rain for this point in the growing season, so keep praying that we'll get some more rain in the next few weeks.
   Thornless blackberries are ripening in good amounts now, and fewer people come to pick them during the second half of July, so there are many to pick.  The early-ripening 'Natchez' thornless blackberries are also the earliest to bloom, and the 'Natchez' crop was greatly reduced this year by a late spring frost during bloom.  'Ouachita' and 'Apache' thornless blackberries bloomed after the frost, so there are many of both these varieties to pick now.  'Ouachita' will keep ripening for about 2 more weeks, and 'Apache' will keep ripening for about 3 more weeks.

'Apache' thornless blackberries are ripe now and for the next 3 weeks or so. These are large berries and pick very quickly.

   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.
   Weekday mornings are great times to come for those able to do so.  If you come on Fri. or Sat. morning (our busiest times) to pick blackberries, try to arrive by 8 or 8:30 a.m., as we're often picked out by 10 or 10:30 a.m. on Fri. and Sat. mornings. 
   We open at 7:30 a.m. Mon.-Sat. for berry pickers, and arriving at 7:30 a.m. or soon afterward enables you to finish picking before it gets too hot.  Please arrive at a time that allows you enough time to finish picking and check out by our closing time.  Thanks.

Samuel Sedrick helped his mom Rachel (in back) and sister (on the other side of the row) picked 12 quarts of 'Ouachita' thornless blackberries this morning.

  We provide plastic quarts for you to pick berries into, and have you fill them level-full.  We have waxed picking flats to place quarts on while picking, and appreciate it when customers bring cardboard, plastic or metal trays to place their blackberry quarts on to bring them home.  (We have cardboard trays for those who don't bring any, as Chetopa Foods saves them for us, which we also appreciate.)
   Do NOT bring bowls or bags to dump the berries into, as that damages them, and we want the berries to stay in the quarts you picked them into until you get them home.  Our plastic quarts are the best way to store blackberries in the fridge for 7 to 10 days; just put plastic wrap over the tops of the quarts, to prevent frost-free fridges from drying the berries out.
   Our peach crop will be greatly reduced this year.  The earliest peaches were very small due to lack of rain.  We're just starting to harvest our mid-season peach varieties, which are medium-sized, but 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 more rain, we hope to have some good-sized peaches for sale from late July to late Aug.
   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.  We'll have them for sale until we sell out, probably in late July or early Aug.  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.
  For payment, we accept cash or checks; NO debit cards or credit cards.  Please bring your checkbook or enough cash to cover what you'll buy.
   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.
   Have your vehicle cleaned out so there's room to put trays of berries and peach or apple bags.  The berries travel best in open trays, where they receive air conditioning from the vehicle, not in a car trunk or in an ice chest, so don't take up room in the vehicle with an ice chest.