The Neal Family

2-18-2012:  Home-grown Vegetable Plants available NOW!

 At Neal’s Berry Farm, besides growing berries and row crops, we plant thousands of tomato, pepper, and assorted vegetable seeds in order to bring you the plants you need for home gardens. When deciding how many seeds of each variety to plant, we make our best guess. Some of the proven sellers have been planted abundantly, and some, especially the heirloom tomatoes, have been planted very sparingly, so when they are gone, there will be no more this year. So if you see a variety you like, grab it while you can.   Most plants are offered in 4″ pots, priced at $2.50 each or 3/$7.00, with a few exceptions.

     Shop in our Farmer’s Market for fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables, including our fabulous HOMEGROWN TOMATOES ! You don’t have to wait ’til yours produce–we have a greenhouse full of them, so enjoy ours now while you wait for yours to ripen.    

********************************************************************************************************                                                                                                    Abbreviatons:

Det.: Determinate growth habit. Will reach determined height and put on all fruit within a short period of time. Then

plant is finished  and will produce no more.

Ind.: Indeterminate growth habit. Will grow continuously and put fruit on new growth. Needs staking or trellis.

Days: Number indicates days from transplant to maturity.

AAS Winner: All-America Selections winner. Annual awards given to highest- rated plants.

Heirloom: Seed Savers Exchange defines an heirloom as any garden plant that has a history of being passed down

within a family, just like pieces of heirloom jewelry or furniture. Some companies have tried to create

definitions based on date, such as anything older than 50 years.

**********************************************************************************************************

 (We have a limited supply of some of our favorite tomato plants in one-gallon pots, some already with blooms, priced at $6.00 each.  These will produce earlier than the smaller plants because they have had a head-start in our greenhouse.

The following varieties are available as of Feb. 18, 2012, in the one-gallon pots: Big Beef, Big Boy, Cherokee Purple, Eva Purple Ball, Marglobe, New Girl, Picus Roma,  and Valley Girl)

***********************************************************************************************************

As of Feb. 18, 2012, we offer the following varieties, except for those marked as

*–Not available for sale until approximately last week of Feb. 2012.

Tomatoes:

“Applause”—Det. 70 days; 10-12 oz. smooth red fruit

* “Better Bush”—Ind. 68 days; 4” diameter red fruit. 4’tall Patio favorite

“Big Beef” –Ind. 73 days; 10-12 oz. red fruit. AAS Winner

“Big Boy”—Ind. 78 days. 10 oz. Red Beeefsteak.

“Campbell #1327” Heirloom– Det. 60 days; 7 oz. Developed by Campbell’s Soup Co.

“Celebrity”– Det. 70 days. 8-12 oz. red fruit; Mid-season; AAS Winner

“Early Girl”– Ind. 52 days; Classic favorite; 4-6 oz. red fruit

*“Tasti-Lee”®–Det. 72-75 days; High lycopene. Vivid red color. Firm 6 oz fruit.  Developed by University of Florida. ( Tasti-Lee”® is not included in the 3 for $7.00 bundle pricing.)

“Valley Girl” –Det. 65 days. Heat/cold set. 7-8 oz. red fruit

Yellow Tomato “BHN-871”– Det. 75 days. XL Round fruit

Small-Fruited & Grape Tomatoes:

“Black Cherry” Heirloom– Ind. 64 days. Fabulous flavor.

“Juliet” Grape– Ind. 60 days; Crack-resistant. AAS Winner.

“Red Cherry”–Ind. 70 days. Classic favorite.

“Sun Gold Cherry” Heirloom–Ind. 57 days. Half-ounce sweet fruit.

Heirloom Tomatoes:

“Arkansas Traveler” Heirloom—Ind. 85 days; 6-8 oz. Pink fruit. Heat-tolerant.

“Big Rainbow” Heirloom Beefsteak– Ind. 95 days; 2# Red/Gold Bicolor.

“Black Krim” Heirloom– Ind. 75-85 days; Heat-set type. Purple fruit.

“Box Car Willie” Heirloom—Ind. 69-80 days; 10-16 oz. smooth red fruit.

“Bull’s Heart” Heirloom– Ind. 87 days; Large Pink Oxhart fruit.

“Cherokee Purple” Heirloom– Ind. 80 days; 10-12 oz. Purple fruit.

“Eva Purple Ball” German Heirloom–Ind. 70 days; 4-6 oz. Round Purple fruit

“German Johnson” Heirloom– Ind. 85 days; 1# Beefsteak; tall vine.

“Kellogg’s Breakfast” Heirloom– Ind. 80 days; 1# Orange Beefsteak.

“Marglobe” Heirloom–Det. 75 days;  Heat-tolerant; 7-10 oz. red fruit.

“Pineapple” Heirloom –Ind. 75-95 days; Golden-orange beefsteak, up to 2#.

“Virginia Sweets” Heirloom– Ind. 80 days; 1# Red/Gold Bi-color.

Roma Tomatoes:

“Picus” Roma—Det. 75 days; Good heat-set. Great firmness at red stage.

“Viva Italia” Roma –Det. 75 days. Plum shape. Medium size-under one lb.

Tomatillo:

“Tomatillo Yellow” –90 days.

Sweet Peppers:

“Blushing Beauty”—72 days. 4 lobed. Ripens ivory to peach to red.

“Colossal Bell” –70 days. XL size, Ripens green to red.

“Lavender Bell Tequila”—72 days; Blocky; Lavender ripens orange to red.

“Orange Bell”—Ripens green to orange.

“Pimiento” Sweet Pepper

* “Purple Beauty Bell”—70-80 days; Ripens green to dark purple to red.

“Red Bell” –76 days; Blocky; ripens green to red. Triple disease resistance.

“Romanian Rainbow Bell”—60 days; compact plant; ripens ivory to orange to red.

“Yellow Bell”—70 days; Good leaf cover. Blocky; Ripens Green to yellow.

Hot Peppers:

“Anaheim”–mildly hot.

* “Chichimeca Giant Jalapeno”—65 days; 4” X 2”  medium-hot fruit

* “Chile Pequin” Heirloom—Round red very hot fruit

“Fish Pepper”—African Heirloom; 75 days; Med-hot. Variegated leaves & peppers

“Habanero Cow’s Nose”—Chocolate brown, from Belize. Hotter than orange.

“Habanero Orange”—classic, ripens green orange

* “Habanero Red”—ripens green to red

“Jaloro” Yellow Jalapeno—70 days; compact plant, very hot. Developed in Texas.

“Ladybug” –90 days; Small red cherry pepper, ripens green to red

* “Medusa” Pepper—6-8” tall, mild fruit. Edible and ornamental.

“Mucho Nacho” Jalapeno—69 days. 4” jumbo. Vigorous plants. Ripens green to red.

“NuMex Joe Parker”—mildly hot; semi-flattened Anaheim.

* “NuMex Suave Orange” –habanero taste & look with a fraction of the heat. Mild.

“NuMex Twilight Pequin”—Starts purple, ripens to yellow, orange, then red. Hot!

“Poinsettia”—90 days; 3” long brilliant red fruit. Hot fruit.

“Serrano”-heirloom, very hot.

* “Tabasco” from New Iberia, Louisiana stock.

* “Yellow Mushroom” Heirloom —95 days, 1” x 1 ½”, ripens green to yellow. Hot.

**********************************************************************************************************

As of Feb. 18, 2012, we offer the following assorted home-grown plants: (More being added weekly.)

“Victoria” Rhubarb–Pull stalks in spring. Chill crown thru summer. Leaves are toxic—eat  only the stalks.

Strawberries in 4” pots-3 for $7.00 or $30/flat of 18(strawberries only @ this price)

Malabar Climbing Spinach (Red)

Artichoke

* Swiss Chard

* Blue Borage

Bluebonnets

Lettuce –lots of different varieties & colors, in 6 packs

Cauliflower

Cabbage

Broccoli

Aloe Vera

Herbs—seasonal availability

**********************************************************************************************************

Plant selection changes periodically, as weather permits.

Pick-your-own strawberries hopefully will begin late February 2012 if the rain will stop long enough to dry out the field. Pick-your-own blackberries should begin mid-May 2012. Check Facebook or website for updates.

***********************************************************************************************************

—end of posting Feb. 18, 2012

************************************************************************************************************

 Nov. 16, 2011

If you’ve never opened our ice-cream freezer, maybe you didn’t realize there’s a whole lot more in there besides ice cream. We have frozen peaches, blackberries, blueberries, purple-hull peas, cream peas, speckled lima beans and green limas. Those frozen peaches make a mighty fine cobbler–in fact, we sell a cobbler kit that just fits that bag! For a quickie sweet thang masquerading as dessert, offer your guests our “Sweet Potato Butter” or “Pumpkin Butter” on a piping hot roll–all the taste of holiday pie without the fuss. For the ultimate no-fuss cobbler, open a jar of our ready-to-eat cobbler, in Country Peach, Cherry, Blackberry or Apple. If you’re not into baking but still want that fresh-from-the-oven smell, light a Circle E candle in “Apple Strudel” or Fredericksburg Candle Co.’s “Hot Apple Pie” scents.
I know y’all are all wrapped up in Thanksgiving right now, but it wouldn’t take long to plant a few strawberry plants outside. Think ahead to the next few months and picture yourself picking luscious ripe strawberries from your own home-grown plants. We sell “Eversweet” and “Chandler” plants for only $2.50 each, 3 for $7.00, or a whole flat of 18 for the bargain price of $30.00. Some already have berries on them! We will offer pre-picked strawberries for sale in the market soon, and expect to have pick-your-own in late February or early March. Watch Facebook or your e-mail  for notices.

Neal’s Berry Farm & Farmer’s Market

******************************************************************************

Nov. 11, 2011      ” GRASPING AT STRAWS YIELDS STRAWBERRIES ”

By: Theresa  Neal

It all began with Mama grasping at straws to find out a way to make her five-year-old daughter quit sucking her thumb. One way or another, she was going to see to it that I did not start first grade with my thumb in my mouth. She tried everything, and nothing did the trick until she bribed me with a home-made “strawberry apron.” It couldn’t have been more than ten inches wide, white with big red polka-dots and green rick-rack edges, and a huge hand-sewn strawberry pocket with green leaves and embroidered golden seeds. It was exquisite!

Thus began my lifelong love for all things strawberry.  Like other wannabe Flower Children of the early 1970’s, I stitched strawberries on my boyfriend Tommy’s lime-green striped flared-leg jeans. Our first Valentine’s Day together was celebrated with a bottle of the much-maligned “Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill.” My favorite mini-dress in high school was red and white gingham, with a big red strawberry appliqué, and my 17th birthday cake was chock-full of strawberries.  Later, as I commuted via bus to Blinn College in Brenham, I sewed a quilt top of strawberry-appliquéd panels. This quilt has now become a family heirloom of sorts, with my youngest daughter asking me if she can have it when I die. Or sooner. Hmmmm!

In rebellious departure from royal-icing roses, our mid-1970’s wedding cake was decorated with fresh whole strawberries. Our wedding china is “Luscious,” which features, you guessed it, a cascade of strawberries and white blossoms. To this day, I still use an acrylic cutting board which we received as a wedding gift that was originally covered with strawberry modern-art decals.  I use the past tense “was” because those decals were soon melted into the circular pattern of an electric range-top burner, since newlywed me didn’t know that an electric stove coil stays hot for a while after you turn it off.  So far, not one of our three children has asked for that cutting board when I die. Don’t they know it’s priceless?

Lest you think I should join some support group for strawberry addicts, I actually don’t have that much strawberry-themed stuff anymore. I don’t believe I have anything left in my closet that has a strawberry on it, and Lord knows what would happen now if I patched my husband’s Dockers with a strawberry. Our 3-acre field supplies us with lots of blackberry wine, and the wedding china is often replaced by Chinet.

So strawberries had pretty much faded from the top of my list, that is, until recently when my husband told me that he had just ordered thousands of strawberry plants for our Berry Farm. He selected three varieties: “Chandler,” “Festival,” and “Eversweet.” Chandler is a classic favorite, known for its high yield, brilliant fruit color, excellent flavor, and high performance in the winter months. “Festival” is a hybrid perennial berry, popular for its large, firm, sweet fruit and resistance to fungal  diseases. “Eversweet” is prized for its heat-tolerance, with proven yields of medium-large fruit at 95 degrees. Along with its exceptional flavor, it is an everbearer, denoting an extended harvest season.  “Eversweet” plants in 4-inch pots are available at Neal’s Berry Farm & Farmer’s Market, priced 3 for $7.00, or a flat of 18 plants for only $30. All three varieties will be picked for market sale, and we will commence “Pick-Your-Own-Strawberries” in late Feb. 2012 or early March. We hope the heat-tolerance of “Eversweet” will yield strawberries for picking concurrently with blackberries!

Now I’ll go play my Beatles album, “Magical Mystery Tour,” and hope I stay awake to hear my favorite song, “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

 ****************************************************************************

  10-6-2011 Finally, some slightly cooler weather so we can go ahead and get the fall growing season started around here! The squash crop has been one of the few to thrive in this heat, and they are still producing like crazy–we have yellow crookneck, Lioness straightneck (pictured in the Houston Chronicle article 10-6-11, see link), regular green zucchini, yellow zucchini, 8-ball round zucchini, the fabulous Zephyr GRILLABLE squash, butternuts, scallop squash, and acorn squash in beautiful fall colors (decorations you can eat later!). In addition, we currently have homegrown cucumbers, okra, collards, mustard greens, green onions, green beans, eggplant and kale. In our market, homegrown items are marked by the bright green tags. More homegrown vegs added daily as the season progresses.

In a couple of weeks, we will offer fall vegetable plants for sale in 4-inch pots and 6-packs. They are later than usual, again due the unending summer weather. Now is the time to plant strawberry plants–we are just planting ours now and also have some for sale in 4-inch pots. Check back for pick-your-own schedule for spring strawberries.

7-3-11  This evening we got 3 1/2 inches of rain! We only had a 10% chance of rain, but we were in the 10% that got it for a change. It’s too late for many of the summer crops, but it will definitely help the fall crop. And maybe now the squirrels and armadillos will quit eating holes in our irrigation lines to get water. And maybe now the squirrels will quit hauling off bushels of squash from our patch every day, just for the squash seeds. Things were really getting bad here, and we are thankful for this blessed rain!

In case you missed previous notices, BLACKBERRY SEASON IS CLOSED FOR 2011. In addition to the usual excuses of winter freeze, prolonged record-setting drought, and perpetual record-setting heat, you can thank that  HERD of robins that visited the blackberry patch and consumed every blackberry. They were not descriminating in their taste–they ate the black ones, the red ones, the purple ones, the juicy ones, the shriveled ones and even the raisins.

We will be open Sunday, July 3, regular hours 10am-2pm. Closed JULY 4th. Open Tuesday, 10 am and regular hours the rest of the week. We got a second shipment of Hempstead melons this week, and also some divine Hempstead cantaloupes!

6-19-11 Hempstead watermelons are here! Both seeded and seedless–if you know watermelons, then you know Hempstead is famous for having some of the best ones around. We will have to  skip the annual peach run this year–the late freeze and drought has all but wiped out Fredericksburg’s peaches, and supplies of Fairfield peaches are very limited. However, we have been able (finally!) to secure some Fairfield peaches, but they will only be sold by the pound, no box pricing. They will go quickly, so get yours while you can. Open today (Father’s Day and Juneteenth) 10 am-2 pm.

6-16-11 Blackberry picking season is rapidly coming to a close–earlier than usual due to the extreme heat. Nice blackberries are still available if they have been shaded by leaves, but the ones exposed to the sun with 100-plus degree temperatures are baking on the vine. If the skies become overcast, that will help, but if the current hot, dry, cloudless days continue, then this coming weekend (June 18-19, 2011) will be the last WEEKEND for picking. We will still have some berries into next week, but pickens will be getting slimmer by the day. So if you want berries this season, hurry in soon!  In the market we still have lots of fresh veggies & fruits available for purchase.