Great crowd we had for picking today! Thank you all for supporting this family-owned and operated farm. Due to the high volume of picking over the last 3 days (holiday weekend), we must CLOSE TOMORROW, TUESDAY 5/31/22, TO ALLOW MORE TIME FOR BLACKBERRIES, FLOWERS AND VEGS TO RIPEN. This is a one-time Tuesday closure due to being open on Memorial Day, and next week we resume our normal schedule of being closed on Monday, open the other days of the week. So this week our hours are: Open daily Wednesday (6/1/22) through Sunday, (6/8/22) 7:30am-1:00pm unless picked out or rained out.
PEAK BLACKBERRY SEASON BEGINS TUES. 5/24/22! All of the rows of berries are open for picking! The next several weeks will be the best picking times of the season, but come early and beat the heat. See yellow sign for what is available. We just added okra, eggplant, dill, tomato and zinnia picking to the list. PLEASE DO NOT PICK PEACHES--THEY ARE NOT RIPE YET!! Blackberries are the ONLY fruit available now. NECTARINE SEASON IS OVER FOR NOW. Very important that you bring clippers for flowers and some vegs. Cut sunflower stems with a pocket knife or your clippers (not with our kindergarten scissors please!) Eggplant must be cut--twisting the stem breaks the plant and many future eggplants are wasted. Zinnias also must be cut--do not twist stem off. Please get zinnia cutting directions before you pick so you don't cut the future blooms. Do you see a trend here? Properly harvested veggies and flowers will ensure a longer season, but improper harvesting severely impacts future production. We greatly appreciate you cooperation in properly harvesting the crops. Peak berry season is upon us now, so come out and fill your boxes while you can! Open Tues. thru Sunday, 7:30am-1:00 pm, weather permitting. Pickers must check in before 12:30pm and be weighed/paid by our 1:00pm sharp closing time. Some rain predicted this week, so if we will have to be closed for the day, a post will be made before 7:00am here and on Facebook.. If we open regular time, but close early due to rain, an update will be made as soon as possible. Great weekend pickin’ coming up: Slightly cooler temps predicted -- enjoy it while it lasts! Small chance of rain so watch this page for any weather updates. We do allow picking in light rain, but not during lightning. Open (weather-permitting!) Saturday & Sunday (May 21 & 22, 2022) 7:30am-1:00pm. Pickers must check in before 12:30pm and check out by our 1:00pm sharp closing time. U-Pick vegs available: Kale, Dino Kale, Radishes, Carrots, Beets, Green Onions, Turnips, Swiss Chard, Cucumbers (a few cukes—picked pretty close today), and 3 kinds of squash: Yellow, Green Zucchini, and Heirloom Yellow Zucchini. The zucchinis are taking over the field, so now is perfect time to make zucchini bread! Check out the yellow sign pictured here for what is where in the fields. U-Pick fruit available: Thornless Blackberries (almost entering PEAK season) and Nectarines (nectarine season ending soon). No other FRUIT is ripe for picking except blackberries and nectarines. IMPORTANT INFO: Orange flagging tape is tied to the nectarine trees that have ripe fruit. PLEASE DO NOT PICK FRUIT FROM ANY TREES WITHOUT ORANGE FLAGGING TAPE ATTACHED. Also, please watch children closely at all times, BUT ESPECIALLY IN THE ORCHARD. PLEASE DON’T ALLOW THEM TO CLIMB THE FRUIT TREES, HANG FROM THE LIMBS, TAKE BITES OF FRUIT AND/OR THROW FRUIT ON THE GROUND. This farm is our livelihood and we appreciate everyone giving the trees the respect they deserve so that we can continue allowing U-Pick orchard fruits. Always check page or Facebook "Neal's Berry Farm & Farmer's Market" before coming out to be sure we are open. Please bring garden clippers for cutting sunflowers and some vegetables. Shop our market for oak firewood, peach BBQ wood, and homegrown jar products
Open this week Tues.,May 17 THROUGH Sun. May 22, (unless picked out or rained out, which will be posted here if that happens) 7:30am-1:00 pm. Available this week ‘til picked out: Nectarines, thornless blackberries, veggies and sunflowers. No other FRUIT is ripe for picking except blackberries and nectarines. IMPORTANT INFO: Orange flagging tape is tied to the nectarine trees that have ripe fruit. PLEASE DO NOT PICK FRUIT FROM ANY TREES WITHOUT ORANGE FLAGGING TAPE ATTACHED. More blackberries are ripe so more rows to pick. Please see yellow sign picture here for what is available/UNavailable for U-Pick. Closed Mondays. Pickers must check in with cashier before 12:30pm and be finished picking by our 1:00pm closing time. Always check this page or Facebook "Neal's Berry Farm & Farmer's Market" before coming out to be sure we are open. Please bring garden clippers for cutting sunflowers and some vegetables. Open this weekend Saturday and Sunday, (May 14-15, 2022) 7:30am-1:00 pm FOR VEGGIE AND SUNFLOWER PICKING ONLY. BLACKBERRY PICKING IS CLOSED THIS WEEKEND because many red/green berries have been picked lately and VERY few will ripen tomorrow and Sunday. Blackberries picked when RED are very tart and will not ripen after picking. If you are coming for JUST BLACKBERRIES, wait another few days, but we have LOTS of veggies and sunflowers ready to pick this weekend. We should have TONS of ripe blackberries in another week or two. No other FRUIT is ripe for picking this weekend. Open daily (except Mondays) in season, 7:30am-1:00pm. Pickers must check in with cashier before 12:30pm and be finished picking by our 1:00pm closing time. Always check this page or Facebook before coming out to be sure we are not rained out/picked out, (which rarely happens). Please bring garden clippers for cutting sunflowers and some vegetables. As shown in these pictures, Monster-size zucchini now ready for picking—both traditional green and heirloom yellow. These make a great Keto-friendly pizza: Slice into 3/8" to ½” rounds, sprinkle w/salt, & let set for 30 min. to draw out moisture. Rinse off salt, pat dry. Lay flat on cookie sheet. Brush w/olive oil & garlic, then bake 350 ° for 10-15 min. Remove from oven, top with tomato sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese or toppings of your choice. Bake again @ 350° for another 10-15 min or ‘til cheese melts. Enjoy! Tomorrow (Fri, 5/13/22) we have lots of vegs ready, but FEW ripe blackberries. A lot of RED berries were picked today, so not many ripe tomorrow. If you are coming for JUST BLACKBERRIES, better to wait a few more days. Blackberries picked when RED will be very tart and will not sweeten after picking. Open daily (except Mondays) in season, 7:30am-1:00pm. Pickers must check in with cashier before 12:30pm and be finished picking by our 1:00pm closing time. Always check this page or our Facebook page before coming out to be sure we are not rained out/picked out, (which rarely happens). Please bring garden clippers for cutting sunflowers and some vegetables. Saturday, MAY 7, 2022 is first day of the new season! Hours 7:30am-1:00pm (pickers must check in before 12:30pm and weigh/pay by 1:00pm). See yellow sign here listing what will be available to pick while supplies last. Now is a great time to pick LOTS of yellow squash, green zucchini, and heirloom yellow zucchini. Please note that there are VERY few blackberries ripe now, but TONS of red and green ripening soon. Lots more jar products than ever before—made from our homegrown produce. Pick up a few bundles of our Peach BBQ Wood, made from our tree trimmings. Makes a great flavor for anything you can grill! Bring your garden shears to cut beautiful sunflowers, only $1.00/stem. On this website, see the updated farm map on the "Site Map" tab to help you navigate the farm when you come out. We plan to be open Sunday, May 8, unless we get picked out Saturday. See the FB page or this website “Updates” page Saturday afternoon where we will list if we will be open or closed on Sunday, May 8. It's looking like we will have the best season ever, so come out and enjoy the morning!
SEASON OPENS SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2022. As promised, here is what you can pick May 5, while supplies last: TONS of Keto-friendly yellow squash, TONS of zucchini and yellow heirloom zucchini, beets, green onions, chard, carrots, turnips, sunflowers, a bit of kale and A FEW BLACKBERRIES. Picture here shows a heavy crop of GREEN BERRIES, A FEW RED BERRIES AND ONE BLACK ONE. If you are coming to pick blackberries, wait a few more days so it is worth the trip. Nectarines: may be ripe next week. Peaches: likely ready 3rd or 4th week of May. Tomatoes: A VERY few cherry tomatoes ripe now, main crop ready in about 3 weeks. Zinnias: No blooms yet, need 2 weeks or more to start picking. Bring garden shears for cutting sunflowers. PRICES: Entry $3/person age 2 and up. Reusable fruit-picking box: $2. U-Pick Fruit: $5.50/lb. U-Pick Vegs: $2.50/lb. Sunflowers $1.00/stem. Regular hours are Tues. thru Sunday, 7:30am-1:00pm. Pickers must check-in before 12:30pm and weigh/pay by 1:00pm closing time. CASH/MC/VISA/AMEX. No checks please. It’s looking to be our best season ever, but many crops just need a bit more time to be ready for picking. WE EXPECT TO BE OPEN SUNDAY, MAY 8, UNLESS PICKED OUT. Check here or Facebook "Neal's Berry Farm & Farmer's Market" before coming to be sure we will be open. |
AuthorWRITTEN BY THE FARMER'S WIFE Archives
September 2023
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