Pre-Weekend Update: Open Friday, Saturday, Sunday (July 1, 2, and 3, 2022), 7:30am-1:00pm, WEATHER PERMITTING! For the latest info for this weekend, visit this page each morning after 6:45am for a weather update. The weather has been unpredictable all week, but we will be open if at all possible. U-Pick available ‘til picked out: More and more Celeste Figs every day, some thornless blackberries, tomatoes, okra, eggplant, kale, dinosaur kale, green onions, Swiss chard, purple-hull peas, cucumbers (few), dill, carrots, peppers (few), sunflowers and zinnias. Pre-picked, for sale in market (all grown here!): Freestone peaches, LOTS of watermelons (red/yellow meat), LOTS of cantaloupes, butternut squash, tomatoes and more. Several boxes of canning Roma tomatoes available. ORCHARD IS CLOSED FOR ALL U-PICK EXCEPT CELESTE FIGS. ORANGE TRAFFIC CONES ARE PLACED NEAR THE ROWS WITH RIPE CELESTE FIGS (see photo). PLEASE DO NOT PICK FROM ANY OTHER FRUIT TREES IN THE ORCHARD, SO THAT MEANS NO U-PICK PEACHES, OR ANY OTHER FRUIT. WE ASK THAT NO ONE TOUCH THE PEACHES/PEACH TREES, AND PLEASE PLEASE WATCH YOUR CHILDREN CLOSELY SO THAT THEY DON’T DAMAGE TREES OR FRUIT. PEACHES ARE GETTING CLOSE TO RIPENING ENOUGH FOR U-PICK, BUT NOT READY YET. Touching the peaches before they are ripe removes the fuzz and allows them to sunburn, and bacteria from your touch causes disease on the fruit. Please bring shears to cut sunflowers, zinnias, eggplant, dill and okra. Pickers must check in at market before 12:30pm and weigh & pay by our 1:00pm sharp closing time. We MAY open July 4th if we get rained out some weekend days and fields need picking, but can’t make that call yet. No rain last night, so we will be open today (Thursday, 6/30/22) 7:30am-1:00pm. But if a significant amount of rain falls during those hours we may have to close. Will post here if that occurs. Time of this post: 6:02am 6/30/22
We plan to be open Thur. 6/30/22, 7:30am-1:00pm, but check here 6:45am Thur. to be sure we aren't rained out. Rain expected tonite, but could miss us entirely so status unknown as of time of this posting, 6/29/22 3:08pm.
FIRST CELESTE FIGS OF THE SEASON READY FOR U-Pick! Only a FEW figs to start the season, so get here early Wed. 6/29/22 for them! ORCHARD IS CLOSED FOR EVERYTHING EXCEPT CELESTE FIGS. NO U-PICK PEACHES YET, but we now offer Peach totes (1/2 peck) filled with at least 7 lbs. of pre-picked FREESTONE peaches, priced $30.00 (see photo). Stock up on homegrown watermelon & cantaloupes for the holiday weekend! U-Pick available til picked out: Thornless blackberries, tomatoes, okra, eggplant, kale, dinosaur kale, green onions, Swiss chard, purple-hull peas, cucumbers (few), dill, carrots, peppers (few), sunflowers and zinnias. Pre-picked, for sale in market (all grown here!): Freestone peaches, watermelons (red/yellow meat), cantaloupes, butternut squash, tomatoes (all sizes) and more. Please bring shears to cut sunflowers, zinnias, eggplant, dill and some okra. Open Wed. (6/29/22) 7:30am-1:00pm. Pickers must check in at market before 12:30pm and weigh & pay by our 1:00pm sharp closing time. Will likely be open more days this week, but can’t make a prediction yet due to weather. Open Tuesday (6/28/22) 7:30am-1:00pm for U-Pick: Thornless blackberries, tomatoes, okra, eggplant, kale, dino kale, green onions, Swiss chard, purple-hull peas, cucumbers (few), dill, carrots, peppers (few), sunflowers and zinnias. Pre-picked, for sale in market (all grown here!): Peaches, watermelons, cantaloupes, butternut squash, tomatoes and more. Sorry to post so late, but had to let storm pass to assess first. The ¾” of rain we got will make it easier to pull carrots and green onions, and thankfully the wind didn’t blow the blackberries off the vines. ORCHARD IS STILL CLOSED, but WE HAVE PRE-PICKED PEACHES FOR SALE IN THE MARKET. Please bring shears to cut sunflowers, zinnias, eggplant, dill and some okra. Pickers must check in at market before 12:30pm and weigh & pay by our 1:00pm sharp closing time. Will likely be open more days this week, but weather is too unstable at this time to make a prediction.
Pre-Weekend UPdate: Open Friday, Sat., and Sun. June 24, 25 & 26, 2022 (7:30am-1:00pm). Lots of beautiful thornless blackberries available for those U-Pickers willing to lift the leaves, or pick higher or lower than their comfort zone. See photo of yellow sign showing what is available for U-Pick: Blackberries, okra, eggplant, kale, green onions, Swiss chard, cucumbers, dill, carrots, Purple-Hull peas, tomatoes, zinnias and sunflowers. Tomatoes are going fast in this heat, so they won't last many more days. For sale pre-picked in market, we offer: Watermelons (all seeded): Yellow meat "Gold in Gold." Red meat: Heirlooms "Charleston Gray," and "Georgia Rattlesnake," and non-GMO hybrids "Verde Grande" and "Sangria." Market also has lots of pre-picked butternut squash, cantaloupes and tomatoes (large, Roma, cherry, grape, and yellow low-acid). Caprese salad chefs, salsa-lovers and spaghetti-sauce-makers, NOW is the time to stock up on homegrown tomatoes or you WILL miss out! If we get a lot of rain next week the tomatoes will split and be done. If the temps stay high for much longer, the leaves will burn up and tomatoes will sunburn. So, seriously, get tomatoes now or wait 'til next year. Please bring shears for picking sunflowers, zinnias and eggplant. Come early and pick in the cooler morning hours! Pickers must check in before 12:30pm and pick/weigh/pay before our 1:00pm sharp closing time. OPEN Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday (June 23-26, 2022) 7:30am-1:00pm. Upick blackberries, flowers and vegetables. Bring shears to cut zinnias, sunflowers and eggplant. See yellow sign in yesterday's post for what is available to pick. Pickers must check in market before 12:30pm and weigh/pay before our 1:00pm closing time. Lots of homegrown watermelons, cantaloupes & tomatoes for sale, pre-picked in the market.
Purple-hull pea pickin' starts now! Best Served with a side of watermelon, cantaloupe &tomato6/21/2022
Summer vegetables ready for U-Pick: Purple Hull Peas, tomatoes of all sizes (Large slicers -Yellow/Red, romas, Cherry and Grape Tomatoes), Eggplant, okra, cucumbers, kale, Swiss chard, dill, carrots, green onions and more! See yellow sign in photo attached for complete list. Pick a cup of zinnias for only $3.00! For sale, pre-picked in market, all grown here on our farm: Watermelons ( Seeded red/yellow meat), cantaloupes, tomatoes (all sizes and colors), dill, peach BBQ wood, and a few peaches. If you haven't ever picked peas, check out our photo here with tips for picking them. Tons of nice ripe thornless blackberries are still here, mostly hidden under leaves to shield them from the sun. Open 7:30am-1:00pm the rest of this week: Wed. THROUGH Sunday, June 22-26, 2022. Open 7:30am-1:00pm. Pickers must check in at market before 12:30pm and pick/weigh and pay before our 1:00pm sharp closing time. Please bring shears/clippers to cut sunflowers, eggplant and Zinnias. Thornless blackberries and tomatoes are still available to pick, but won't last long in this heat, so pick 'em before they're gone for the year! Cool off with a delicious watermelon or cantaloupe (or both!), only sold pre-picked in the market. Open daily this week Tues., Wed., Thur., Fri., Sat. & Sun. (June 21-26, 2022), 7:30am-1:00pm. For U-Pick June 21, 22 & 23, we offer blackberries, veggies, zinnias and sunflowers. See photo of yellow sign in this post showing what is available, and not available, to pick. Pickers must check in at market before 12:30 and pick/weigh/pay before our 1:00 sharp closing time. PLEASE BRING SHEARS FOR CUTTING EGGPLANT, ZINNIAS AND SUNFLOWERS.
Open Father's Day weekend! Open Saturday, June 18, & Sun. June 19, 2022, 7:30am-1:00pm. Lots of delicious homegrown watermelons for sale pre-picked in the market, including Georgia Rattlesnake (see photo, heirloom from the 1830's), Charleston Gray (heirloom, red meat), Sangria (non-GMO hybrid, red meat,) and Gold in Gold, (non-GMO hybrid yellow meat). Also, lots of sweet homegrown cantaloupes pre-picked for sale. We offer some of the finest thornless blackberry picking around--hurry in before they are all gone for the year! U-Pick blackberries, vegs and flowers this weekend, available 'til picked out: see yellow sign in this post for details. Pickers must check in at market before 12:30pm and pick/weigh/pay before our 1:00pm sharp closing time. PLEASE BRING SHEARS FOR CUTTING EGGPLANT, ZINNIAS AND SUNFLOWERS. FRUIT TREE ORCHARD IS CLOSED TO EVERYONE, EVEN "JUST LOOKERS," SO PLEASE KEEP OUT. Sorry, no picnic area and no pets allowed except CERTIFIED service animals. Closed Monday, June 20, 2022 and back open Tuesday, June 21, 2022.
Get your homegrown watermelons while they last! We grew four varieties this year: Two heirlooms--Charleston Gray and Georgia Rattlesnake--so you can save the seeds and plant your own. The other two are non-GMO hybrid favorites: Sangria, and Gold in Gold. Hours for the rest of this week: Friday, Saturday and Sunday (June 17, 18, 19--2022) 7:30am-1:00pm. U-Pick available til sold out: lots of ripe thornless blackberries, tomatoes, kale, dinosaur kale, radishes, okra, green onions, chard, cucumbers, carrots, eggplant, zinnias and sunflowers. For sale, pre-picked in market, 'til sold out (ALL HOME-GROWN HERE!): watermelons, tomatoes (Roma, slicing, cherry, and grape), cantaloupes, butternut squash, okra seeds, peach BBQ wood and oak firewood. PLEASE BRING SHEARS/CLIPPERS FOR CUTTING OKRA, EGGPLANT, ZINNIAS AND SUNFLOWERS! Pickers must check in before 12:30pm and weigh/pay by our 1:00pm sharp closing time.
Watermelon and cantaloupe season has arrived! (Our farmers pick them for sale in the market, so melons are not for U-Pick.) But we have tons of ripe (seeded) red-meat and yellow-meat watermelons of all sizes, and 2 varieties of cantaloupe (Pecos-type and super-sweet “Dove") to help you celebrate Father’s Day! Bring Dad out this week for a fun day of picking lots of ripe blackberries, tomatoes, kale, dinosaur kale, radishes, okra, squash, green onions, chard, cucumbers, carrots, eggplant, zinnias and sunflowers. For sale, pre-picked in market, 'til sold out (ALL HOME-GROWN HERE!): watermelons, tomatoes (Roma, slicing, cherry, and grape), cantaloupes, butternut squash, zucchini, okra seeds, peach BBQ wood and oak firewood. PLEASE BRING SHEARS/CLIPPERS FOR CUTTING OKRA, EGGPLANT, ZINNIAS AND SUNFLOWERS! Hot weather tips: ARRIVE EARLY & pick in cool morning temps! Wear a Hat & drink plenty of fluids! Blackberries and tomato plants won’t last long in these hotter-than-normal temps, so hurry in before they are all gone for the year. REMINDER: Open the rest of this week (THURS. 6/16/22, FRIDAY 6/17/2, SAT. 6/18/22 and SUN 6/19/22). OPEN 7:30am, and pickers must check in before 12:30pm and weigh/pay by our 1:00pm sharp closing time. WAIT NO LONGER if you plan to pick blackberries this season! HOURS THIS WEEK; Open daily 7:30 am-1:00 pm Tues (6/14/22) THROUGH Sun. (6/19/22). Still a lot of great quality blackberries on the vines, but after heat wave predicted this coming week, many of them will become dried fruit and blackberry season will end much sooner than normal! So don’t delay your thornless blackberry picking or you may be disappointed! For U-Pick: Tomatoes (large, cherry, grape, some roma), radishes, okra, kale, dino kale, squash (yellow, green zucchini, yellow zucchini), green onions, chard, cucumbers, carrots, AND BRING CLIPPERS TO CUT EGGPLANT AND SUNFLOWERS. (See yellow sign pictured here, and on the post in the market.) For sale pre-picked til sold out: Seeded watermelons (red and yellow meat), Dill ($2.00/bunch), green/red tomatoes, grape & cherry tomatoes, cantaloupes (super-sweet Dove and Pecos types), butternut squash, sunflowers, zucchini, okra seeds, peach BBQ wood and oak firewood. REMINDER: WE OPEN 7:30am, and pickers must check in before 12:30pm and weigh/pay by our 1:00pm sharp closing time. PLEASE BRING SHEARS/CLIPPERS FOR CUTTING FLOWERS AND SOME VEGGIES. Hot weather tips: ARRIVE EARLY & pick in cool morning temps! Wear a Hat & drink plenty of fluids! Blackberry season will likely end sooner than normal--pick blackberries now!! Come early !6/10/2022
Open Sat. & Sun. (6/11 and 6/12/22) (7:30am-1:00pm)) for LOTS of U-Pick thornless blackberries, veggies, zinnias and sunflowers. U-Pick PEACHES ARE NOT AVAILABLE ‘TIL NEXT VARIETY IS READY, SO ORCHARD IS CLOSED, but LOTS of delicious homegrown pre-picked peaches are for sale in the market. TONS of blackberries are ripe, so pick blackberries while vines are still LOADED with quality fruit. Blackberry season will likely end sooner than normal due to the extended heat wave. Berries protected from the sun by leaves may be available later but much harder to find than those ripe now, so don’t wait to pick. Please see photo of yellow sign for complete listing of what is available (and not available) for U-Pick. For sale in the market we have: first of the season watermelons (red and yellow meat), Dill ($2.00/bunch), green tomatoes, grape & cherry tomatoes, cantaloupes (super-sweet Dove and Pecos types), butternut squash, sunflowers, zucchini, okra seeds, peach BBQ wood and oak firewood.Pickers must check in before 12:30pm and weigh/pay by our 1:00pm sharp closing time. PLEASE BRING SHEARS/CLIPPERS FOR CUTTING FLOWERS AND SOME VEGGIES. Hot weather tips: ARRIVE EARLY & PICK IN COOL MORNING TEMPS! WEAR A HAT! HYDRATE! Open Friday, Saturday & Sunday (6/10, 6/11, and 6/12/22) for LOTS of U-Pick thornless blackberries, veggies, zinnias and sunflowers. FRIDAY 6/10/22 IS LAST DAY FOR U-PICK PEACHES TIL NEXT VARIETY IS RIPE. RIPENING DATE FOR NEXT VARIETY WILL BE ANNOUNCED HERE WHEN KNOWN. But we do have LOTS of delicious pre-picked peaches for sale in the market Friday, Sat. and Sunday ‘til sold out. Now is the time to pick blackberries from the LOADED vines—frequent temps over 100 cook the exposed berries on the vine. Berries protected from the sun by leaves may be available but much harder to pick than those ripe now. So come on out and pick berries while the pickin’ is easy. For sale in the market we have: first of the season watermelons (red and yellow meat), Dill ($2.00/bunch), green tomatoes, grape & cherry tomatoes, cantaloupes (super-sweet Dove and Pecos types), butternut squash, sunflowers, zucchini, okra seeds, peach BBQ wood and oak firewood. Please see photo of yellow sign for complete listing of what is available (and not available) for U-Pick. Hours the rest of this week (unless rained out, which is not likely): Fri, Sat., Sun. (June 10, 11 & 12, 2022) 7:30am-1:00pm. Pickers must check in before 12:30pm and weigh/pay by our 1:00pm sharp closing time. PLEASE BRING SHEARS/CLIPPERS FOR CUTTING FLOWERS AND SOME VEGGIES. Peach pickers, please note that you may PICK ONLY FROM TREES WITH ORANGE FLAGGING TAPE ATTACHED (others have unripe fruit). More U-pick peaches, blackberries, veggies and flowers available tomorrow -Thur, 6/9/22. Shout-out to all the peach pickers today for an outstanding job of respecting the orchard trees! We greatly appreciate all those who picked so carefully that there were only a few fallen peaches and very minimal tree damage, so considering the crowd that picked today, that was awesome! Tomorrow is the same as today--please pick only from trees with ORANGE FLAGGING TAPE ATTACHED, as the fruit on other trees is not ripe yet. You may pick peaches in a bag or combine in the picking box with blackberries since both are same price ($5.50/lb). Please keep vegs in separate bag, since vegs are priced @ $2.50/lb. Blackberry vines are still LOADED, so hurry in and make your annual freezer-filling pilgrimage while they are still plentiful. If you fill your box and need another, just flag down one of the carts driving around and they usually have an extra picking box aboard and will put your name on your filled box and drive it up front to be held for you in the market. Please see yellow sign pictured here for what is and is not available for picking tomorrow. We never have U-Pick cantaloupes or watermelons, but now we have pre-picked Dove cantaloupes for sale in the market. Watermelons are not ripe yet, but we should have some pretty soon if the wildlife will leave some for us! This farm is our livelihood, and EVERY OUNCE COUNTS, so please pick, weigh and pay BEFORE EATING PRODUCE. Hours the rest of this week (unless rained out, which is not likely):Thur, Fri, Sat., Sun. (June 9-12, 2022) 7:30am-1:00pm. Pickers must check in before 12:30pm and weigh/pay by our 1:00pm sharp closing time. PLEASE BRING SHEARS/CLIPPERS FOR CUTTING FLOWERS AND SOME VEGGIES. WEd. 6/8/22 peach, blackberry, veg & flower picking! Bring garden shears to cut flowers & some vegs!6/7/2022
Tomorrow (Wed. June 8, 2022) is the day y'all have been patiently waiting for--we offer U-Pick peaches AND thornless blackberries, along with veggies, zinnias and gorgeous sunflowers! PEACH TREES WITH ORANGE FLAGGING TAPE (see photo) ARE THE THE ONLY ONES YOU CAN PICK FROM. Other trees without flagging tape have unripe fruit, so please don't even touch those--touching the unripe fruit causes disease to occur where it was touched. The blackberry fields are LOADED WITH RIPE BLACKBERRIES RIGHT NOW, so pick them before the sun cooks them on the vine. Blackberries and peaches can be picked in the same box, as they are both $5.50/lb. Veg price is $2.50.lb, so all the vegs can be placed in the same bag. You can also pick peaches in one of our thin grocery store-type plastic bags. In addition, we have pre-picked peaches for sale in the market. The farmers have worked incredibly hard to bring this peach-picking experience to you, and your respect for the trees will ensure the continuation of this activity. These trees are tediously pruned as living sculptures in order to facilitate their growth and production, so please do not allow children to eat or abuse the fruit, shake or climb the tree, or hang from or pull down the branches. Peach trees with pickable fruit are located among the fig trees, but DO NOT PICK FIGS YET--THEY ARE NOT RIPE! U-Pick peaches will be offered on a day-by-day basis, as we have several varieties that produce at different times this summer. This farm is our livelihood, and EVERY OUNCE COUNTS, so please pick, weigh and pay BEFORE EATING PRODUCE. Hours the rest of this week (unless rained out, which is not likely): Wed., Thur, Fri, Sat., Sun. (June 8-12, 2022) 7:30am-1:00pm. Pickers must check in before 12:30pm and weigh/pay by our 1:00pm sharp closing time. PLEASE BRING SHEARS/CLIPPERS FOR CUTTING FLOWERS AND SOME VEGGIES. Open daily this week: Tues. 6/7/22 THROUGH Sunday 6/12/22 (7:30am-1:00pm) unless rained out, which is highly unlikely. WE ARE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF PEAK BLACKBERRY SEASON—Get yours while pickin’ is QUICK AND EASY! Most of the bushes are loaded with RIPE blackberries now, but pick now before they cook on the vine. This hot weather will shorten the blackberry season, so don’t wait to pick! ALSO AVAILABLE 'til picked out: Yellow squash, green zucchini, yellow heirloom zucchini, radishes, okra, kale, dinosaur kale, tomatoes (not green), eggplant, green onions (shallots), Swiss chard, carrots, zinnias, sunflowers (Mammoth and multi-bloom stalks). NOT AVAILABLE for U-PICK: peaches and any fruits besides blackberries; green tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupes, and anything in area marked "private field, keep out." Tomatoes with a bit of red/yellow color are OK to pick and will ripen at home. Green tomatoes of the variety that is great to fry are for sale pre-picked in the market. NO U-PICK PEACHES READY YET. ORCHARD IS CLOSED TO EVERYONE, EVEN "JUST LOOKERS." ANYONE FOUND IN THE ORCHARD MAY BE ESCORTED TO THE PARKING LOT. See market for Peach BBQ wood, firewood, and Jelly/Preserves. Pickers must check in before 12:30 pm and weigh/pay by our 1:00 sharp closing time. PLEASE bring shears or clippers to cut flowers and some vegs.
Open this weekend Fri, Sat & Sun (June 3, 4, 5-2022) 7:30am-1:00pm. NOW IS THE TIME FOR EASY BLACKBERRY PICKING--we are in the middle of peak season--there will not be a better time to pick lots of ripe blackberries quickly. See yellow sign here for latest info. AVAILABLE FOR PICKING 'til picked out: Yellow squash, green zucchini, yellow heirloom zucchini, radishes, okra, eggplant, tomatoes, green onions (shallots), Swiss chard, carrots, turnips, zinnias, sunflowers. NOT AVAILABLE: any fruits besides blackberries, kale, green tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupes, and anything in area marked "private field, keep out." Please bring clippers for picking flowers and some veggies. Check out the pic of beautiful autumn color sunflowers. If tomatoes have a bit of red/yellow color, they are OK to pick as they will ripen at home. Green tomatoes of the variety that is great to fry are for sale pre-picked in the market. NO U-PICK PEACHES READY YET. ORCHARD IS CLOSED TO EVERYONE, EVEN "JUST LOOKERS." IF YOU ARE FOUND IN THE ORCHARD YOU MAY BE ESCORTED TO THE PARKING LOT. See market for Peach BBQ wood, firewood, and Jelly/Preserves. Open Thur. 6/2/22 7:30am-1:00pm, and the same hours this week Fri. thru Sunday, unless picked out or rained out. Peak blackberry season is NOW. Lots of thornless blackberries, vegs, and flowers. Orchard is closed to everyone. Please bring clippers for cutting sunflowers, zinnias and some vegs. Pickers must check in before 12:30 pm and weigh/pay by our 1:00 sharp closing time. Please visit www.nealsberryfarm.com for more info.
|
AuthorWRITTEN BY THE FARMER'S WIFE Archives
September 2023
Categories |