Raspberries

We grow a couple of varieties of summer bearing red raspberries,  

Picking and Storage Tips:

-    Pick only soft fully coloured fruits, green raspberries will not ripen off of the plant
-    When ripe, raspberries will separate easily from the core which remains attached to the plant. If you must pull hard to remove the berry or it remains attached to its core, it is not ripe!
-    Do not wash your raspberries as they mold quite quickly! Simply pick them over to remove any debris or leaves.
-    Keep raspberries in the fridge as soon as you get home. They will only last a day or two at most, as they are a delicate fruit.
-    To freeze raspberries:  Pick over your raspberries to remove any leaves or debris.  Lay the raspberries out in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer (uncovered) until full frozen. Put fully frozen raspberries into a plastic freezer bag and remove as much air as possible.

Blueberries

Available mid-late July. 
$5.50/L Or $4/Pint pick your own

Blueberries typically fruit in late July. We grow "half high" bushes which are varieties that result from crosses between high and lowbush blueberries. They will grow only 3 to 4 feet  tall.

Store your fresh blueberries in the refrigerator as soon as you get them home, without washing them. If refrigerated, fresh-picked blueberrieswill keep 10 to 14 days.

To freeze blueberries:

1. Insure that fruit is fully dry before placing in a single layer on a cookie sheetBlueberries freeze well.

Pumpkins and Squash

Pick only fully ripe firm pumpkins or squash, free from cuts, soft spots and bruises. The flesh should feel hard, and not give easily. Clip the pumpkin off of the vine making sure to leave enough for a good handle. Pumpkins will ripen only very slightly after being cut from the vine. Cure a fresh-picked pumpkin by keeping it in a dry place. Curing toughens the rind, making it less prone to rot.  Pumpkins will keep for months in a cool (50F to 65F) dry, low humidity environment; such as a cool, dry basement or garage.

Garden Peas and Sugar Snap Peas

We grow both regular shelling peas (also called green peas, english peas or garden peas) and sugar snap peas.  Shelling peas have pods that are inedible, so they must be shelled before eating. Sugar snap peas have a thicker, edible shell. Sugar snap peas can be eaten both raw and cooked.

Picking and Storing Tips:

-Use two hands to pick shelling peas, so that you won't damage the brittle vines or uproot the plants. Hold onto the pea vine with one hand, and pick off the pods with the other.
-Snap peas, should fill out completely, so they're nice and plump. Remove their strings and blossom ends before eating.
- Avoid placing the picked peas in the sunlight any longer than necessary. It is better to put them in the shade of a tree or shed than in the car trunk or on the car seat. Cool them as soon as possible after picking. Peas may be kept fresh in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for 3 or 4 days
-To freeze peas, wash, de-string the snap peas or shell accordingly and blanch the peas (or snap pods) in boiling water for approximately 10 seconds. Immediately place the peas in ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Dry the beans completely before placing in a freezer bag for storage.

Picking and Storage Tips:

- Break  off the bean from the plant along the thin stem that connects the bean to the plant. The beans snap off pretty easily. hence the name "snap beans".
- Look for beans that are : firm and green (not yellowish - unless you're picking yellow beans!), smooth, not wrinkly on the surface - that's an old or dried out bean, not lumpy - those lumps are the beans that are developed and that's an overripe bean!
- Avoid placing the picked beans in the sunlight any longer than necessary. It is better to put them in the shade of a tree or shed than in the car trunk or on the car seat. Cool them as soon as possible after picking. Beans may be kept fresh in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for 3 or 4 days
-To freeze beans, wash, trim the ends and blanch the beans in boiling water for approximately 10 seconds. Immediately place the beans in ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Dry the beans completely before placing in a freezer bag for storage.

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