Sunday morning November 15 ---- The Farm is going to be open today. A little shower yesterday made the grounds damp but not muddy. The cooler temperatures sure are nice, a light jacket might be good if heading out today. The field of flowers are putting on a show, the Mazes are still holding up, Scare Crow Island is has greened up and there has not been a crowd at all. It is a pretty good time to come out, relax and enjoy all the farm has to offer.
Sunday morning November 8 - it looks like it is going to be a glorious day! The sun is peaking out and the cool temperatures are nice. The Farm will be open today. There are a some muddy spots but overall the grounds are in good shape. As an added bonus, you might get to see some goats birthed - 22 kids born yesterday. 4 born this morning, should have a bunch this afternoon.
Saturday evening November 1 ---- The Farm will be open with all the activities tomorrow Sunday. We are excited about a great looking weather forecast. The aisles between the flowers will still be a little muddy and it might be a little wet in front of the Texas Maze but other than that the grounds are looking great. Now is a great time to come join in the fun.
Saturday morning ---- The sun is out!!! It is going to be a great day! The Farm is open with some exceptions. The Horse Rides and Texas Maze are closed down for today. We are working on the Hayride and Barrel Train and should have them going by this afternoon. Face Painting, Sand Art, Pumpkin Painting, Pumpkin Grille and the Berry Bounce are all running now. Might take an hour or two to get the Candy Corn Kid maze going. Lots of Pumpkins in good shape. The Flowers look great but it is going to be muddy getting them. Throw those Rubber boots on and come on out and enjoy this marvelous post rain weather.
Friday morning October 30 ---- At 6:20 this morning an inch of rain had fallen, I looked at the radar and thought we might be out of it. At 9:15 am it is still raining and we are up to 1.7 inches. We feel for you folks in the Austin area and south - looks like you guys are really getting it. I have already been out to ScareCrow Island and had to rescue a scarecrow out of the creek. We have sent all the farmhands home for today. Unless you are after a last minute pumpkin - don't come out to the farm today.
Tomorrow - the rain is supposed to be moved out BUT we are still going to be mighty wet. We will update later as to which activities will be going and which ones are closed.
Tuesday morning October 27 --- Back in business again! The recent rains have mostly dried up and once again the farm is going great guns. The Texas Maze took a hit but the guys worked on it all day yesterday and it too is now running. Nothing like this cooler weather and a fresh rain to get us all in the mood - where has the weather been?! Now is a great time to come out and enjoy the Fall Season with us.
Sunday noon --- The Scarecrow Island Hayride is back up and running, so is the barrel train. We have some flowers to cut on solid ground so unless you try to get dirty, you should be able to stay clean. The kid maze might be open by mid afternoon, the Texas Maze is definitely closed for today. Cooler temps for sure, might want to bring a light jacket.
Sunday morning October 25 ---- 5.8 inches so far. It is sprinkling now. The forecast calls for the rain to move out by noon. The farm will be open today but in a limited fashion. The Berry Bounce, Sandart, Face Painting, Stuff a Scarecrow and Pumpkin Painting will all be running. You should be able to stay mud free with all those activites. We will be picking flowers but it will be a muddy mess getting into the field. The Hayride, Barrel Train and both Mazes will be shut down today. Today would definately be the day to wear old shoes/boots/rubber boots. If you can come later next week - that is the time I would shoot for. We should have everything up an running by Tuesday, Thursday for sure.
Saturday morning October 24 ---- 3.5 inches overnight and by the looks of the radar, it will continue to rain for awhile. Don't come out to the farm this weekend. The Hayride, Barrel Train, Horserides and both Mazes will be shut down today and maybe tomorrow as well. We will also have limited "safe" parking. We will just have to see how the place shapes up after this rain event passes us by. Just because the sun comes out tomorrow does not mean we are good to go here on the farm, it takes awhile for the grounds to absorb the moisture. We will post updates on ground conditions here throughout the day and tomorrow.
Friday evening October 23 --- 7 tenths of an inch of rain today, just enough to get the farm a little wet. As of now it looks good for tomorrow but if we get the rain that is forecast we are going to be very wet and it will be a mess around here. We have cancelled the horse rides for tomorrow for sure. Look for updates in the morning pertaining to field conditions. Good thing we just finished planting Strawberries!
Friday morning October 23 ---- It sounds like we might get some rain today and tomorrow. Yesterday we had a little fall and even a little this morning. The farm will be open rain or shine but a decent amount of rain limits the activities that will be available. Horse Rides are probably out for this weekend. If the creek gets up, down goes the Hayride. The pathways in the Mazes become very slick and even muddy with a lot of rain. At 9am Friday morning all activities are running, we will post updates throughout the day should anything change.
Tuesday October 5 ---- The cooler temperatures are a God
send!!!! Last weekend was a lot of fun for me and a whole bunch of
folks. I think we are getting our opening kinks ironed out and things
flowed much more smoothly than the first weekend. There was very little to
no wait on all the activities except Horse Rides. Sunday we added more
Horses and that seemed to help get that line moving quicker. I would still
expect a wait for Horse Rides, that way if there is one you are prepared and if
there is not - you are that much happier.
Strawberry plants should be coming in this week. As soon as we can get
into the field we will start planting them.
We have a chance for rain later this week, I hate to miss the business but
we sure do need some moisture. Our old 1970 model water truck has been
working pretty hard to keep the dust down, I am sure it needs a break. The
largest chance seems to be Friday, we will post again here as soon as we see
some rain fall and what the grounds look like for the weekend.
Wednesday September 30 ----- Last weekend was a great start
to the Fall season - a tad on the Hot side though. Where is Fall
Temperatures?! It is no secret that we do not grow our own pumpkins, most
of the time they come from Floydada, Texas. So far they look very nice and
we are pretty proud of the six semi's worth that are on the grounds. So if
I ask "what do you think we have been doing lately", the correct response would
be "unloading pumpkins?'. Then you would also be correct if you said "are
you crazy?!". Anyway there is alot of Fall colors on the ground, we just
need some temperatures to go with it.
I made a big mistake
in pulling the sprinklers out of the mazes three weeks ago. We had 0
rainfall in July, 3 tenths in August and an inch in early September. Take
the lack of rainfall and through in mid and upper 90 degree temps and things
begin to get pretty thirsty. We pulled hoses back into the School group
maze to give it a much needed drink. Hopefully the Candy Corn and Texas
mazes will hold on till the next rain.
I think the temps are going to
be in the 80's this weekend --- bring it on!
Sunday September 20 ---- Yehaw! We are getting
close to opening up again! All of the little farmhand minions are working
diligently getting the place cleaned uo for Saturdays opening. Lets
see: Group Maze - check, School Group field - needs lots of work, Berry
Bounce - check, Candy Corn Maze - check, Sand Art - needs setup, Face Painting -
find more painters put up shades, Stuff a Scarecrow - put up signage, Pumpkin
Grille - cleanup and signage, Pumpkin painting - put out ladders and add
pumpkins, Pony rides - needs a little cleanup, Goats - check, Cut your own
Flowers - pull some pigweed mow the grass between the rows? put out counter and
supplies move and enlargen water bar, Scarecrow Island Hayrides - get
tractors and trailers ready load hay, Sweet Berry Express - check, Texas Maze -
clean up barn mow some pathways and around outside run hedgers
nonstop add city signs and hole punches.
It is no
secret that we do not grow our pumpkins, we purchase them from Pumpkin Pyle
in Floydada, Texas. The first three semi's should be rolling
in Monday afternoon. Billy and I will unload them (with the
tractor/forklift) that night. The rest of the week the girls will tell the
crew where to place them.
We had a rain two
weeks ago that has really put a facelift on the place. The flowers are
looking very good and I just about got lost in the maze at dusk last
night. I hope you are as excited as we are - here it comes!
Wednesday September 16 --- The weather today was amazing! and boy did we get some work done! We made 3 miles of Strawberry beds Monday, 3 miles yesterday and the final 3 miles today. I am soooo happy to have that job done, now we can focus on getting ready for the Harvest of Fall Fun!!!! The flower patch is starting to bloom and the Mazes look very good, still a lot of preparation to do but things are really coming together for a fantastic Fall season. We hope everyone can come out and enjoy it with us.
Monday September 7 ---- It is depressively hot and
dry! It is weather like this that has convinced us that we will absolutely
not plant anything we cannot irrigate. I can not even imagine how anyone
can dry land farm and expect to have even a remote chance of making a crop,
certainly not around here. The forecast looks good for later in the week
which is giving us a little hope. As soon as we can get a little moisture
we are going to start making Strawberry beds - a job that needs to be done
sooner than later.
Texas the Maze is looking pretty good. The
Zinnia plants are coming out of their funk and looking better. The vine
arbors are struggling a bit. The grounds that are covered by sprinklers
look pretty good. The Candy Corn and School Group Mazes now have paths and
are growing fairly well. Granny and crew have been working on Scarecrow
Island and it is starting to take shape. The Berry Bounce vinyls were
replaced over the summer Overall I guess we are not it too bad of shape
here - I guess it is just that as a wanna be farmer I feel that it is my
obligation to complain about the weather. If it does rain and cool down
later this week our entire outlook will change.
Monday August 31 ---- And the countdown to the Harvest of Fall Fun has begun! It is hard to believe that in just under a month we will be open and covered up with Pumpkins. A little rain and cooler weather sure would help us get in the mood. Despite the hot and dry conditions, the Farm is looking pretty good. The Mazes have all been planted and are growing well, the Flowers have been planted and growing well, even the Sunflowers are growing well. We do need a little moisture so we can get the Strawberry beds built ........ patience is not our strong suit. The action is picking up around here, we are just like a bunch of little elves getting ready for the big day.
Saturday July 31 --- In case you weren't aware - it has
turned off HOT and DRY! I don't know why I am surprised, our summers are
normally hot and dry.
Let me tell you a story about 'poor Farmer Dan'
and 'not so poor Farmer Dan'. For the first thirteen years of the Sweet
Berry Farm Texas Maze, 'poor Farmer Dan' took his push weedeater and worked away
mowing the paths across the four acre Texas Maze. For two days and tanks
of gas he would push and push, wack and wack, sweat and sweat his way
through Texas cutting through the green sorghum, which he looked like
at the end of each day, carefully laying out and designing the maze
to just the right difficulty level. Then came around 'not so poor Farmer
Dan' who saw an advertisement for 10% off everything at Tractor Supply
Company. Off he went and what did he find? A beautiful 60" Bad Boy
Zero Turn Lawn Mower that was painted an orange that almost matched his Kubota
Tractor. Out came the checkbook and home came the Bad Boy. When it
came time to cut the pathways in the Maze a glinner apeared in his eye ........
yep, to the Maze the Bad Boy went. Within three hours, and one tank of
gas, Texas had a brilliant network of paths that would make even 'poor Farmer
Dan' proud.................... unfortunately, this can also be the story of
'lean and fit Farmer Dan' and 'Fat Farmer Dan who is still trying to work off
those blasted Spring Smoothies'. Needless to say 'Texas' is coming
right along.
Saturday July 11 ---- It is starting to warm up! The Texas Maze is about 6 inches tall now, we are watering and watching for worms now. Just about have the second Berry Bounce dug up and ready to replace. Half the Strawberry plastic has been removed. The Flower beds have been built and watered in. The Blackberries have been all pruned and cleaned up. Things are going pretty good here, we hope you are having a great summer.
Thursday evening July 2nd ---- It is time to close down for the summer. Just about everything has been picked and we have nothing left to offer. Next up is the Harvest of Fall Fun starting late September. Happy Fourth!!!! enjoy it but be safe.
Wednesday evening July 1 --- Whew! June blew by.
Tomorrow is our last open day of the Spring Season.
The peach picking will be pretty good first thing in the morning - just depends on the crowd as how long they last. It has been exciting to have our first sizeable Peach Crop. We enjoyed them, hope you did too! We should clean most of the peaches off the Majestic, Bounty and Scarlet Prince trees that will complete our fruit harvest.
Tomorrow is our last open day of the Spring.
Building beds is one of my favorite things except when things don't go right. We are building the Zinnia beds now. The field has a lot of clay in it and it is very hard to break up the clods. The more we can pulverize the better because the beds will be tighter, easier to plant into and the dirt thown on the sides of the bed will hold the plastic down if it is not clods. We have worked and worked on the field and finally have it suitable to pull beds. Yesterday we started and built about 1.5 miles. Just as we were finishing .......... something blew through with very high winds that must have been 50 mph ............ and blew about half a mile of the plastic covering our newly formed beds off! It really was funny but we were not laughing at the time. Today we broke all those beds down, reworked the soil and built them plus another half mile. Tomorrow we should finish them up. Soon after we will get sprinklers on them to wet the soil holding the plastic down. Once it forms to the plastic it will hold up against those winds.
Monday morning June 29 --- our Peach season is just about over. I just came out of the orchard and once again, only a few tree ripes for today. We are down to our last two varieties, Majestic and Bounty and both are getting sparse. We do have Scarlet Prince but ....... we had a little miscommunication back in early April and they did not get thinned very well so the Peaches are pretty small. The trees will set way more fruit than they can size so we hand thin them, basically pull off about 2/3rds of the immature fruit, in order to get the remaining peaches to reach a good size. Bounty, normally big anyway, is about softball size - Scarlet prince is not quite baseball size.
We planted 'Texas' on the 25th!!!! Half inch of rain yesterday will surely make it grow! This week we will build the flower beds, finish pruning the Blackberries and start removing Strawberry plastic.
**** Thursday the 2nd will be the final day of the Spring season. It has been a challenging season for sure. It was fun having our first Peach crop of any size. The Harvest of Fall Fun is next starting the last weekend of September.
Saturday 7:30am ---- about 6 this morning some showers started to form just North of us. They are getting bigger on the radar but not moving much in any direction. It is rumbling here now with an occasional flash. We will be open today rain or shine. The Peach picking will be on the slim side today. Take a look at the radar before coming this way.
Friday morning June 26 ---- Proceed with caution. Today we have very few tree ripe peaches to pick. There is a good many almost tree ripe that will ripen quickly at home. We have spent most of the season encouraging folks to get them ripe right off the tree. Those peaches have to be eaten within a day or two because they are so mature. It has been very gratifying to allow pickers to experience what the Peaches are supposed to taste like. Majestic, Bounty, Blaze Prince and Scarlet Prince are at the start of their harvest window. These four varieties only represent 100 trees. Picking pressure will determine how many tree ripes are available for the weekend. This will be the first Saturday that we won't mind being rained out.
The Peach Season is just about complete here at Sweet Berry Farm, I believe we will close down for the summer at the end of Thursday July 2nd. Next up will be the Harvest of Fall Fun starting the last weekend of September!
Thursday morning, June 25 --- Picking Peaches today. It looks like we will have a good amount for today and tomorrow, too early to tell about the weekend. So long to the Harvester and Cary Mac varieties, they made some very nice peaches. Blaze Prince, Majestic and Bounty are now producing, all of which are Freestones. The forecast looks good for peaches and Ice Cream today - come on out.
--- we are running out of Peach varieties to pick. Only Scarlet Prince and White River remain. We will close down for the summer when the fruit runs out. It looks like we will make it through July 4th weekend and close shortly thereafter.
Friday evening ---- a little shower would have been nice but it just teased us. The farm is in great shape for the weekend, no worries here.
I thought I had my smoothie addiction under control ............ as you know, we make the smoothies right before you order them. We have been using Ninja blenders. Recently we were talking to our cousins from up North (Lubbock area) and began discussing the Smoothies when they said something like "hey you country bumpkins, you should be using a VitaMix to make those Smoothies". "Well!!! maybe you should just order us one!" we replied. They did, we got and .............. they were right. Oh man, it just took the Smoothies to a new level. So creamy, so smooth, so delicious. I thought the first one was a fluke but the second was just as good. We might have to go back to the smaller diameter straw because I inhale them with the bazooka straw. Since we are in Peach season we are now making peach smoothies - could they be as good as the Strawberry ones? It might be pretty close - I think I better try a couple tomorrow, I already skipped dinner tonight to prepare myself.
All the Peach varieties now are Freestones. We should finish off the Harvester variety tomorrow, continue working on Cary Mac and might start picking a few Blaze Prince. The peaches are plentiful so come on out!
Thursday evening ---- looks like the rain just missed us. Tomorrow and the weekend will be very good Peach picking, come see us!
Wednesday evening June 17 --- Not much rain here the last two days. A little shower here and a little shower there. Peach picking will be good the next few days. All peaches will be Freestones from here on out.
Tuesday morning June 16 ---- Yep, it is raining. We have a strong chance of showers today and tomorrow. We do need a little shower to keep things green, our soil has very little moisture holding capacity (unless it gets packed, then it is a pond). I would wait a few days to come out, the Peaches will be even better then. This coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday should be great. The farm will be open rain or shine, we might have folks drive into the Peach Orchard today because of the rain (no hayrides).
Sunday noon --- No rain here so far, there is some scattered on the radar none of which seems to be heading for us at this time. Peaches! Peach picking will be good again today. Harvester and Cary Mac will be the two varieties for today. Both are freestones. Lots of Ice Cream and Popsicles, hope to see you soon.
Wednesday evening June 10 ---- The afternoons this week have been pretty hot but boy have we got some work done! Today we did a lot of fence work, moved some goats around (it is time to put the bucks in with the does), did some shredding, fixed some equipment and even mowed the green belts. Tomorrow we will finish setting poles for a new scarecrow shade area, a few guys will be pruning Blackberries (one row done monday), Matthew will mow strawberry plants (they are finished, it is time to take the plants and the plastic out) and plant some gourds on the arbors.
Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be very good Peach picking days. We are working the tail end of Gala and June Prince and Cary Mac, Harvester are just barely starting. Both Cary Mac and Harvester are freestones. It has been fun giving folks a hayride to the orchard, just a little bonus to picking peaches. Afternoons are getting kinda toasty - we suggest coming in the mornings if possible.
Monday evening June 8 --- The Peaches are putting on a show. The picking is good on the Gala and JunePrince varieties. We should have plenty of Peaches to pick all the way through the week.
Sunday morning June 7 ---- And another beautiful
morning!
We will be finishing off the Ruby
Prince and PFD5 peach varieties and getting into the Gala and JunePrince
today. There will be very few tree ripe peaches for today but lots that
are very close and will ripen up for you just fine shortly. The Berry
Bounce gets hot in the middle of the afternoon so it is unclear if it will be up
and running. We will have the Barrel Train running, the goats will be
hungry, horses always need attention and lots of homemade Ice Cream will be
available.
We expect to be picking Peaches through
the month of June.
Saturday morning June 6, 2015 --- What a beautiful morning! Peaches and Ice Cream will be the name of the game today. All parking will be in the main parking lot at the farm today, do not attempt to park at the Peach Orchard. Hay Rides will be taking folks from the welcome barn out to the Peach Orchard and back. We started this yesterday and liked the way it worked and the kids seemed to like it too. The Peaches are $1.50 per pound and there is no charge for the hayride. The Berry Bounce will be up this morning, it is getting a little too warm for it in the afternoons. The Barrel Train will be running, the goats will be hungry and there will be lots of Ice Cream. Hope to see you soon!
Thursday evening June 4 --- The Strawberries and Blackberries have all but finished for this season. We had hoped they would make it through the weekend but it does not look like it will be so. The Peaches will have to carry us through June. We are going to start giving hayrides into the orchard - that should be fun! The Berry Bounce is up and running. It gets a little hot in the afternoons, if too hot for kids to handle we will have to close it for the rest of the day. Barrel train this weekend and of course, lots of Smoothies, Ice Cream and Popsicles.
Monday evening June 1 ---- The Blackberries are going
to end their season quicker than I expected. This coming Thursday morning
will be the next best time to get them and then each morning through the
weekend. I doubt they will go much past Sunday.
We have Peaches
to pick now but not many tree ripe, they too will get better as we
get closer to the weekend. The CaroRed variety is all but
picked, most of the JuneGold as well. Folks got into the Ruby Prince a tad
early last weekend, about 1/4 of those Peaches are close enough to pick
now. JunePrince is the next variety but I wouldn't expect it to have
any before this weekend.
After several years of Peach and Blackberry
crop failures it is good to finally have some fruit from them. It has
renewed my faith in those two crops and spurring me on to keep taking care
of them.
This coming Saturday and Sunday we will have the Berry Bounce back up and running, the Sweet Berry Express Barrel Train running, lots of Ice Cream and Popsicles ..... and we think it will finally be dry enough to take a Hay Ride to the Peach Orchard (no charge for the hayride).
Sunday evening May 31 --- It was a big weekend, the sun finally came out and so did a lot of pickers. The Blackberries need a couple of days rest before they are plentiful again, Thursday should be good picking. It looks like they are on the downhill slide now, maybe only a week left of good picking. A good supply of Peaches will be available, the weekend worked them over pretty good. Come Monday and Tuesday if you have it already on your calendar, otherwise wait until Thursday, Friday and the weekend for good picking. We are looking forward to a good work week ahead. Looks like things will be drying up enough for us to catch up on a lot of clean up. Should have the Berry Bounce going again later this week and maybe even a hayride to the Peaches.
Friday mid morning May 29 ---- It has been awhile since we have seen sunshine like this!!
Many of you longtime customers probably remember the older gentleman that sat in the welcome barn greeting folks when they came up. He has not been there much this year because of poor health, but that was his station every 'open' day for the previous 15 years. That was our father, Bro. Max. He has now gone to heaven. As a pastor he loved people and it was very fitting that when he retired he took ownership of the welcome barn.
I was just out in the Peach Orchard and we have a lot of Peaches that are getting very ripe and need to be picked soon.
It might be a little silly, but lets have some fun. Dad loved the color red. He wore red socks everyday for as long as I can remember and most days he wore red suspenders.
Today, Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th, three days only, we are going to offer red discounts on the Peaches. Upon checking out, a red shirt = 1 free pound of Peaches, red pants = 2 free pounds of Peaches, red suspenders = 3 free pounds of Peaches and red socks = 4 free pounds of Peaches. These are cumulative discounts! If you had a red shirt, red pants, red suspenders and red socks in your party = 10 free pounds of Peaches. The boxes still cost 50 cents unless you bring your old Sweet Berry Farm boxes. The red discounts only apply to those Peaches you picked, not us.
Friday morning May 29 ---- Well that was a pretty wild storm last night, 1.64 inches here bringing our month total to 14.6. We hope and pray that you did not have any damage. I believe the farm fared pretty well through the night. The sun is shining at the moment and the short term forecast is for partly cloudy skies. There is certainly no shortage of Blackberries and Peaches. Hope to see you soon!
Wednesday evening May 27 ----- Tomorrow will be great Blackberry and Peach picking. Those fields are still a little slick but certainly not muddy. Now picking CaroRed and JuneGold peaches both still clings although occasionally you will find a semi freestone JuneGold. JuneGold can be bad about split pits. This is where the pit does not develop or splits. A split pit peach is still good to eat but does not look very presentable when you open it up and find a hollow center. Not all the peaches on the JuneGold tree will be split, only a few. Just don't pick the peaches that look like a human bottom, that is two plump halves with a dividing line between them. Peach picking should be outstanding all the way through June.
Blackberry picking will be good for two more weeks, mornings are best just to make sure you get the best picking of the day. Squat low and look up into the plant for those big juicy ones every one else just walked right on by.
Strawberries - still some to pick. I saw some very large ones the other day. The field is a mess to get into though. You will need those boots in the Strawberry field for sure.
We need to revise our Rain or Shine policy after the weather this Spring. We will still be open Rain or Shine but we are going to gather every one into the barn if we are in the middle of a Lightning storm, if tornadic activity is in the area or a hail storm appears to be heading our way.
Sunday morning ----- Wasn't that quite the rain storm? We hope that you came through it without any damage. I haven't been out in the orchard or Blackberry field yet so this is just an educated guess. At the end of yesterday we still had Blackberries and a lot of Peaches to pick. 200 pounds of Strawberries were brought in yesterday and we heard there is more out there.
Today: I don't even have to look to tell you the Strawberry fields will be a muddy mess. That was a lot of rain (4 inches here) so the ground is sure to be squishy but not muddy amongst the Blackberries and Peaches. Right now the sun is almost out. More rain is predicted for later this afternoon so check the radar before you leave your house if coming out today. We'll be here rain or shine drinking smoothies and eatin ice cream while we wait for you. Remeber 1 to 5 today, 'yes' we are open Memorial Day regular hours 8:30 to 5:30
Saturday morning 8am --- An intermediate drizzle is falling now. It is hard to tell what it is going to do today but I can say the farm will be open and there is a good supply of Blackberries and Peaches to be had. It is too wet to run the Barrel Train or Berry Bounce today and maybe the entire weekend. The goats always want some attention. One thing for sure, you rarely see the farm as green as it is right now.
Friday morning 8 am ---- 2.2 inches yesterday morning. When I first started this day the radar was clear, now a little shower went through ....... the radar still shows nothing, hmph. We have lots of Blackberries and Peaches to pick. Those two fields are fairly grassy and are not a problem to get into. There is some Strawberries to pick as well but that field is a mess - guess which fruit everyone wanted yesterday? The farm is open rain or shine, we'll be waiting for you.
Wednesday evening May 20 ---- A few dry days makes a big differnce, I wonder how long it will be before we are wishing for another rain? The farm sure is looking good because of all the moisture, it has been hard to keep up with the grass.
Peaches ---- should be plenty to pick from now through the month of June. FlavorRich is winding down, CaroRed is winding up and JuneGold is not far away. Warning: if you bite into a tree ripe FlavorRich - you better be leaning forward because they are a juice bomb waiting to go off. I suppose I shouldn't say anything because it is sure easy to tell who has been eating in the orchard if you didn't know that. For now, folks still have to drive over to park, pick and pay for Peaches.
Blackberries ---- it will be good picking tomorrow and Friday. Saturday morning should be good as well. Should have Blackberries till about June 10.
Strawberries --- I told a lady we were out of them - she went out and got a box in nothing flat and said "there is still lots out there!". I don't think I would say there is lots, but maybe enough to add to your conrucopia of fruit..
Monday morning May 18 ---- So I went out this morning to take a look at everything, sipping my coke, listening to the radio and not paying attention ....... I drove right out into the wettest spot of the whole place! arrrgghhh. I knew I wasn't going anywhere and didn't want to make a mess, no problem I'll just go get the 'goose' and pull myself out. Seems a farm hand left the key on and the battery in the goose is dead as a doornail. Off to the monster mower I go, did you know that hundreds of kids playing on your monster mower can be destructive? Several deep breaths and a little while later, the mower and I head to the 'Beast' (our 90 hp 4 wheel drive Kubota tractor which is really not a beast of a tractor but has 666 in it's serial number). Once I get on the tractor the world becomes calm again, it is the one refuge I can count on. I try to keep everyone off that tractor, even the wife has to ask permission (yeah, we all know that's right). Within minutes the beast lifts the front end of the truck up and guides it to dry ground. I think everyone should have a tractor, the world would be so much calmer.
An hour after I intended to write this I can say: Lots of Blackberries and Peaches for picking today. Both fields are damp but not muddy. If a person keeps their car in the parking lot, all is good - damp but not muddy. The Strawberry fields are a mess, not sure I would even recommend going after Strawberries right now. Lots of Ice Cream and popsicles. The farm will be open rain or shine, come see us.
Sunday morning May 17 ---- That was quite the rain storm! It sure sounded like more than an inch and a half. The farm will be open this afternoon. I haven't been out in the field but I can tell you with certainty that the Strawberry field will be a swamp. I am not sure how the ripe Blackberries fared, sometimes a heavy rain washes them out. I would expect the ones under the leaves and inside the bushes (the ones hardest to get to and the place you are most likely to get stuck) will be ok. The Peach orchard will be squishy, no mud but enough squishiness to get your shoes wet. The ripe peaches on the trees should be ok --- and very clean. It is too wet to run the Barrel Train today.
A gentle breeze is blowing, the skies are beginning to clear. If today is your day to come, come on - we'll be waiting for you!
Saturday evening ---- The day started cloudy but cleared up in the afternoon and got windy. The wind kept the humidity down a bit and helped dry the place out a little. The Strawberry field is still a mess but the Blackberry and Peach areas are in good shape.
We have plenty of Peaches to pick for Sunday as well as every 'open' day from now to the end of June. The grounds are still too wet to run a hayride so folks are going to have to park by the orchard for Peaches. FlavorRich is still going strong. Carored is getting close and June Gold is not far behind.
Blackberries will be available for tomorrow as well. Not quite as plentiful as today. If you must have Blackberries, be sure to be one of the first pickers of the day to make sure you get a good picking. Blackberries should be available to about June 10.
Stawberries - they and the field need some 'dry' time. Go after Peaches and Blackberries first, Strawberries only if you need a final fix. Should we get a few rainless days - - who knows, maybe we will have a few more to pick.
We will post again in the morning if it comes a rain here overnight.
Friday evening ----- The rain stopped late morning and the sun came out in the afternoon. Tomorrow will be good Blackberry and Peach picking without mud. The Strawberry field is a different story and will require boots. We are looking forward to a dry start of the day and will post here should we get any rain.
Friday morning May 15 ---- This weather pattern is
something! It has been raining here at the farm for a couple of
hours. Won't be much longer and we will picking Strawberries like
Cranberries - by boat. The Strawberry field will be a mess to get into
today. The Blackberry patch has grass covered rows which will still be
slick but not a muddy mess. One good thing, if customers don't
come after Blackberries, we will. We need at least another 250
pounds to put in the freezer.
The Farm will be open rain
or shine.
Saturday: Peaches, Blackberries and maybe Strawberries.
Wednesday evening ---- I will try to throw another update on here tomrrow morning. For now I can say: we will have lots of Blackberries for tomorrow in a field that should be easily passable (no standing water but the bottom of your shoes could get messy) and a decent supply of Strawberries in a wet messy field. There is going to be a new problem with the Strawberries, you will need to be selective. With all this moisture and humidity I am afraid that many of the ripe berries are going to be 'washed out' or in other words 'mushy'. Keep an eye out when picking them. Peaches will be available again this Saturday, Sunday too if we don't pick too many Saturday.
Tuesday 8:30 am ---- No rain here last night or this morning. There is a lot on the radar north of us, can't really tell where it is going. The parking lot, Blackberry patch and general grounds are easy to get around. The Strawberry field still has some water in it. No one picked Blackberries yesterday so I think there might be some out there today. The farm will be open all day, throw on your boots and come on out.
Monday morning May 11 ---- A little shower this morning, nothing right now but take a look at the radar or call before coming out this morning (830-798-1462). Last weekend turned out to be a great weekend. We picked Peaches on Saturday and Blackberries yesterday. There were more Blackberries than I expected, it was awesome.
Today we will be picking a lot or Strawberries and a few Blackberries. The Blackberry patch won't be as muddy as the Strawberry field. We will be open rain or shine.
Saturday evening ---- I am not sure which saying describes
this Spring: "The year of the Rubber boot" or "Makin Sweet Muddy
Memories"? Today was a really good day! It was pretty muddy in the
Strawberry field and lots of people did not let it bother them and off they went
to have a good time.
Strawberries ----- the Albions
were worked over pretty good today. There will be more for tomorrow but
the Chandler patch is where the most berries will be. The front of the row
has some water in it so walk around to pet the Horses and enter the field from
the back side.
Potatoes and Onions are almost finished --- just a few remain for tomorrow
Peaches --- seems like a lot of people were as excited as I about Peaches. We will not be picking Peaches again for a couple of days. The tree ripe fruit was picked and quite a bit of ones that were almost tree ripe. Don't worry, there are lots more to come. We should be picking Peaches all the way through June.
Blackberries ---- easy now! go easy. Tomorrow will be the first day to pick some Blackberries. There will not be enough to go around. Those berries almost ripe that are still a little red are SOUR! don't pick them even though they are calling your name - resist the urge! We will have Blackberries for almost a month and the picking will get much better than tomorrow. It will be worth it to take a Thursday morning off from work because that will be the best time to pick them.
Saturday morning 8am ---- No rain overnight but it is damp/wet out there right now. For the last couple of hours we have had a very heavy fog/mist almost drizzle. It seems like it is starting to burn off just a bit. Inside the Strawberry, Potato and Onion field is sure to be wet - wear old shoes or rubber boots. The Peach Orchard and remaining grounds are covered with grass and easy to get around.
Yesterdays rain has modified our plans to get into the Peach Orchard.
When it is dry we are going to have a Hay Ride take folks right into the
orchard. Today, folks are going to need to park in front of the orchard
and walk in to the trees. Since the Peach Orchard is on the opposite side
of the road from the Strawberries - we are going to have both sides set up to
pay out.
In other words, go to the 'farm side' to get and pay for
Strawberries, Potatoes, Onions, Ice Cream, Smoothies, the Grille, the Picnic
Area and pet the Goats. Go to the 'Orchard side' to pick and pay for
Peaches.
Friday evening May 8 ---- PEACHES! We are going to start picking Peaches tomorrow!!!! . This is our first full crop and we are soooo excited!!!! Tomorrow will be the first day of Peach season here at Sweet Berry Farm. The first variety is a clingstone and a little small but has excellent flavor. I just peeled one for the wife and she said "how can it have soooo much flavor?!" As I cut her another slice she giggled as she said " He he, you just splattered me with juice, he he".
The Strawberry plants have decided they don't want to be outdone by those Peaches. I am pleasantly suprised at how well they are doing. My brother came out to pick some today - I asked him to pick the big Albions and then go pick some Chandlers so he could do a taste test for us ............ he came back with four boxes of Albions. I asked where the Chandlers were, he said "Well, let me tell ya. Debbie and I got out there and started sifting through those plants finding those big berries and just couldn't help ourselves. We filled all four boxes with'em". I returned with "how am I going to get a taste test with only one variety?!" "Hmmmph" he said as I sent them out with another box.
The last of the taters and onions should go Saturday if we can get into them.
The farm was dry then, 1.9 inches at 4pm. It came so fast that a good portion of the water had already run off into the creek. By the time we closed up the parking lot was mostly dry. It will be wet in the Strawberry field, tater and onion patch. The Peach orchard is on higher ground and will be easy to get through without any mud. The grounds will be easily navigated as well. The farm will be open rain or shine tomorrow, hope to see you soon.
Blackberries are really close - I know we won't pick them tomorrow, it won't be long after tomorrow, maybe no more than 20 hours ;)
Wednesday evening May 6 --- No rain here over the last few days. The Strawberriy fields have now dried out and the berries are beginning to rebound from a heavy picking last weekend. I believe everyone coming out tomorrow, Friday and Saturday morning will find all the berries they were looking for. I will say that this time of the year requires more of a 'picker' than a 'walker'. The days of walking along and scooping the strawberries up have passed. It will take a little more effort now to get them, they are there, just dig a little to find them.
Monday morning May 4 ---- Today will be a wee bit of a challange to find your Strawberries. They are out there but not all in the same spot. Go to the middle of the row, look under the leaves and there you will find berries waiting for you. There are more green berries yet to ripen and I expect that later this week they will be more plentiful.
We will not dig potatoes during this week, Saturday and Sunday of Mothers day weekend should finish off the tater patch for this year. Same goes for the onions as well.
Blackberries and Peaches are on the way, we are watching them closely and hope to be putting their start date on here soon.
Saturday evening ---- What an amazing day. The weather was just about perfect and so were all the folks that came out and enjoyed it with us. The fields were worked over pretty good today but there is still more for those willing to do just a little bit of looking. The fields are almost all dry, just a few stubborn muddy spots, pickers tomorrow should not have to worry about bringing boots (although the lady that lost her flip flop in the mud today and went in after it might beg to differ). Sunday should be equally as good. Don't forget ----- we open up at 1pm on Sundays.
Friday morning ---- I have to say, even I was surprised at the size of the berries that came out of the field yesterday. It looks like the discriminating picker that takes their time is going to be able to find a box of picture perfect berries. I guess I am not that kind of picker because if it is red, I grab it because they all taste good going down.
The fields are mostly dry now. The ends of the aisles are still muddy, and ....... that is where some really nice berries are. If you want to load up in a hurry, wear your boots and head right for those muddy spots. This is the first Friday since we have been open that has a sunny forecast and the fields were mostly dry. Don't worry though, you can find plenty of berries in the dry parts of the field.
Fresh homemade Strawberry Smoothies are going to be my demise! Lucky for me, we only make them on Saturday and Sundays. I was having a hard time with the smaller straws that we had. By the time I finished one I found my cheeks worn out from the sucking and I just couldn't get enough at one time, so I decided we needed larger straws. Off to Amazon I went and within three days we had 500 'jumbo size' straws which I threw into the kitchen with a "hey, lets use these with the Smoothies". Last weekend I had my first smoothie with what seems like a bazooka for a straw. I had downed the whole thing in just a few swigs. It was like drinking from a fire hose. Was it the shear goodness of the smoothie or the need to conquer the cup as fast as I could? Regardless, I had it one minute and it was gone the next. I felt I should have a second one to rein in this new straw. This time I eagerly approached the creamy sensation with a hint of restraint. Slowly, I pulled up a large serving into my mouth without the struggle of the smaller diameter straw and was able to relish and ponder the wonderful taste of its smooth and refreshing taste. The flavor of Strawberries and Ice Cream whirled across my tastebuds with delight. Three smoothies later, I have decided the new straw has gained my approval but I tell you, approach it with caution lest your Smoothie dissapear as fast as my first one. Should you get over zealous and drink it too fast, that is ok .... we'll sell you another.
This weekend: lovely forecast, Strawberry picking, Tater digging, Onion pullin, the Barrel Train will be running, Face painting and Sand art. The grille will be open Saturday but not Sunday. Come and enjoy, we will be waiting for you!
Wednesday morning ---- Remember: we are closed on Wednesdays!!! please don't come out today. Wednesday is the day we mow, clean up and do the chores. Since we use power equipment we do not want any folks around that could get in the way or get hurt.
Strawberries: the Chandler variety is still ripening berries, but at a slower pace than a few weeks ago. The berries are small but big in taste. We have about 30,000 Chandler plants. There are lots of berries to find, pickers will need to get down into the plant to get those berries. Chandler has at least two more weeks worth of berries. Festival is all but finished, a few berries but we really have to dig for them. They have a few green berries but not many. Camarosa is a little better than Festival. Albion has a few berries now and some green ones on the way. The ripe berries are still large. Sweet Charlie has a few berries now but more on the way.
Yesterday was cold and cloudy, instead of drying out I think we had the opposite. Today is brilliant sunshine with a breeze. It is cool here in the morning with temps heading to the 70's. The humidity has dropped so I would expect the field to dry some what today. From the way it looks now, I think it will be Saturday before the field has dried out with only a few muddy spots.
Thursday and Friday - decent picking but some mud to deal with. Strawberries only.
Saturday and Sunday - if the forecast holds out, beautiful weather!!!! Strawberries to pick in a mostly dry field. Taters to dig and Onions to pull. The Barrel Train will run as well as FacePainting and SandArt. The Grill will be open Saturday but not Sunday. The Goats are always hungry. Lots of Smoothies, Lemonade and Ice Cream.
Blackberries are coming but still about two plus weeks away. Peaches are filling out, hopefully we will pick around May 20th or so.
Tuesday morning ---- It is a bit on the chilly side this morning! Our forecast shows temps in the 50's most of the day - go figure! The fields are mostly dry but still have some pockets of mud to get into. Without the chance of rain today and tomorrow, I would expect Thursday to be even drier and better picking. The Strawberry plants are still producing but at a slower pace now. We have surpassed the peak of production and are on a gradual decline to the end of Strawberry season (late May). There is still plenty of berries for everyone, especially if you are willing to look under the leaves. It is taking about 30 minutes or so to pick a 6 pound box of berries.
Monday morning --- half inch of rain overnight has the strawberries nice and clean but the aisles between the rows pretty wet. Today would be a boot kind of day for sure. We are going to lay off the potato and onion patch until this coming weekend. Get those rubber boots out and come see us!
Saturday evening ---- what a great day! I think this was the first sunny saturday without a chance of rain this season. A lot of folks took advantage of the amazing weather and harvested some spectacular strawberries. The fields became drier as the day went on. There will still be a few muddy spots tomorrow but nothing anyone shouldn't be able to get around. It is a little more of a challenge to get your berries but still plenty for everyone to get their fill.
Today was the first day to pull onions and dig potatoes. The onions are a bit small this year but that didn't stop us from pulling 600+ today. Don't worry, we still have a few thousand more to go. Lots of new potatoes were dug as well. Don't forget, the small ones are just as good as the big ones.
The Berry Bounce is going to be down for awhile getting repaired but
everything else will be going tomorrow.
The weather
forecast looks clear, the farm is looking good so come on out an
enjoy!
Saturday morning ---- looks like some storms popped up down south and east, nothing here overnight. Today will be a good day to get out to the farm. I think we will go ahead and start digging potatoes and pulling onions today. The onions are a bit small this year, be sure to look at their size before pulling. I dug some potatoes yesterday but forgot to bring them home. I predict that I will have a meal of those great new potatoes very soon! See ya soon!
Friday evening April 24 --- Perhaps it is just the farmer in
me, but there is something about a woman in rubber boots..... I meant my
wife in rubber boots of course. Today, we did not get any rain other than
that which fell this morning The grounds have dried out but not
inside the Strawberry fields. The Strawberries are still putting on a show
with lots of berries to pick and, of course, the largest berries are in those
wet spots. Throw those swanky rubber boots on and you will get to the
mother lode. Tomorrow is supposed to be pretty warm, warm enough to
pull your shoes off and have a little fun barefoot style. Afterall, a
little adversity makes better memories.
The Barrel Train,
Berry Bounce, Sandart, Facepainting and Pumpkin Grille will all be running
tomorrow. Come on out and pick some fun with us, we'll be waiting for
you.
Friday morning --- Had a quarter inch of rain last night and we are right on the edge now according to the radar. It looks like it will clear up for a while here later this morning. The Farm will be open rain or shine, It will also be a rubber boot day rain or shine. Sunshine is in the forecast for tomorrow, I am sure the Strawberry field itsself will be a bit muddy. Just wear the appropriate shoes and come on out.
Wednesday evening April 22 --- No rain here today made for a beautiful evening. The few remaining wet spots in the Strawberry field are trying to dry up but little Johnny will still be able to find a little mud if you're not careful. Tomorrow will be a good day to pick. There is still plenty of berries but we are working a little harder to find them.
Monday morning ---- Well, yesterday turned out to be a big day! I guess that was the first sunny day without a chance of rain in several weeks. Today will be the second. The strawberry aisles are mostly dried out. There are still some wet spots. The only reason you would need rubber boots today is to get into those wet spots where the berries were not picked yesterday. We still have plenty of berries to pick but not the glut that we had a week ago. Just take your time and you will find lots of good ones to go home with.
Blackberries are getting closer - about two and a half weeks. Thursday mornings will be the best time to pick them once they start coming into production.
Potatoes and Onions - very soon. The onions are not bulbing out as in the past, instead of BIG onions we will have small to medium sized onions.
Peaches -- we are thinning them hard now. Hopefully we will be picking them in a month!
Sunday morning ---- No more rain overnight, today will be a great day at the farm. All the Events will be running and the grounds outside the Strawberry fields are dry. Inside the Strawberry field is getting drier by the moment. The biggest berries will be down at the far end of the row where there is still some water, bring rubber boots and you will get those that the folks yesterday didn't get to. There are still plenty of berries everywhere else for everyone to get plenty. Hope to see you soon!
Saturday evening --- It turned out to be a great day today! Tomorrow ---- it had almost dried out, then came another round of stormy weather. Their bark was worse than their bite for us, only .25 inches here. We will post again in the morning after we can see the grounds but for now I would expect the field to be messy but not unpassable. Opening at 1pm on Sunday will give the grounds even more time to clear up before you get here.
Saturday morning 8am --- The Smoothies and Ice Cream are going to be great, the Bounce is going to be springy, the Sand Art is going to be colorful, the Goats are going to be hungry, the Picnic tables are going to be relaxing and the Strawberry picking is going to be ......... a bit muddy. The aisles between the rows are going to be slippery and muddy as the day goes on. Wear boots of some kind and you will have no problems. Old shoes are ok, don't wear your new snickers to pick Strawberries in. The areas outside of the Strawberry field are in good shape and not muddy at all.
The farm will be open rain or shine today. The Grill is going to be open with Hot Dogs, grilled Corn and PB&J sandwiches made with our own Strawberry Jam. Hey, what's a little mud between the toes? just think of the memories you will make.
Friday evening April 17 ---- It was a Great day in the Morning, and then a little wet in the afternoon. It rained a little over 1/2 ", it is bound to make it slippery tomorrow between the Strawberry rows. We won't know how slippery or wet until we check it out after the sun comes up tomorrow. We should have a fresh post on here by 8am in the morning.
For now: the Farm will be open Rain or Shine. The Berry Bounce, Barrel Train, Sand Art, Face Painting and the Pumpkin Grille will be open tomorrow. The grounds outside of the Strawberry fields are grassy and won't have any mud. Regardless, bring old shoes or boots.
The smoothies, lemonade and popsicles are made with our berries and sure to please.
Thursday evening April 16 ---- Today turned out to be an awesome day with lots of pickers, lots of school kids, lots of fun and LOTS of berries. I saw that rain storm coming right at us and watched as it veered to the right and went right up to Austin. Just a few drops here at the farm today. If it does not rain tonight, the picking will be great again tomorrow. Be sure to check here before heading out tomorrow for the most recent update.
Wednesday everning April 15 --- So far, So good here at the farm. The grounds and berry supply are in great shape for tomorrows picking. The aisles between the Strawberry rows are dried out and there is plenty for everyone to pick. The latest forecast is calling for the potential of showers tomorrow afternoon, another reason to come early..
Hope to see you soon!
Monday morn --- When I looked at the radar last night I was sure we were going to get a shower. Evidently it parted and went around us because we did not get a drop. The fields are in good shape and the berries plentiful. It looks like it will be a great couple of days!
Sunday 12:45pm --- Back from church and still no rain here. Quick look at the radar - none coming at the moment. Unless a shower pops up we should be good to go. The sun is trying to peak out, maybe it will turn out to be a great afternoon. Gotta go open the gate, we'll be waiting for you.
Sunday morning 9am ---- No rain here yesterday or last night, the fields look great and there is plenty of Strawberries for everyone. Yesterday turned out to be a very nice day, lots of pickers, not too hot or too cold. Everything will be running today just as yesterday and the farm will be open rain or shine. I'm off to church so I can't update for a few hours. Hope to see you soon.
Saturday morning 7:30am ----- No rain here last night, none on the radar at the moment. Forecast for us has changed to 50% this afternoon. The berries are in great supply and just waiting for you. For today: Strawberries, the Berry Bounce, Sweet Berry Express Barrel Train, Sandart, Facepainting, Strawberry Lemonade, Homemade Popsicles, Freshly made Ice Cream and those amazing Smoothies.
Everywhere outside of the Strawberry fields is nice and dry. In the field, dry spots and sticky spots. I would still wear your old shoes but I don't see anything to keep you away. We will update as needed, you can call as needed to: 830-798-1462
Friday evening ---- This afternoon turned out to be a gem. The farm is in good shape at the moment, there will be dry spots and slippery spots for tomorrows picking assuming we get no rain tonight. One thing for sure, there will be no shortage of berries as they are out of sight right now. We will post here again in the morning.
Friday 10:20am --- Another little shower just came through. The skies have now cleared, no sun yet though. I don't see anything on the radar heading our way. I think that it is going to be a great afternoon. The Strawberry field itself will be a little slippery for a few hours, no standing water. Old shoes or boots would be best.
Friday morning --- We did get a little shower last night. No standing water but the aisles between the rows are a little sticky. Some rain is popping up on the radar to the west and south at 8am. I would give it an hour or two before coming out today just to see what it does. The forecast is for clearing skies this afternoon, might be a good idea to wait until then.
Thursday evening April 9 ---- No rain today and it turned out to be just beautiful. Tomorrow will be another amazing picking day. We will post here if we get any rain overnight. My favorite variety, Chandler, is doing very well in the back block. Albion is putting out some large berries (turn left just past the gift shop) and San Andreas (the four rows beyond the Albions) is going wild with production. I am not crazy about the taste of Radiance (the 4 rows beyond San Andreas), I would taste those before you pick very many. There are berries everywhere and they all taste pretty good. I don't think you will go wrong with any of the ones you pick.
Wednesday evening April 8 --- No rain here today. I will post in the morning if we get any rain overnight but at the moment tomorrow will be awesome picking. The fields have dried out from the rain last weekend and the berries are super abundant. The forecast for tomorrow has some rain in it but less than a tenth, which should not be a hinderance at all.
Friday and the weekend: the farm will be open rain or shine. We will post here as soon as / if we get any rain and let you know what the field looks like. As far as berry supply - it doesn't get much better than it will be for the next week. Now is a great time to come out!
Monday evening April 6 ---- It would have been nice to have
this weather over the past weekend, oh well. Today was a great day, a
little windy but nice anyway. The Strawberries have turned the corner and
production is ramping up quickly. I would expect to have more than enough
berries for everyone all the way through the rest of April. Now your
problem is going to be taking your time and not picking them too fast.
The Blackberries are in full bloom. So far they all look healthy.
After two years of crop loss, it will be good to finally have some blackberries
to pick --- mid May they should get started.
The Peaches have a
full crop as well. The trees are six years old and this will be the first
full crop we have had. We are now working on thinning the peaches which is
a big task. Peach trees will set several times more fruit than they can
size. In order to have peaches of any caliper we must remove, by hand,
most of the overburden.
Sunday morning April 5 ---- Happy Easter! Here it is at 9:45am, we have not had any rain overnight and I see nothing on the radar at the moment. We will have some muddy spots from yesterday mornings rain but nothing that should deter anyone from picking. The Berry supply will be good from now all the way through April. Finally we can open the gates wide and say "come on out!" without hesitation. We will open up at 1pm with everything running, hope to see you then.
Saturday evening April 4 ---- It turned out to be a good day even though it was pretty messy. At the end of the day some of the half inch of rain we received just before opening had dried. There will be plenty of berries to pick tomorrow if we can get to them. If we were to get any more rain tonight or tomorrow it will be muddy again between the rows. Outside of the Strawberry field itself the areas are grassy and passable. We will be open tomorrow afternoon rain or shine.
Saturday morning April 4 --- Hmph! A couple of showers came through this morning. The aisles between the Strawberries are muddy at the moment (10am). I would expect them to dry out quickly but it will take a few hours. If coming today, take your time getting here and those fashionable rubber boots would be in order.
Friday evening April 3 ---- Today was just right!!! Everyone came early and mostly gone by 3pm = we should have plenty of ripe berries for Saturday's pickers. No rain today so the fields are in great shape. There is a chance of rain tomorrow afternoon so take a look at the radar if coming in the pm. We will be open Sunday afternoon 1 - 5pm and it looks like we will probably have berries to pick then as well, we'll post again tomorrow evening. The Strawberry Smoothies are going to be the end of me, I had two during the day and was told we had one left over after closing - yep, I am the clean up crew--- they are sooo good.
Thursday evening April 2 ---- I know it sounds funny but we have quite a few almost ripe berries that will turn ripe overnight, especially with a full moon. I think the picking tomorrow is going to be pretty good, especially in the morning. It looks like a front is supposed to come through around mid afternoon. If it does, and runs everyone out of the field late day, Saturday morning will be good picking too. The fields are dry at the moment so if it doesn't rain much Friday evening, they should be in good shape for Saturday. We will post again Friday evening to let you know how Saturday and Sunday look. The Farm will be open rain or shine.
By Thursday of next week the fields are going to turn red with ripe Strawberries and it looks like the picking will remain good through the rest of April.
Wednesday evening April 1 ---- What we know for sure: open Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday of Easter Weekend normal hours.
Friday and Saturday: the Berry Bounce, Barrel Train, Face Painting, Sand Art and the Pumpkin Grille (adding grilled corn to the menu) as well as the normal weekend delights of smoothies, ice cream and lemonade will be offered. Jamie Greening and Leroy Trussel will be signing and selling their books on Friday. Jody Cunningham will be signing and selling her childrens' book on Saturday. We expect to have a decent amount of Strawberries to pick Friday morning, maybe enough ripe berries to last all day depending on the turnout. There should be ripe berries on Saturday morning to pick, the quantity will depend on Fridays crowd (we will post here again Friday night).
Sunday: very few activities will be running. We don't expect to have many ripe Strawberries to pick as it depends on the previous day's harvest. We will post Saturday night about supply on Sunday.
oh by the way: Thursdays picking will be pretty good.
Sunday evening March 29 ---- Whew! what a weekend. The Lawnmower Races went over great (at last count 3990.00 raised for Cancer Research), the weather was beautiful and there were even a few Strawberries to pick. We did not have enough ripe berries for today's customers. I do not recommend coming to the farm tomorrow or Tuesday for ripe berries. Fun enjoying mother nature yes, ripe berries no. We are going to start feeling the effects of a hard freeze back on March 5th that killed a large number of blooms. We do not expect to have enough berries for our normal Easter Crowd. The tide should change around April 10 when the strawberries will once again be plentiful.
Friday evening March 27 --- Tomorrow we are going to have the Sweet Berry Express Barrel Train running, the Berry Bounce for bouncing, the Pumpkin Grille for Hot Dogs and PB&J sandwiches (made with our own special jelly), Sand Art for your creative side, maybe a Face Painter or two, incredibly good homemade Strawberry Smoothies, delicious Strawberry lemonade, scrumptious homemade Ice Cream (in vanilla, strawberry, berry-berry (strawberry blackberry mix) and pumpkin flavors), homemade strawberry popsicles, super fun Lawnmower races at 2pm and ................. some pretty nice Strawberry picking in the morning. If we have a big turnout I would expect to run out of ripe berries by early afternoon. Very few muddy spots left and the picnic area is in tip top shape. The farm looks great for you to come out and have a lot of fun. I feel confident that we have close to a thousand pounds to pick for tomorrow which sounds like a lot but really isn't on a beautiful weather weekend. Remember: we have close to nine miles of Strawberry beds, if you don't find them in one spot - go 8 miles down the row. Hint for tomorrow: do not stop and pick at the first plants you come to. Just look at the scenery while you walk to the farthest part of the field, then look down and harvest your bounty.
At this moment: Sunday might not be a good day to come looking for a lot of berries.
Wednesday March 25 ---- I know my tune will change before long, but for now ..... Glorious Sunshine!! The sun has been a welcome sight the past two days. It has gone a long way in drying the farm up. Strawberries are ripening but not as fast as we would like. The plants seem to be in the doldrums and are slow to 'let her rip'. The berries are just not there for me to be comfortable. We will post again later in the week but for now, come out to experience this beautiful weather, Lawnmower Races this Saturday and a few Strawberries. It is certainly not Jelly picking time yet, I think that time will be in the last three weeks of April.
Sunday evening March 22 --- Today was plenty muddy but enough folks braved the mud to gather 760 pounds. There are berries for tomorrow, not as many as today but still nice berries especially in those spots too wet for pickers to get to today. Bring rubber boots tomorrow and you will be able to get those berries. The sunshine was a welcome sight today. I am surprised at how fast the aisles are drying out. It will still be muddy tomorrow but by Thursday I think almost all areas will be easily reached.
Saturday evening March 21 --- 1.63 inches of rain today. A few folks braved the elements and picked 150 pounds of berries. Tomorrow there will be ripe berries to pick. The aisles between the Strawberries will be muddy, the rest of the grounds are grassy and should not pose a problem. Reminder: the aisles between the Strawberry plants will be muddy - bring old shoes or rubber boots. It looks like production will pick quite up mid to late next week
Friday evening March 20 ---- Even with the rain we had a good opening day. A good many braved the elements and picked some very nice berries. We surpassed my previous estimate and still have close to that for Saturday and Sunday. I always guess low because I can't stand for people to not have enough to pick. It did rain 6 tenths of an inch which kinda made an already wet ground mushy. Tomorrow - there will be some berries to pick but the weather will determine how easy it is to get them. Seems like the farm has become a fashion show for rubber boots. Those rubber boots sure do make the picking easier when it is wet, as it is now. We will be open rain or shine --- but take a good look at the radar before coming the next day or two.
Thursday March 19 ---- I just came out of the fields and here is the skinny: The Farm will open up tomorrow, Friday 3/20, for the 2015 season with more berries than I expected!!! There is probably about 400 pounds of ripe berries to pick for tomorrow. With rain forecast for tomorrow afternoon and Saturday, early Friday would be a good time to come. The rows are not muddy but wet enough that the dirt will stick to the bottom of your shoes - old shoes would be a good idea. The Berry Bounce will be open and the animals are anxiously awaiting some attention. I would not hesitate to come tomorrow morning, so come on out and help us celebrate the opening of the season.
Wednesday March 18 ---- The farm is going to open up Friday just because it seems like we should since it is the first day of Spring. There will be some berries to pick but not near enough if a bunch of folks come out. Things were looking so good up to about mid February when winter returned and stayed with us for three weeks. The 21 degrees on March 4th put a cap on the nastiness of the event. On the bright side - the plants are growing and blooming pretty well now. Next week I think ripe berry supply will improve and we should have a decent supply on March 28 when the Lawnmower races will take place. I took a gamble on planting more new varieties and cutting back on our mainstay, Chandler. At the moment it looks like that gamble is not going to pay off. 'Festival' ripens a little earlier than 'Chandler' so we doubled the amount of plants --- that was a good thing. They were a little bit of a nuisance back in December because we had not had any cold weather to shut them down so they were blooming and producing. The plants look good at the moment and they have the most amount of fruit to pick. 'Albion' seemed to perform well last year (I would watch mom and every time she went out to pick some berries she would go to the Albions first) so we greatly increased the amount of those plants ---- that looks like it will be a bad thing. The plants themselves are not doing well. I am trying to figure out exactly what is going on with them, this is when it would be nice if they could talk. I believe it is a mix of a virus and nutrient problems. We increased the 'Camarosa' planting by 25%. These berries are very large and normally 'Camarosa' does well but those plants too are not performing well. We planted two new varieties this year, 'San Andreas' and 'Radiance' as well. Only a few rows of both so they will not make a big difference one way or the other. 'San Andreas' is doing very well, too bad we didn't plant a lot more of them and less 'Albion's. The main variety 'Chandler' is in a field all by itself, it looks good and is starting to produce some berries. It will be the variety we lean the hardest on for fruit this year and it is easy to see why it is the 'main' variety. Why shake things up with new varieties? At the moment that is a question I am asking myself, It seemed like a good idea at the time. 'Chandler' has a tendency to ripen a huge amount of fruit in a small window. It is hard to get enough folks in here at peak production to get them all picked. The idea was to plant a few different varieties to have a more level bell curve of production instead of a large peak in the middle. Festival was supposed to give us more berries up early (which it is doing, and since Easter is early this year we need more berries up front) but the weather has not cooperated in making that happen as planned. Albion has a more level production so they should supplement late season picking. They also maintain a large size of berry even at the end of the season when Chandler is getting small. If we can't get those plants growing right then that is not going to happen. I have not mentioned Sweet Charlie. We always have a few rows of this variety. I never have really liked it but we have one guy (that is you Ron) that likes them above all else. He has been a great customer and friend from the beginning of Sweet Berry Farm so those rows are a tribute to him. Sweet Charlie produces huge berries right up front but then sets so many fruit on the plant that berry size goes to very small.
The Peaches are now blooming and are just beautiful. I am going to try to set it up where folks can go in the orchard and take pictures. In my opinion, it would be well worth the trip just to have the chance to take pictures in those trees. When the sun comes out they are a brilliant pink. I do love the sight of Peach Orchards in bloom though so I could be a little biased.
Monday March 9 ----- No fruit to pick yet. There is a good many immature green berries on their way, we need some growing weather to spur them on. It is very hard to predict opening dates especially when we have had a second dose of winter lately. Last Thursday the perfect storm of events led up to a freeze that did not treat us kindly. Earlier in the day the forecast ranged from 25 to 28 degrees for a low but I knew that was going to be wrong when the skies cleared and a 40mph North wind ushered in some very dry cold air. Without a cloud in the sky and a dewpoint of 19 I began to get that sick feeling about 5pm. A low dewpoint like that means two things, it is going to get cold fast (we were at 25 by 11pm) and the temperature can go that low but not lower. At 5am it was 19. The Strawberry plants were all covered but the covers can do only so much. Sure enough, the blooms pointing up or touching the covers were killed. The ones inside the plant canopy were saved as well as the green developing fruit. The plants are already putting out new blooms that appear to be undamaged.
This means: we are going to open up with a lot of berries somewhere around March 20th. Production will be strong the last week or so of March and then we will run out of berries just in time for the biggest day of Spring (Good Friday) and then pick back up with great picking the following three weeks and perhaps through May.
Monday March 2 ----- Ohhh, the lack of sunshine, cold temperatures and a drizzly messy weather pattern has me and all the farm hands in a foul mood. As I look deep into the eyes of our goats, I think they feel the same way. A mess of kids have been born in this nasty weather, I am sure they are just miserable.
The Strawberry plants are still covered up ........ we would like to pull those covers but the weather is not cooperating. I think the first of next week might be our best chance to get the covers off and take a look at what is underneath. I did crawl under some the other day to find lots of immature berries. Too early to tell just yet but we are shooting for an opening somewhere around the 20th of March.
Monday February 23 ---- You better believe winter is not finished (at least a Texas winter that is). Woke up to a lot of frozen precipitation around here although it only got to 29 degrees. The meteorologist (that word was hard to write and required some thinking which I am not sure if it is spelled correctly, 'weatherman' seems a lot simpler but I guess it is not the correct term anymore) thought we would be heading to a 35 degree high today. I guess the folks up North would be saying "O' 35 would be balmy!" but when you add a little sleet to the forecast it is enough for me to tell the guys not to come to work today. Actually, if we were being honest, it is a really good excuse to take the day off while we can before Spring season starts.
The Strawberry plants are all covered up with frost covers that normally will protect them from freezing down to about 26 degrees. I don't like to see the moisture in this event because it weights the covers down and conforms them to the plants. The covers depend on air space and flow underneath to keep it warm, when they are frozen they tend to transfer the coldness to that touching the underside. I would expect the blooms that are open and touching the bottom side of the covers to sustain some damage. Those blooms under a leaf and inside the plant canopy should be just fine. I took a peak under the covers the other day and ............ there are a lot of berries coming! We are still shooting for that mid March opening.
Potatoes and Onions are all planted.
Still have a long way to go on Peach pruning. We have one variety starting to show a little pink. It seems early but actually it is not too far from normal. They would typically be in full bloom by Mid March. Maybe this cold weather will slow them down a week. (The way we describe the stages of Peach development: Dormant, Bud Swell, Pink Bud (flower buds just starting to swell and pop open), Bloom (they will open different blooms over a week or so, each bloom bud only has one shot - if it is killed in a freeze they will not rebloom) which ranges from 10% bloom and full bloom, Petal Fall, Shuck Split (when the spent bloom falls away from the developing Peach), and then just weeks from harvest). We have 16 varieties here on the farm, all of which ripen at different times. The trees were planted in order of ripening so if everything goes right we will start picking at the top of the orchard in May and progress row by row to the bottom when we finish in early July. Early season peaches are mostly 'cling' type. The flesh of a 'cling' type Peach does not pull away from the pit whereas a 'freestone' will. Those folks processing their peaches tend to like 'freestones' because they are easier to cut and handle, we certainly do. Most people associate the best tasting peach to a freestone variety but I would beg to differ. We have some 'cling' peaches that have an outstanding taste. 'Cling' peaches are also typically smaller just because they do not have the time hanging on the tree to 'size up' (all varieties tend to bloom within a few weeks, a peach that ripens two months behind another does not bloom two months later as well). Our trees are going into their sixth leaf and we have yet to have a sizable crop. Maybe this will be the year we do not have a weather disaster.
Monday February 16 ---- We all knew Winter was not finished yet. Good thing all of the Strawberry plants are covered up right now cuz it is pretty chilly. The lows over the next few nights look to be right around freezing so I would expect very little cold damage to the plants. I saw quite a few blooms before we covered them up ------ that should mean berries by Mid March!!!!
Just built the Lawnmower racing track - the races are on March 28th this year. They are for a good cause (all of the $5 entry goes to the American Cancer Society) so go ahead and book the day. We would love to have new racers. It is not too late for you to build yours, go to USLMRA.com for all the info. The Texas Chapter is LSMRA.com ---- it is a lot of fun for both women and men drivers.
Just started pruning Peaches and we are already behind. Spring is coming!!!!!
Friday February 6 ----- It looks like we have a couple
of days of mild temps on the way - that will help get the Strawberry plants
moving. The last few days have been cold and dreary - kinda wish I would
have covered the plants up to keep them warm. So from here on out we will
cover if we see any mid 30's on the way. Mild weather back in early
December caused the Festival variety to put out a good many blooms that I
thought would be fun to protect. Those berries are psuedo ripe now and not
very good so we are picking them and throwing them away. Seems they have
internal damage from freezing weather, look good on the outside but not good on
the inside.
Should start planting potatoes today.
Tuesday January 27 --- Amazing weather!! highs in the
70's and lows in the 40's gets everyone happy. It looks like the next few
days are going to be very pleasant weather wise. These are the temps we
need to get the Strawberry plants rolling. There is sure to be colder
weather coming and we will be ready for it with frost covers. In a typical
year we might have to cover/uncover the plants three to five times.
Normally one time right after this 'indian summer' then again mid
February. Once in the first of March and then one or two for winters last
gasp. Seems like we have to deploy them the first week of April in about
half the years gone by.
Today we are off to build a
overhang in the goat pen to give them some protection from cold rain and oh
yeah, pick a few Strawberries to eat. Today would be a good day for
someone to accidentally 'break down' in the parking lot.
Wednesday January 21 --- I hate to mention it because
I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea ------ we have been picking and eating
some Strawberries! They are just a fluke, we had some plants covered
up back when it was in the low 20's and now we are eating the berries we
preserved. They are not the best of berries but hey, for January berries,
not bad at all. These are mostly Festival berries which are already hard
when ripe, in this weather it is hard to really get them ripe so we just
eat the ends off them. My wife can not get enough of them and if you eat 2
or 3 lbs at a time (don't anyone tell her I said this), they also act as a
natural laxative. We will run out of berries for now as soon as these
few ripe ones are picked.
This does not necessarily mean
that we will have an early year, the weather will determine that over the next
month and a half. I wish I would have had all the plants covered two weeks
ago when we got down to 18 degrees because even the tiny blooms down deep in the
crown were killed. I found a few live ones even deeper which will equate
to early March ripe berries. We will try to keep them from freezing any
more this Spring by using frost covers. The covers will protect the plants
down to about 25 so lets hope we dont have any more brutally cold weather
coming. We (not me, the girls), have been pulling weeds and cutting off
runners. Just about time to start paying close attention to the Strawberry
crop ----- they are coming!
Last year we started
pruning our Peaches a little early and I think that encouraged them to bloom a
little earlier which were frozen in a late freeze. I think we will try to
wait until February to start pruning them this year. The trees are six
years old this year and we should have already had several good crops.
Late freezes, lack of chill and hail storms have prevented us from picking
more than enough to make Jelly. I am a little upset with those Peach trees
and if they don't start producing soon I might just have to take some drastic
measures.