Late Fall | Early Winter Update

The 2010 garlic started to poke through the soil looking healthy and robust. Mark and Tom covered the new growth with a thick layer of hay on Sunday to provide next year’s harvest with its insulation against winter’s chill. We are already looking forward to our old favorite, Russian Red, along with Elephant (perfect for roasting) and Pearl varieties.

Mark and Tom continue to put the Farm to bed, and the weather is certainly co-operating … what delightful warm days we’re enjoying!

Seeds for next year have already started to arrive, and our minds are occupied with new ideas and planting strategies. Mark’s Late Fall newsletter is posted on our “Newsletters” page (click here), and we have some new photos on our Flickr site (click here).

Please check back occasionally through the winter, as we will post newsletters, photos, and blog entries from time to time. In the meantime, all of us at Maple Springs Farm thank you for your patronage and support, and we wish you the most bountiful of Thanksgivings.

 

End Of the Season

Maple Springs Farm will close for the season this afternoon at 5.30. Thank you so much for your support this year, as always.

The end-of-season farm work is under way, while this cold October wind freezes fingers and seems to shred clothing. Thirty-five pounds of garlic was planted this morning, thanks to Tom and Ethan, who literally put their backs into the project. And thanks to Ann and Philip who prepared all the heads and cloves.

Mark has planted the fields with cover crop, so we expect them to be vibrant for Spring, enriched and ready to receive next year’s plants and seeds.

The raspberries have finally succumbed to the cold nights, and we are hoping to have good snow cover over the winter to protect them from excessive cold. If only it could snow specifically on the raspberries, we would be truly happy.

Please check our blog periodically over the winter. We’ll have farm news, photos, and recipes posted. If you do not currently receive our newsletter by e-mail, you may drop us a line to be added to our newsletter mailing list. We never make public your information and do not in any circumstances share it with others. We do have some folks on the list whose e-mail addresses give us bounce-backs. If you signed up for our newsletter but are not receiving it, just send us a note and we will update your address at our end.

Thank you again for your patronage this season. We are already looking forward to seeing you next May.

Week-end Goodies

We hope you’ll be as delighted as we are to know that pick-your-own-raspberries is still under way! Come any day between 9.00 and 5.30 and pick to your heart’s content. Still $4.00 a pint, all colours, and available until the second hard frost.

From our farm friends in Connecticut, Mark has brought corn, cauliflower, butternut squash, plum tomatoes, and Jonagold apples. This lovely produce is available at the Farm only, so please come visit us here. If you are not familiar with Jonagold apples, you’re in for a treat … perfect for eating out of hand, baking into crisps and pies, or tossing freely into salads, these large apples are white-fleshed, crisp, and juicy.

Mark will attend the Lakes Region Farmers’ Market tomorrow, where he will have onions, tomatoes (cherry, modern, and possibly an heirloom or two), cabbage, eggplant, peppers, and perhaps some rhubarb. The market is open from 8.00 to 12 noon, and next Saturday, 17 October, will be the final market day of the 2009 season.

Hours at the Farm are changing as our season winds down. Beginning this coming week, raspberries will be available for PYO every day; however, produce will be available only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In short, we will not stock the stand for self-serve; instead, we will harvest for week-end sales only.

9.00 – 5.30 : Every day for PYO raspberries
9.00 – 5.30 : Friday, Saturday, Sunday for produce

We look forward to seeing you this week-end to offer you our early fall vegetables and the delicious fruits that will help you cling to those great flavour-memories of summer.

Apples & Fall Produce

For apple lovers : Mark is bringing Galas and Macouns from Connecticut this week! He’s returning later than usual, so you should be able to make purchases here at the Farm by Friday afternoon, 2 October.

Looking ahead to next week, Mark will be bringing butternut squash, cauliflower, corn, and plum tomatoes from Connecticut.

A reminder that produce not raised here at the Farm is not for sale at our farmers’ markets. Please plan to come out to the Farm for these great vegetables from farmers Mark knows well and trusts. They supplement our own harvest, extend your fresh produce season, and support small farmers in New England.

We look forward to seeing you this week-end.

Farmers’ Markets Update

The Lakes Region Farmers’ Market in North Windham will be open only three more Saturdays: 3, 10, and 17 October. Hours are the usual 8 to 12 noon.

The Harrison Farmers’ Market ended for the season last Friday.

We look forward to seeing you in North Windham the next few week-ends, and of course at the Farm, where we continue to have plentiful late summer vegetables and Connecticut fruit.

Saturday Update

The peach season at Maple Springs Farm is officially over: the last of this year’s Connecticut peaches have been sold. We do have Ginger Gold and Macintosh apples, and raspberries continue to be plentiful.

We are picking kale, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts in addition to peppers, cabbages, tomatoes (cherry, heirloom, and regular large), and some summer squashes. Don’t forget our heady Russian Red garlic and onions (sweet and red varieties).

Peaches, Apples, Pears, and Raspberries

Good morning from Maple Springs Farm! We had a significant frost last night, but the raspberries continue to be fine and delicious. Mark has brought apples from Connecticut, which are just great. If you haven’t tried Ginger Golds, this is a perfect opportunity to discover a juicy, white-fleshed apple with a satisfying snap. We have several pounds remaining of those fabulous peaches, as well some of our own unsprayed Bartlett pears.

Tomatoes just keep coming, so you can still enjoy wonderful cherry and large tomatoes in several varieties to help you make a smoother transition into autumn. We have sweet and hot peppers, red cabbage, potatoes (red, white, and blue), and some late-harvest summer squashes, if you yearn to hang on to the light taste of summer before moving on to winter squashes.

Mark is at the North Windham market today with vegetables. As you know, our fruit is currently available only at the Farm. This is a perfect opportunity to enjoy the confluence of three fabulous fruits: make some pies to eat and some to freeze. You simply can’t go wrong with combinations of peaches, apples and raspberries!

We’re open with full service each week-end (Friday through Sunday), and we offer self-serve each week (Tuesday through Thursday). Smaller bills and change will make your self-serve purchases easier, and we have an “honesty box” for your payments.

Come visit!

Peaches : Week 2

Mark will have this week’s peaches with him when he returns from CT this evening. Pre-ordered boxes will be ready for pick-up at the Farm tomorrow and at LRFM on Saturday. Loose peaches will be available at the Farm only, Friday until sold out.

In addition to fine Connecticut peaches, Mark is bringing two varieties of apples and a box of Bartlett pears.

PYO raspberries are plentiful, too, priced at $4.00 the pint.

Our tables continue to sag under the weight of our vegetable harvest : red cabbage, green beans (haricots verts), red potatoes, all-blue potatoes, summer squashes, early winter squash, modern tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes (yes, we still have those wildly popular chocolate cherries), basils, dill, kale, onions, and Russian Red garlic.

Indulge your craving for juicy, sweet fruit and sun-warmed fresh vegetables! Come see us at the Farm this week-end. We’ll be open from 9 to 5.30 both days.

Peach News : Good & Bad

The good news is that the peaches are here and they are gorgeous. All pre-ordered boxes are ready for pick-up here at the Farm and at the Lakes Region Farmers’ Market in North Windham tomorrow.

The bad news is that Mark brought 13 extra boxes of peaches to sell “loose” at the Farm … that’s 286 pounds of peaches. Customers arrived today in droves, which is unprecedented. As a consequence, we have only 22 to 25 pounds of peaches left for general sale.

We have never been in this predicament before. Our usual extra 10 to 12 boxes of peaches have always carried us through Thursday. Mark is planning to bring back a larger number of boxes of peaches for general sale next Friday.

Please accept our apologies for this underestimate of interest. Hopefully, we can make it up to you next week-end.

Of course, we have brand new red and All Blue potatoes, French filet beans (haricots verts), lovely eggplants, many wonderful tomatoes (cherry, modern, and heirloom), a variety of cucumbers, squashes, and peppers, and some stunning red cabbages.

A reminder that we are open tomorrow and Sunday from 9 to 5.30, and that we are closed on all Mondays. Come early … we do have 22 or so pounds of peaches left.

Quick Announcement: New Additions

The peaches are here! They are beautiful and very consistent in size (medium) and great, juicy flavor. They’re available in various quantities until sold out. These are available only at the farm.

And we’re now harvesting potatoes. Currently, we have All Blue (which has a distinctive earthy flavor and a beautiful color) and red potatoes of mixed varieties. These are in the stand and will be at Windham tomorrow.

Raspberries are coming, and some folks have picked, but we are not yet in full production. But feel free to pick what there is when you’re here.

And just for the sake of completeness, I want to mention that we have good quantities of various types and colors of tomatoes.

Thanks! See you soon.