We have shifted our emphasis to Fresh Picked strawberries instead of Pick Your Own.   This year we expect  to have  strawberries on the farmstand all summer and into October as we grow the day neutral varieties  that continue to produce new berries all summer long.  These varieties are very sweet and tend to grow larger as the summer progresses. Last year we picked strawberries until October 10th!  We still have  the typical June bearing varieties which produce berries from early June to approx July 10th.  We still offer PYO rhubarb, free of charge, for our customers.  

Our Raspberry season continues to be Pick Your Own, however this year if time permits we will offer picked raspberries as well.  For 2010 the newest raspberry area down beside the rhubarb  should produce much more than last year.  Randy and I have been pruning out the upper bed and it came thru the winter in good shape. The Fall raspberries have been mowed this spring and are growing new canes for fall picking.  They are the Carolines and produce huge tasty berries beginning September and thru October usually.  Cultivated raspberries are not as thorny as wild berries and you won't become all scratched up while picking. Typically the raspberry season begins slowly with the early varieties in early July and the season ends early August.   We begin with a few pints ready for picking and then every other day or so more ripen until the whole patch is ready and we can accomodate a crowd. We will close down the raspberry beds if they get picked off and need time to ripen.  However, this year we have many rows of raspberry bushes and may be able to stay open every day.  The farmstand will remain open with fresh picked strawberries and vegetables even if we have to shut downt the raspberries for further ripening.

 Conventionally grown berries are listed as a high spray product. We do not grow our berries conventionally.   The list you see about fruit and vegetables having the most sprays on them do not apply to  the smaller farms  of NewHampshire for a number of reasons.   That list applies to the very large farms of the West Coast,  Southeast and other countries.  We have been growing berries for over 40 years and have acquired an acute understanding of the balance between managed plantings and nature's many defenses and offenses. We use all the same practices as an organic grower would,  except we don't use the organic fungicides or insecticides approved for berries as their toxicity levels are above what we are comfortable with. We have to apply one spray on our strawberries while they are still in flower, before the berry has formed,  as we have an insect, the tarnished plant bug, that overwinters.  We have tried not spraying  anything and the result was disastrous. This year we have not applied anything else to our berries. If we get continuous wet weather we must apply a cover of fungicide, which is less toxic than the fungicide in your toothpaste.   We don't use the organic approved fungicides which are copper (a heavy metal and shown to decrease earthworm populations), or the other choice of Sulfur ( which many poeple have allergies to). We also don't use the organic approved insecticide  Rotenone as it kills bees and can leach in o water and kill fish.   We manage our berries so you don't feel you have to wash them before your child can eat them.   Please feel free to email us any questions about our farming practices  or ask us when at the farm. 

It is best to leave your pets at home. They are not allowed into the beds and it is rather hot inside vehicles during the summer. If you must bring your dog, please talk to us as the farmstand and we will try to park you under a tree out back. 

When you  purchase our fresh picked berries you have advantages over berries from other areas. First off you will know whose hands picked your fruit and we wash our hands a lot.   As important, purchasing local berries and produce reduces the distance the crop has to travel thereby preserving flavor and nutrients lost in transit and decreasing the carbon footprint.  Purchasing local is better for you and for us. 

Berry stains have always washed out of my clothes.

I hull and freeze lots of berries  and use them later in the fall  and all thru the winter in jam, smoothies, recipes, frozen popsicles, fruit salads etc. To hull a strawberry you need a paring knife of some sort.  We usually sit around the kitchen table and chat while slicing off the green cap only and toss the berries  into a large bowl and then dump them right into freezer bags. Rinsing the berries is unneccesay. Frozen berries make great jam and can be mixed with other types of fruit to make some really jam for gifts.

If you have any other questions, please ask, we love talking about berries.