pastupdates

May 24, 2007
Wednesday evening, May 23, saw a WVU Extension farm "Twilight Tour" here at Owl
Creek Farm, where participants walked around the farm and learned about Integrated
Pest Management techniques as well as organic tools for production. The group was
able to pick and taste ripe berries.April 12, 2007
With the recent warm spring weather, then the return of almost winter weather, we have
had a lot of questions about the strawberries. Yes, it was cold! We recorded three
consecutive nights with temperatures below 20 degrees and strong winds.

During the warm weather in late March, we had begun to gradually remove the straw
from plants beginning to grow. When winter returned, we were madly re-covering with
straw and unrolling our floating row covers. These covers provide about 4 degrees of
protection at night, and a greenhouse effect during the day.

Did we save the crop? It's too early to tell how much of the crop survived. We will surely
have more frosts in the next month. Check the photos, and you can see the difference
the floating row covers make.

We're working hard to bring you another crop of Owl Creek Farm field-ripened
strawberries.

--Del

July 4th 2006

Dear folks,

And a beautiful fourth it was, for us, as we enjoyed a concert at Prickett's Fort. Of
course we had earlier reveled in Morgantown's fireworks display, even though we all had
to wait a while.

This season's June berries are already a memory. Thanks to all of our customers who
made it a pleasure for us, as we shared our love for the fruit the native Americans called
"heart fruit", the first fruit of the spring season after the hard winter.

Thanks, also, to our staff who helped us through the busy season: Roger Crites,
Maureen Milauskus, and Kaitlin Cochran.

We are now readying a new field, with 10,000 plants that are rapidly spreading into
perhaps 100,000 plants, for the 2007 season. If perhaps you didn't sign up for our
2007 mailing list, you may do so by sending a message to info@owlcreekfarm.net with
your complete mailing address.

See you at the Morgantown Farmer's Market, or perhaps at your own local farmer's
market.

Have a good summer!

The Yoders,
Del, Linda, and Erik

Week of July 1 2006

Well, our season is finishing for this year-
a small crop and lots of rain kept us from picking as many berries as usual. Our final
picking will be Saturday morning, open to anyone who would like glean and take the last
of our berries. Just come out before 12pm and no appointment will be required. Thanks
to everyone who came out to pick. Be sure to check back next year for vine-ripened
strawberries.

We currently have a very small crop of raspberries and blackberries- give us a call is
you're interested.

Also, if you're not on our mailing list for 2007, either call us or email your complete
address to info@owlcreekfarm.net.

Thanks,

the Yoders

Week of June 24

Due to the weather, we are adding some pickings- right now we are adding Thursday
and Saturday mornings this week- give us a call for an appointment. It's unusual to be
picking this late in June, but those two chilly weeks of overcast skies early in June have
extended the ripening of the later berries (the Clancy, Annapolis, L'amour, and
Darselect, for those of you who notice berry varieties).

Have a beautiful June day.

To be put on our mailing list for next spring, please send your name and complete
address to info@owlcreekfarm.net. thanks.

This came in from the Morgantown Farmer's Market newsletter:

"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are
singing, and the lawn mower is broken."
- James Dent

visit the Farmer's Market this Saturday!
Thanks

PS: Don't forget to look for SIMPLY IN SEASON, the new cookbook that will help you eat
deliciously four seasons of the year.   We have them available at the checkout desk.
Profits go to Mennonite Central Committee's global aid and peacemaking.

June 19 and 20 2006
Due to the weather, we are adding some morning pickings- give us a call for an
appointment.

Have a beautiful June day.

To be put on our mailing list for next spring, please send your name and complete
address to info@owlcreekfarm.net. thanks.

This came in from the Morgantown Farmer's Market newsletter:

"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are
singing, and the lawn mower is broken."
- James Dent

visit the Farmer's Market this Saturday!
Thanks

PS: Don't forget to look for SIMPLY IN SEASON, the new cookbook that will help you eat
deliciously four seasons of the year.   We have them available at the

June 16, 17 and 18 2006
Friday, June 16, will be a quiet day in the berry patch.

Appointment-making is on a temporary hold.

Have a beautiful June day.

To be put on our mailing list for next spring, please send your name and complete
address to info@owlcreekfarm.net. thanks.

This came in from the Morgantown Farmer's Market newsletter:

"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are
singing, and the lawn mower is broken."
- James Dent

visit the Farmer's Market this Saturday!

June 15 2006

A DAY WITHOUT STRAWBERRIES

Not really, because we always have a few to nibble on. But we scheduled no pickings
this morning to give the fruit a day in the sunshine to ripen for tomorrow and for the
weekend. That has to be our strategy now, with the cool nights. A day to ripen.

So, we apologize if we aren't always there to take your call, or if we cannot schedule a
picking appointment for you whenever you wish.

But if you are lucky enough to have three cups of small, sweet berries, you can make

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB JAM, just as I did. Here's how, with directions from a very old
Farm Journal Freezing and Canning Cookbook:

3 cups strawberries, mashed
3 cups rhubarb, diced
6 cups sugar

Mix fruits and 4 cups of sugar; bring to a rolling boil. Boil 4 minutes.
Add 2 cups of sugar, bring to a boil once again, and boil for another 4 minutes.
Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal. Or refrigerate or freeze after it has cooled and set.

June 14 2006
Amazing June weather. Strawberry pickers over the weekend enjoyed cool breezes and
bright sun.

Happily, we are over the bottleneck and again are making picking appointments next
week. We will be picking every other day, to allow for better ripening in this cool
weather. Tuesday was a great berry riping day and we had a good picking tonight.

A note from Del:

This morning as I was tilling I watched as the Tree Swallows were feeding their young .
One after another of the almost mature babies popped their heads out of the birdhouse
hole and one of the adults would zoom in with a choice morsel and deposit it a the
baby's beak.I watched this for more than an hour and couldn't help marvelling at the
amount of
energy it takes to feed this brood.

Del

June 12 and 13 2006

Amazing June weather. Strawberry pickers over the weekend enjoyed cool breezes and
bright sun.

Happily, we are over the bottleneck and again are making picking appointments for this
week and next. Available now are Thursday morning (8-12), Saturday morning (8-12),
and Monday of next week, June 19, 8-12. We will be picking every other day, to allow
for better ripening in this cool weather.

Customers are remarking on the birdlife around us. Del built a number of bluebird
houses, and some of them actually are homes to bluebirds. Others have been claimed
by tree swallows, lovely darting birds who capture insects around the field and look so
much like bluebirds that some people are sure they're bluebirds. Of course, there are
always the robins that are still feasting on strawberries.

PS: Don't forget to look for SIMPLY IN SEASON, the new cookbook that will help you eat
deliciously four seasons of the year.   We have them available at the checkout desk.
Profits go to Mennonite Central Committee's global aid and peacemaking.

June 8,9,10 and 11

This week has been a "scale back" week, as the weekend chill delayed ripening of our
mid-season berries.

We even had to cancel two morning pickings while we waited for ripening.

For those of you who have had to delay getting the berries you so desire, we apologize.
We are working hard to fit in everybody.

But on the other hand, hasn't it been a gorgeous week? We are asking pickers to call
during the week of June 12 for our later berries.

June 7 2006
Unfortunately our early crop is smaller than usual and our later berries aren't ready for
picking yet, so as a result we are not adding picking appointments at this time. We are
asking pickers to call during the week of June 12 for our later berries.

June 5 & 6 2006

Unpredictable!

That's what June weather is in West Virginia.

A day of chilly rain and a night that feels like March will keep our customers on hold for a
while.

Sorry about that.

But we are taking names for picking once the sun comes out and the berries start to
ripen again. There should be two weeks, at least, of beautiful picking.

June 4 2006
A screeching halt in appointment making right now. Early berries have been picked this
week; late berries are waiting in the cool damp weather for the next hot spell.

We have had many calls--thanks, folks--so that we're pretty booked up for the week of
June 5.

However, if you phone (291-0409) and put your name on our call-back list, we'll let you
know when we can add customers for the week of June 5.

So, we're sorry, folks, if you've called and gotten a disappointing answer.

The weather and field conditions have given us a little disappointment, too.

Something really special:

You may pick up a copy of the new cookbook, SIMPLY IN SEASON, at the farm. SIMPLY
IN SEASON, compiled by West Virginia cook and nutritionist Mary Beth Lind, and tested
by many families (including ours) features foods that are seasonal and available at
farmer's markets.

It retails for $20, but you can get one at Owl Creek Farm for $16.

June 3 2006

Our earliest berries are ripening, and now the main crop is expected the beginning of
the week. These warm days are developing the sweetness.

We don't have a lot of the early berries, but call to get the latest info.

June 2 2006
Our earliest berries are ripening, and now the main crop is expected the beginning of
the week. These warm days are developing the sweetness.

Right now we are accepting more appointments for Tuesday, June 6, morning and
evening, and any day after that.

Something really special:

You may pick up a copy of the new cookbook, SIMPLY IN SEASON, at the farm. SIMPLY
IN SEASON, compiled by West Virginia cook and nutritionist Mary Beth Lind, and tested
by many families (including ours) features foods that are seasonal and available at
farmer's markets.

It retails for $20, but you can get one at Owl Creek Farm for $16.

All profits support the international aid work of the Mennonite Central Committee

June 1 2006

Hello, folks, we're officially open!

Starting next week, we expect to keep to a full schedule of pickings, mornings Monday
through Saturday, and evenings Monday through Thursday. We might be able to take a
few more people this week, so call first (291-0409) and you'll get the real scoop.

May 31 2006
We had our first picking today, and there were a lot of happy customers in the Memorial
Day sunshine.

Starting next week, we expect to keep to a full schedule of pickings, mornings Monday
through Saturday, and evenings Monday through Thursday. We might be able to take a
few more people this week, so call first (291-0409) and you'll get the real scoop.

May 29 2006

Hello, folks, we're officially open!

We had our first picking today, and there were a lot of happy customers in the Memorial
Day sunshine.

From now on, we expect to keep to a full schedule of pickings, mornings Monday
through Saturday, and evenings Monday through Thursday.

Call first (291-0409) and you'll get the real scoop.

May 27 and 28 2006

Happy Memorial Day!

The lovely warm sun has ripened the strawberries at last.

We will be open for picking to our customers on Monday, May 29, at 8:00, and at
present plan to be open every morning this week, Monday through Saturday.
Wednesday and Thursday evening we will also be open from 4-7 pm for the after-
school, after-work crowd.

As always, phone for an appointment (291-0409). That way we will have your contact
information in case there are last-minute changes, and you can be sure of getting
berries.

We've tasted these sun-ripened berries, and the taste is as always scrumptious and full
of nostalgia for us. Some lucky customers will be picking Monday morning for their
Memorial Day picnics. Enjoy!

May 26, 2006

Dear friends,

The weather is suddenly turning summery. This is good news for the strawberries, the
earliest ones, which are beginning that turn from green to red. The later ones are still
holding off. Some, in fact, are still in blossom. This means that the season will be
lengthened; more chances for fresh shortcake.

And speaking of red, the red cards are in the mail and our regular customers will be
calling us, we hope, for picking appointments next week.

Have a good Memorial Day weekend, folks, and we hope to see you next week. Don't
forget to visit the Farmer's Market on Saturday, opening day.

Linda