Update from Catoctin Mountain Orchard

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As you can see, "Spring has Sprung" and we're blossoming out, not only in the fields, but also in our market store. Our MARKET opens this Saturday May 1st, and we have awakened our apples out of their winter sleep storage, so we can provide you with fresh, crisp, "just picked from the tree" flavor. We have all your favorites, like fresh pies and an assortment of baked goods, pear and apple cider, jams and jellies, hanging baskets, crafts, mixes, peanuts, sauces, dressings, munchies, fudges, candles, and lots of local items, etc, etc. We also carry a lot of sugar free items for those watching their sugar intake.

COMING SOON: KALE, SPRING ONIONS, SQUASH & LETTUCE
We will keep you informed on all new arrivals through the 2010 season as they become available through www.catoctinmtorchard.com and eBlasts.

To catch you up on our activities over the last few months, let's just say it's been non-stop. From tree trimming, to removing old trees, to planting new varieties of trees, to getting the soil prepared, to planting early season veggies, to starting seedlings in the greenhouses, to getting the latest education info from workshops and seminars, to getting the market spruced up to making a better product for you - wow, makes me tried just thinking about it.

We've already started our tour season, showing where the food comes from, starting new trees through grafting, testing of varieties (looking for the best), conservation practices, selling retail, bee keeping, and Ecological Management.

We look forward to seeing you again as we kick off the new 2010 market season. Make sure you come and seeing the beautiful rolling hillsides of Catoctin, as she shows off all her blossoming splendor.

The Harry Black Family

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Catoctin Mountain Orchard eblast

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Update from Catoctin Mountain Orchard

Come to Catoctin for all your food needs. BUY FRESH, BUY LOCAL, means you get the best quality, fresh tasting, grown in Frederick County soil (not in some 3rd world country),and at 1/3 the price you pay at your grocery store. Our produce, fruits and produces are so good, you'll want to buy extra to can or freeze for that fresh taste in those cold winter months.

You can "pick-your-own" raspberries and blueberries (starting tomorrow July 2nd).Berry seasons are short so don't wait to long to get all your favorites.Always make sure you call to get picking dates and times.

We now have early PEACHES along with LODI APPLES and APRICOTS.We will keep you informed on all new arrivals through the 2008 season as they become available via www.catoctinmountainorchard.com and eBlasts.

Our summer hours are Monday - Sunday 9 am - 5 pm

Please come by the market, there are too many things to mention.

Look forward to seeing you again.

The Black Family

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Quote of the day and a holiday message

"Local and sustainable food does not cost more, the price tag on local and sustainable food is the real price for food, and there are no hidden costs."

From a food market in Boston.

How true, if oversimplified, this is. In the field of economics, these hidden costs are known as "externalities." They are generally costs that are borne by the public rather than the consumer because they are not worked into the cost of a transaction. The world is suddenly becoming aware that it is a closed system, and that we can't afford environmental externalities. For example, the production and transportation of food using fossil fuels is a huge contributor to greenhouse gases that are causing global warming. This affects us all. By eating locally, we can cut back on carbon footprints.

Of course, there are many other benefits to eating locally, such as preserving local economies and keeping land in agriculture. We try here at Grown in Frederick to share with you the fun reasons to eat locally so that we can create a culture around local food and farms. My thought is that the farmers are there. The product is there. You are there. My job here is to connect you to the farmer in a way that would make sense to your life and make it better through good eating and farm experiences. But I also have ulterior motives because I am an environmentalist. I would like to see our food sustainable for future generations and for the environment for its own sake.

Why eat an apple from New Zealand when the apples now are so fresh? Visit a local farm market, like the Catoctin Mountain Orchard on Route 15 above Thurmont owned by my friend Robert Black, and taste how nuanced an apple can be. Or visit McCutcheon's Apple Products on Wisner street to see what wonderful products are made with local fruits from various farmers; I promise you that these places will bring you joy in the holiday season- and their products serve as excellent gifts. The McCutcheons make some of the best apple butter and preserves I have ever eaten. I believe they process products for many of the farms around here that the farms sell under their own labels. McCutcheon's has a holiday shoppe at the FSK mall. Why not stop in?

I want to thank you for reading Grown in Frederick. Yeon and I just started the blog this past summer but we have big plans for adding more writers and all kinds of good things in the new year. Talk to us about your experience with local food and gardening. Share your recipes with us. Tell us about your favorite farm outlet. We want to share this stuff with our readers, for so many good reasons.

Shannon

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You're turning violet, Violet!

Before I say anything else, I must say this: the blueberries are awesome this year. Do not miss them. I had them today in a biscuit cobbler that my friend Jackie's mother made, and I was in heaven. I am also eating blueberries now. Thank you Glade-Link Farm. Yeon and I have decided to go blueberry picking at Glade-Link and I'll let her post on the particulars.

"You're turning violet, Violet!" (to Violet Beauregard in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory as she turned into a giant blueberry)

I visited Yeon today and we talked about this blog. Yeon gave me a scoop of fresh cherry ice cream that she had made with the fruits from Catoctin  Mountain Orchard (indescribably good on a hot afternoon), a sesame leaf plant, and some lovely cut flowers.

I also picked up a few tomato plants from Yeon today. Because I am crazy. Yes, that's right. I just got rid of my extra tomato plants and took on several more. But they were different! I didn't have any Amish paste or German strawberry tomatoes and was feeling deprived. This year I also don't have several of my favorites including a green zebra because I grew a bunch of other varieties from seed and was trying something different. Here are my top three all-time favorite tomato varieties to grow:

1. German Pineapple. It has yellow flesh streaked with red and a pineappley sweet-tartness. Plus it's huge and beefy. Good producer with a long harvest (3 plants this year).
   
2. Green zebra. It goes from light green with green streaks to yellow with green streaks, and is a gorgeous little slicer. It's also extremely drought-resistant in my experience. Prolific producer with a long harvest.
   
3. Purple Cherokee. The ripe fruits are greenish on top with red/purple/black the rest of the way down. The insides look like blood. It's a meaty, flavorful tomato that is also extremely adaptable to dry summers. Some summers I have gotten nothing but green zebra and purple Cherokee tomatoes, and for that, I love them. Not the biggest producer but a long harvest. Ripens well on the counter (1 plant this year? I forget).

I will have lots of paste tomatoes this year. Very exciting. Normally I grow a plant or two and then the drought keeps them from fruiting. But I think this year, I'll be making sauce all over the place.

Zinnias are blooming! So are bergamot, tickseed, yarrow, black-eyed susan, and lilies.

Enjoy the week!

Shannon

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