LOYAL ‘CREEKNIKS… BELOVED FARMKETEERS:  Can you tell by the headline that it is Boom-Boom-Boom around the farm right now?

Boom.  This is the LAST WEEKEND of u-pick peaches.  They will soon be as scarce as deviled eggs after a church picnic.  The peaches have been primping for the grand finale… the big show… the climactic denouement.  The eggplants are consulting since they are showbiz veterans.  (You won’t find tons of big eggplants to pick, they are tied up offstage.)  Pick peaches now to help us harvest this glorious crop.

Booooom.  You demolished the 2-for-1 peach sale.  This past week we ran a BOGO sale on peach pecks and quarts.  You wiped those out in 2 days.  We are picking more peaches to supply the stand even though the sale is over for now.  To keep abreast of sudden sales that crop up between weekly newsletters, see Facebook and Instagram.

Booooooooooooom.  Honeycrisp apple u-pick begins.  McIntosh too!  And more!  Honeycrisp:  There are several rows of Honeycrisp in 2 different orchards.  Ask at the stand where to find them.  This is the early side of Honeycrisp ripeness, and all the Honeycrisp won’t ripen at the same pace.  A given tree will have ripe fruit and not-quite ripe fruit.  Our basic instruction would be “pick the red apples!”  Not that helpful, perhaps, but given the almost insatiable public appetite for Honeycrisp, you might want to get in on the early wave of Honeycrisp picking – despite the challenge of picking perfectly ripe specimens – instead of gambling with your happiness.  McIntosh:  You can pick McIntosh apples in the Vintage Orchard on orange ribboned trees.  The Macs are absolutely beautiful and flavorful this year.  Introduced in the 1820s, Macs don’t have that Johnny-Come-Lately sheen that Honeycrisp cannot avoid.  So you can be all hoity-toity when you choose Macs over Honeycrisp.  Other apples:  There will prolly be other varieties to pick that will be revealed when you arrive, since the situation keeps changing as new varieties ripen and get picked lickety split.  Pick prized September apples!

Boooooooooooooooooooooooom.  7000 pumpkins.  We know what you are thinking:  That is not nearly enough pumpkins.  You might be right.  Last year we sold out 2 weeks before Halloween, a mortal sin among pumpkin farmers.  Bad farmer!  BAAAADDDD FARMERRR!  This year we went big.  In number and size.  There is an ocean of large pumpkins out here.  Pick pumpkins now.  It’s early, but the big chain stores are pumping out pumpkins.  Let’s play ball with the bigs!  Give em a run for their gourds.

Boom.  All pears now open for U-pick.  The lovely and weird varieties in Row 19 of the Dwarf Orchard – Flemish Beauty (pictured), Magness, Shenandoah, Potomac, and more.  There are also real beauties at the farm stand, such as the prized li’l tater tot called Seckel.  Remember that most pears are hard on the tree – they ripen inside out – and will ripen upon sitting in paper bag for a few days at room temp.  Come pick your own pears, season might last a week or less.

Booooooom.  Best tomatoes of the year.  You can pick your own or find some at the stand if we can keep up with the picking.  31 varieties at last count.  Field abundance ebbs and flows daily with crowds and weather.  Come pick tomatoes.

Boom.  Peppers.  Lots of hot peppers.  Still sweets, too, although you pepper monsters have been picking them while they are still smallish and green.  Come pick peppers.

Booooom.  Dusky’s sweet corn.  He’s in a rock band.  He grows corn.  He’s your 21st Cenury Crunchy Liberal Corn Rocker.  And he warns of a coming cornplosion when we will need your help – 7000 ears ripening soon.  (No connection to the 7000 pumpkins.  Captain Corn and Prince Pumpkin both simply went bonkers at planting time.)  Eat sweet corn!

Boom-ditty-boom.  Orchard Ambrosia, Nectar of the Dogs Gawds.  Fresh pressed unpasteurized cider.  100% fruit.  No sugar added.  No nothing added.  Just squoshed apples and pears, cold-filtered into jugs.  Get gallons and 1/2 gallons.

Booooom-bangety-boom-boom.  Bulk cider pressing for homebrewers.  Calling all backcountry moonshiners – drop off your carboys with your name and phone number.  We will fill at our next pressing.  Great blends as the weeks roll by and new apples ripen.  $8/gallon for 5-10 gallons.  $7/gallon for 11-20 gallons.  $6/gallon for 21+ gallons.  Bring your bulk containers starting now.

Booooooooooooooooom.  Donuts.  This is what you get when apple cider and highly processed white flour have a lovechild in a tub of hot fat.  Usually served pretty fresh and warm.  Always smushy in your gullet.  Get your splendid lovechild toroids Saturday and Sunday 10 to 6. 

Booooooom-whatttt?!-booom.  Peach treats of extraordinary slobberworthiness.  Courtesy of Shoshana Perrey’s Liberation Supper Club, “farm-to-table and wild foods catering.”  Cedar BBQ’d peaches with balsamic, sea salt, chèvre, and lemon-thyme.  Bet Amazon Prime don’t deliver THAT.  (P.S. We are not serving these treats at the farm; just sharing the brilliant work of a Farmketeer.)

Booooooom.  Peach mango chia jam (right).  Paired with crunchy peanut butter (left).  Thank you @gazzellie for another energy booster bomb.

Booooooooooom.  Crispy garlic chili oil pasta.  With sautéed bell pepper and cherry tomatoes.  Another wonder from locavore @kendalls.kitchen.

Pick now or forever hold your peach.  Love to y’all.  Hope to see you at The ‘Creek.