NEW FARM RULE!  Anyone who uses the F-word or A-word before September 21 shall be punished.  That’s right, no peach-picking privileges for any person who says “fall” or “autumn” while summer is still here.  Don’t be a Donny Downer.  Don’t get im-PEACHED.

The peaches are primping.  They know the big show is coming – possibly next week.  But you can come pick peaches now.  This week is a warmup.  There are no “donut” peaches yet, and you should ask at the stand which rows are ready.  In some cases, we will be sending you to specific TREES that we know are ready to be picked.  First come, first pick.

The eggplants are singing.  Please come pick them – but ADULTS ONLY!  Don’t pick the baby eggplants.  Let them size up so everyone has a crack at picking big eggplants this season.  If earlybirds raid the patch to pick tiny eggplants, we can’t make the numbers work.  The field won’t produce as much poundage, and the farm won’t make its cabbage, as they say.  There has to be some profit built into each crop – or we should plant the field with another crop.  We love having a diverse rotation each year.  Make sense?

The tomatoes are deliberating. It’s their annual conclave to decide the big ripening date. We will report on their plans as the story unfolds. For now, you can pick cherry tomatoes.

The sweet peppers are greening and purpling.  Come pick yours now.  We will announce hot peppers later.  For now, come get sweet greens, sweet purples, and those great long skinny Italian fryers.  Not Italian Friars.  They don’t grow well in the humid climate of Upstate New York.

The raspberries are sunning.  There have been tons of pickers but also copious sunny days.  That means there are still raspberries to pick in the 3 patches – the 2 trellised fields and the fenceline along the Mutsu Orchard.  All open for picking.

The flowers are popping.  Pick your own zinnias, snapdragons, verbena, gomphrena, celosia, cornflower, statice, strawflower, scabiosa, sweetpeas, salvia, aster, dianthus, and algeratum.  Also get beautiful bouquets in mason jars.

The donuts are blooming.  When you give someone a bouquet of flowers, your love is doubled.  When you give them a bouquet of donuts, your love is trebled.  You can triple your love every Saturday and Sunday 10:30 to 6:00.

The apples are blushing.  Pristine is a real apple.  Real tart.  One of us here at the farm stand says, “They get better the more you eat them… just keep chewing.”  Got to love a gal who can put a positive spin on anything.  But Pristines are good keepers and, for some of you, the first apples of the year.  And that blush!  Come pick now.

The garlic and strawberries are goners!  You picked BOTH CROPS clean.  Thank you!  And you even had time to make art.  To wit, “American Garthlic” by @hannahkaydoyle and @amorn1chet at the 3rd Annual U-Pick Garlic Party.

And you found a new medicinal use for garlic.  Fresh stalks kissing the rhythm machine!  That’s the drummer of “Megaflora” playing during the party.  Farm Fans, your positively unim-PEACH-able performance on strawberries and garlic got the season off to our best start EVER.  Both Farmers Steve (the boss) and Greg (strawberries and garlic) were left feeling great about the season ahead, and thankful that we are able to derive a livelihood from farming here in the Finger Lakes region.  Thank you, Farmketeers.

So let’s put $1000 toward saving local farmland and open space forever.  The past few years, you have picked sprouts to raise $500 for the Finger Lakes Land Trust – the local nonprofit conservation organization that saves forests, gorges, wetlands, lakeshores, and open spaces including productive farmlands across our beautiful region.  This year is their big 30th Anniversary and we are sending them $1000 now!  You can join them on guided hikes and support this classy organization which has 22,000 acres under permanent protection.  Did you know Indian Creek Farm is protected by a permanent conservation easement?  The farm will be open space forever, and we love the work of the Finger Lakes Land Trust.  Be sure to explore their outdoor recreation web site, Go Finger Lakes, for an interactive map of the best hikes, bikes, paddles, and adventures around these parts.

Whales eat tons of plastic.  It’s a problem.  We know what you are thinking:  We should make plastic taste better.  After all, whales are foodies and they deserve a better burger, right?  But how about if we dump less plastic into the ocean and let whales eat their local krill instead?  Okay, deal.  As of this summer we have expunged single-use plastic shopping bags on the farm.  We also want to reduce consumption of cardboard picking boxes and paper cartons – which people tend to use once and not bring back on their next visit.

Please bring your own bags for picking and shopping, or buy our reusable farm totes.  There are 2 sizes, $1.50 and $2.00, and they are great for using at the farm, the grocery store, even the Pilates studio.  Who knows, maybe we’ll hold a contest for who brings the coolest containers during apple season.  Anyway, it’s time, folks.  It’s time we all knock it off with the single-use plastics.

Love to y’all.  Hope to see you at The ‘Creek.