Indian Creek Farm

We’re Still Open for Apple Picking, Donuts, Pears, Sprouts, and Cider!

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Indian Creek Farm

ONCE UPON A TIME there was a lass who went apple picking. While traipsing through the orchard, she lost her wallet. How horrible! But, once upon a time—two days later—there was a lad who found her billfold in the grass. Hooray!

So everything turned out sweet and perfect forever and ever. The End.

Was that story too mushy for you? Well, here’s a whole bucket of mush. We’re turning it into mash. Apple mash.

It is high-grade stuff. The genuine article. Nothing but apples and pears filling up the official squisher.

We spared no expense on this high-tech affair. The best twine we could find, and a chrome-vanadium screwdriver.

Time to lock the lid. The R2 unit goes beep-beep and clinkety-clink. Whoosh, pop, whirr, and whistle. Now we wait.

Moments later the magic begins. Amber rivulets flow out of the grate. We pump Ambrosia into the big tank above.

And we bottle it up for you. We will be pressing cider THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR! Available every day.

We’re also filling “carboys,” the big jugs for fermenting your own hard cider. Call the Cidermeister at (607) 793-3560.

Heck, we’ll even make cider from YOUR apples. Our neighbor from the Inn Btween Farm B&B got a custom press this week.

Foooooooooooooood.

{ What’s picking and cooking? }

This weekend, we’ll be turning cider into donuts. Saturday and Sunday, 11 til 4. Dunk them in hot mulled cider.

And the amazing news is, YOU CAN STILL PICK APPLES, only 50¢ per pound. The Mutsu Orchard is packed with beautiful fruit.

The farm stand is stocked with exotic and premium varieties, many not found in stores. Mix and match for $1.75 per pound.

The Bagged Bartlett Sale continues. Get canning-grade pears for only $28 per bushel, or about 70¢ per pound!

Brussels sprouts are in peak form. We have giant stalks at the farm stand for just 5 bucks. Fry them with bacon.

You might even score a rare box of our Concord grapes. They grow on the roof of the stand! Won’t last long.

Last but not least, we have the region’s largest selection of dead flowers. Cut your own for 100% OFF while supplies last! See you at The ‘Creek.

Posted in Crop Alerts & Farm Buzz | Tagged apples, country life, crops, Farm Life, Food Art, Food Photography, Food Writing, Fruits and Vegetables, Local Food, Photos, pick your own, Small Farms, u-pick | Leave a comment

Pear Sale, Extended Apple Sale, and November Farm Hours.

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Indian Creek Farm

RAISE YOUR GLASS of apple spider. Today we are subverting the dominant paradigm. Everybody knows that we ran out of pumpkins early. We were the dopes in that farm flop; but, now we are turning our slackjaws into smirk-o-lanterns with this simple twist of fruit: Happy Appleween.

“Happleween,” as we say among ourselves. Time for the vainglorious pumpkin—Look at me, I’m sooo orange!—to step aside. Time, indeed, for the humble apple to have it’s own holiday. October 31, every year hence.

In celebration we are extending the 50-cent sale through the END OF THE SEASON! You’ll find gorgeous Romes in the Vintage Orchard.

Only 50 cents a pound for any u-pick apples, including perfect specimens in the Mutsu Orchard. Awesome for pie, and no orange mess.

We’re throwing a pear sale, too. Get canning-grade pears for only $28 per bushel. That’s about 70 cents per pound, and they’re already picked!

Heck, even Cidermeister Ken is getting into the Happleween spirit. He is rolling out a new pear-mutsu blend of Orchard Ambrosia. Super mutsu! Very pear-y!

Yes, we have mutsus as big as pumpkins and sprouts as big as farmers. Who needs pillowcases full of candy when Mother Nature is dishing out goodies?

Farm Stand in Fall

{ Hours and colors. }

The farm stand will STAY OPEN THROUGH NOVEMBER. A mix of full-serve and self-serve action will cover the shifts. Come see the fall colors, like these REDS…

…and ORANGES. (Psshaw, ye pumpkins!) It’s not quite the extravagant Roy G. Biv of summertime, but you’ll find an edible autumnal rainbow.

YELLOW squashes while supplies last. Tons of acorn squash, too, in deep charcoal with orange highlights.

Brussels GREEN on the scene. We are lopping stalks daily for the stand and Greenstar Coop. Get ’em here or there.

BLUE taters to die for and… to fry for. Morning home fries are best when the rainbow sparkles in your skillet.

Fairtytale eggplants in VIOLET. You won’t see these much longer. Come scoop up the last of the summer vegetables.

Farm Buzz

{ What are we doing? }

We’re out back in the nursery tagging baby fruit trees with color-coded labels. You can see how precise the system is.

Meanwhile, Farmer Stephen is taking a nap in his Zorro costume. It’s the only way he gets a free minute. Zorro, you seen Stephen?

And Zorro squeezed into his trick-or-treat costume… dressed as Natasha. It’s the only way anyone will give him a snack.

Hope to see you at The ‘Creek. Peek-a-bye!

Posted in Crop Alerts & Farm Buzz | Tagged apples, country life, crops, eggplant, Farm Life, Food Art, Food Photography, Food Writing, Fruits and Vegetables, Local Food, Photos, small farm, u-pick, vegetables | Leave a comment

The Giant 50-Cent Sale Continues and Zorro Gets a Promotion.

Posted on October 24, 2013 by Indian Creek Farm

PAUSING FOR A MOMENT between sleeping and waking, Zorro reflects on just how far his star has risen. A few short months ago, it seemed that his career had stalled. He only had a minor role on the back of the brochure.

Today his fluffy mug is featured on every bottle of Orchard Ambrosia. Congratulations, Zorro, and thanks for all your hard work.

Meanwhile, the farm is turning a corner. This is the final weekend of the Giant Apple Sale. See the poster and last week’s post for details.

Yes, deep autumn is coming around the bend. We hope you will come out and share the October weather with us—changeable, blustery, and all.

The u-pick apple sale is kind of a big deal. Biggest we’ve ever done. All 3 orchards are included. The mutsus are superabundant.

The Dward Orchard is a-dwindling, but needs pickers all the same. Don’t let these beauties drop. Pick a peck for even your worst friends at 50¢ per pound.

The Vintage Orchard is still easy picking. You’ll find Northern Spy, Red Delicious, Rome Beauty and spots of Cortland and Mac.

On a boo-hissy note, the pumpkin patch is cleaned out. All picked! But it’s a good problem to have—no waste—and we’ll grow more next year.

The Sprout Patch, on the other hand, is overflowing. Brussels sprouts are “cruciferous and nutrisherous.” You heard it here first.

We’re going to pre-shuck a bunch of stalks for you this week. When you come to the weekend sale, ask about picking your own.

Or, technically, lopping your own. Nothing like u-lop Brussels sprouts. Feel like a farmer, but quit when you want.

When you come back down to the stand, you’ll find donuts, late veggies, hot cider, and the cutest thing ever: little lunchbox apples.

Also grownup apples… Those Victorians were so naughty! Their formal facades and fancy names—Claygate, Pearmain—were surely just a cover.

Anyway, back to our top story: u-pick apples for 50¢ per pound all weekend. Thanks to local businesses like Greenstar, Oasis, Agway, Ithaca Bakery, and The Piggery for helping us announce the sale. Lots of new faces on the farm.

Come out Saturday or Sunday, October 26-27, to wander and harvest. If you come before then, just clang the clanger and we’ll magically appear.

Happy fall colors. Hope to see you at The ‘Creek.

Posted in Crop Alerts & Farm Buzz | Tagged apples, country life, crops, Farm Life, Food Art, Food Photography, Food Writing, Fruits and Vegetables, Local Food, small farm, u-pick | 2 Comments

Huge U-Pick Apple Sale… Only 50¢ Per Pound… Bring Friends!

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Indian Creek Farm

LOYAL FARMKETEERS, we are going to be straight with you in this week’s Crop Alert. None of our customary gobbledygook. No cheap Photoshop pranks. Just the facts of the case, so to speak.

But first, we will ask you to don your mutsu helmets. It is that time of year. The mutsu apples are about to start jumping.

They are huge apples, and it is a huge crop. These pumpkin-sized paragons of the apple kingdom will clonk you good.

And we are already getting clonked by huge crops in the Dwarf Orchard and Vintage Orchard. So, the huge news is…

Only 50¢ per pound for u-pick apples—any variety on the farm! That is a savings of a billion percent. This weekend and next.

Why such a drastic campaign? The farm boss put it plain: “We are 10% under-customerized for our current apple crop.”

You won’t hear that in the executive wing of Apple, Inc. It is advanced farmspeak for, “A crap-ton of apples is breaking our branches!”

You all have done a superb job picking. But the historic crop can’t be shouldered by Farmketeers alone. So we’ve postered 52 places.

We are being relentless small-time apple hustlers. There are also pumpkins a-plenty, u-pick Brussels sprouts, and buckets of cider.

During the weekend sale, there will even be free wagon rides, weather permitting, from 11 AM to 5 PM.

So, if you can find an excuse to come back to our podunk ranch of misfits this weekend—and pick a big bag of apples—we will wish you glorious sunsets for the rest of your days. We’ll do that anyway, but just sayin.’ Hope to see you at The ‘Creek.

Posted in Crop Alerts & Farm Buzz | Tagged apples, country life, crops, cumberland gap, farm, Farm Life, Food Art, Food Photography, Food Writing, Fruits and Vegetables, Local Food, Photos, pick your own, small farm, u-pick, vegetables | Leave a comment

Apple Picking, Pumpkin Patching, and a Special Deal for College Students.

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Indian Creek Farm

THIS WEEK, a few lucky apples and a jug of cider climbed Libe Slope for a hilltop tour of Cornell. We wanted them to get comfortable with the campus experience. They and many of their friends will say goodbye to the farm this weekend, bound for a higher education at Cornell, IC, Wells, Cortland, and other local colleges.

That’s because college students can get a 1/2-peck of u-pick apples and a 1/2-gallon of cider for just $10! Students, come wander the orchards and save a few bucks with your student ID Friday through Sunday.

Little did we know that the Spy family—Prairie Spy, Northern Spy, and Spigold—had tailed us and was hiding in the ivy. More about these dubious specimens shortly.

What’s Picking Now?

{ The weekly u-pick report. }

The Vintage Orchard is in peak form. Hundreds of trees are heavy with classic varieties, and the $24 bushel sale continues.

We need your help—find these varieties with our color coding system. Ribbons a-fluttering in the breeze.

The Dwarf Orchard is ABSOLUTELY POPPING with apples, including the Spy family in Rows 13 and 14. Grab a map and go!

These gorgeous pumpkins will be meaningless on October 32nd. Carve one soon, Halloween is round the corner.

With so many to choose from, simply find the one that speaks to you. The super-smooth friend you’ve always dreamed of, the one who makes problems vanish.

We thought about pre-carved pumpkins, but we just couldn’t modify the genes in time for planting. Maybe next year.

Down at the Stand

{ Farm treats to eat. }

Apple cider donuts are usually sizzling on weekends 10 AM to 5 PM. It’s all up to a 13-year-old wizard with a full social calendar.

The stand is like an apple fortune cookie this time of year. “SIR PRIZE! You will marry a WEALTHY SPOKANE BEAUTY with a HOLIDAY SUNTAN when you go to CORTLAND for your SWEET 16 and you will call her HONEYCRISP.”

Spokane Beauty is the She-Goliath of the apples. We fully expect her to crush the competition like our own Lewis Billy did.

But it won’t be easy. The “Rescue” pear is a titan who towers over Bartletts and other common varieties.

The stand still shows the colors of summer produce—though fall squashes are creeping in and you better act fast for tomatoes.