Early morning is one of the best times on the farm. The heat is not too hot, the birds are in full chatter, and there’s nobody around to stress you out with their high-achieving ways.
You can lie along a dirt road with bugs and a puffy thing. Once in a while the puffy thing moves, seemingly of its own accord, under the influence of a breeze too slight to move the other plants.
That’s pretty much all there is to this movie.
NEWSFLASH FOR FARM FANS — The first wave of Indian Creek peaches has been picked and devoured! But there are plenty of Pennsylvania peaches waiting for you at the farm stand, as well as baskets of blueberries, blackberries, tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, flowers, and more.
The New York peach shortage has Preacher Peachins a bit googly-eyed. He was up through the night praying for a decent batch to ripen in the next week or so. Til then, let’s all chant, “peach peach peach…”
And now back to our regularly scheduled coverage. Over on Eggplant Avenue, the townsfolk were just talking about the upcoming elections.
“President Obaba Ghanouj won’t get reelected unless he can really stimulate the rain over our parched farmlands.”
“As a hardworking member of the yamster minority, I couldn’t agree more.”
The know-it-all Pepper Pundits are bickering as usual: “Ghanouj is a scrooge!” “Au contraire, mon frere!”
Meanwhile, Ms. Allie Gator from around the corner looks down her nose at the whole idea of politics. “Get your laws off my schnozz!”
Tino Tomato hasn’t been feeling very political lately. Can’t shake the sensation of a skulking presence, a shadow hanging over him.
But sometimes the very thing hanging over you can become your shelter from the storm. You just own it and duck the rain.
And you keep looking for good signs, even when things seem blah. Like this surprising news from the biosphere. The Peg Leg Eggbird — once thought to be extinct — is laying golden eggs again. She thrives in a drought. Who knew?
And for all the news we hear about species being lost forever, new ones are popping up right here on the farm. We found a Blue-Wheeled Spud Bug, the first of its kind ever documented. Squishy tires handle the toughest terrain.
Those of you who venture off to pick Yellow Transparent apples could be lucky enough to see the Dreaded Rhinopeño Beetle in its native habitat. Pretty exciting for lovers of a vibrant ecosystem. Go, world.
And finally under the wood pile you might spot these Cycloptic Starchballs. They kind of hang back, out of the fray. They’re not haters, just hesi-taters.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of “Creek Week,” produced with goodies from the farm stand and a jar of beans from mom’s cupboard. Special thanks to Mike Chen, contributing creature creator. Also check out the nifty little book, Play With Your Food, by Joost Elffers, where we got some inspiration for this crop alert.
Won’t you come pick food to play with? See you at The ‘Creek!
HEY, FARMSTERS. Hope this crop alert finds you well and good.
Let this peach symbolize our love for the people who love our peaches.
And let this headline break their hearts. Historically hot weather coaxed out the peach buds way too early. The usual frosts followed and froze those poor buds dead. There was massive crop loss throughout the region. Instead of a tree having 300 peaches, it might have 3. That’s around 1%. So as usual the 99% get screwed. We have opened the peach orchard for picking, but we are asking you to limit your haul to 4 quarts, so everyone might get a shot this year. And take every peach you pick, don’t toss them on the ground — they’ll ripen fast if they aren’t already.
If you don’t find enough to pick, come down to the stand, where we have beautiful peaches from the farmers of Pennsylvania. They escaped the worst frost and got a good yield. They’re our neighbors to the south, so it’s good to help them out with a peach purchase. They are local in the grand scheme of things.
What else is picking? Surprise! You could pick these early apples! Yellow Transparent is the name. There are just a few trees near the theoretical physics shack.
Best apple sauce apples ever made. You can read about Yellow Transparents here on the nursery web site — stories about dad and those apples and Butch and Uncle Burl and Little Pearl and Montie from way back in the old time days.
Bringing us back to 2012, you can pick delicious strawberries in our brand new field. Just about 40 quarts left to pick here, so get them while you can. That will be it for this year. Next year this hilltop field will give a big full crop.
While you are up there in strawberry land, enjoy our complimentary opera broadcast. There’s plenty of drama in the production, and honestly the vocals are better than a lot of screechy stuff you hear at The Met.
Of course, raspberries are still going strong. You pick and you eat.
Zucchini time! There’s just one row right now.
But it’s a nice row. Lovely, in fact.
And perhaps the big news of the day is that the farm stand is open! We’re under the porch in the shade. A real person will be working most of each day, and if nobody is physically or mentally present, you can still do the old self-serve thing.
The display will get fuller and fuller as veggies get ripe. For starters we have eggplant.
And monster squash.
And monster onions.
And, if you time it right, secret little tomatoes.
If none of that gets you out here, what’s it gonna take? How about blueberries in fishnet stockings? Oh so alluring. See you at The ‘Creek!
Farmies, won’t you help us celebrate the USA’s 236th?
We have gathered 236 of her finest strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries for the party. It’s a free country, so you are free to count them for yourself.
Alas, Lady Liberty could not be here; she is stuck in New York Harbor. But “Laddy Liberty” is attending in her honor, hoisting high the Strawberry of the States.
He insists that you dive right into The Melting Pot — berries of all shapes, sizes, and colors. No berry left behind, no second-class fruitizens.
And we are loading the bestest berries onto the wagon in the farm parking lot. Everything is pre-picked and ready to roll to your extended weekend soirees.
Uncle Sam wants U! As in U-pick. The raspberry field is the only picking spot open right now — so help us out by picking a nice haul.
Plus, a nice little surprise — PEACHES on the wagon!
These early peaches aren’t for U-pick. They’ll be packaged on the wagon for you. Remember, everything is self-serve til the farm stand opens later in the season, so you can be pay-triotic and use the cash box for now.
Oh, and one other thing. Found this cool rock in the tomato field. Stay tuned for veggies, won’t be long now! Happy holidays and see you at The ‘Creek!
Howdy, Farm Fans. Happy almost July.
It’s wonderful that everyone got so giddy picking strawberries this year.
We are doing everything we can to keep them around a little longer — like piping in soft music at spa time.
Nonetheless, they have mostly skipped town til next summer. We now direct your attention to the raspberry field, right next to the parking lot.
They are in full production and we are seeing pickers get several quarts at a time.
It’s a modest field, so get here early each day to beat your neighbors to the ripe ones. Up to you if you want to share. (Come on, share!)
So things will be a little quiet for a couple weeks while the next wave of produce ripens. But you are welcome to come out and enjoy the day, have a picnic, do yoga, read banned books, whatever.
Stay tuned and hope to see you at The ‘Creek. Woof.
There’s a berry nut in every bunch.
Are you one?
If so, you’ll heed the clarion call — come pick strawberries and raspberries while they are all here together.
See, there’s a little thing called the INEXORABLE MARCH OF TIME which makes strawberries go from GREEN to RED to GONE in a few short weeks.
And the summer solstice has already happened. Those solstices aren’t just for druids anymore — they’re a sciency thing. Like, facts and stuff.
The salient fact being, the strawberries will soon go poof! So bring your party out to picking country, and leave with a mess of magical orbs.
Don’t forget to include fresh raspberries in your haul.
We’re seeing the Juicy Reds, Sunny Goldens, and Purple Poppers. Rapidly ripening and ready to serve you.
And the Black Cappers. Mysterious, delirious.
We have also been working on a new breed of Cow-Lamb-Dog. Just a side project. This model is almost perfect, only a tad too much cow in the mix.
Speaking of novel creations, whoever in your group can summarize this sign first — well, they’re probably the nuttiest. Hope to see you soon at The ‘Creek!
Y’all! It’s that dope time of year when the strawberries and raspberries are hanging on the farm together.
Strawberries are entering their second week of heavy action, while the raspberries are just getting started.
There are some real juicy giants to be picked.
Our signage department is up to their usual tricks — just follow the “Orchard” sign to find the strawberry patch.
Then turn left where it says “Tomatoes, Eggplant, Peppers.”
Keep your eyes peeled for the “Strawberries” arrow.
Finally you’ll see the Strawberry Fields — but they’re not forever, just for this year. There is a new patch in the works for 2013, way up on the hilltop.
People have been going nuts this week, picking 8, 12, 16 quarts at a time!
Big Max let his pet human off the leash to pick berries, while he practiced his yogic tongue poses.
Meanwhile, up in raspberry land — heading north on foot from the parking lot — you’ll discover the early season Preludes in the top row.
Each one is like a l’il burst of sunshine. Come pick yours!
Last stop is the wagon by the road — you can use the self-serve pay box and supplement your haul with some of our premium pre-picked berries.
Cheers to you all, and see you at The ‘Creek!
We were working in the orchards when tons of water came down from the sky all of a sudden.
So we cowered on the porch and just sat there.
Almost looks like a movie set where they dump water off a ledge to make it look like heavy rain.
But that’s because we got no gutters on the porch.
This kinda water makes the weeds go ape.
Friends, fans, foodies, and farmies… Strawberry u-picking begins now!
The first berries are ripe and ready for picking. (And eating.)
You’ll find reds mixed in with greens.
Just turn into the lot on Route 96. Can’t miss the sign.
You’ll find details under the front porch. Prices and maps and whatnot.
Plus a few inside tips from the strawberry watchers.
So get out here and pick! It’s all self-serve for now, and just strawberries. Stay tuned for more crop alerts — and more fun to come!
Farm fans, we live in a winner-take-all society.
Luckily there are many ways to win. You don’t have to plant a 1,600 tree orchard that showcases 60 varieties of apple. We got that covered.
A single tree for your yard will do. And right now, you can pick out your dream tree with expert consultation from our fruit men, all trained at Har-Var.
Yes, now is the time because the peach buds are popping and our 14th Annual Fruit Tree Sale won’t last long. Come weekends 10 AM to 4 PM, and weekdays 10 AM to 5 PM. Get years worth of family fun and fresh fruit for only 20 bucks a tree — and $15 if you order 10 or more!
You’ll see our humble, jumbled sign on Route 96 — just pull into the parking lot as if you were coming to the farmstand.
Thing is, don’t actually go to the stand…
The sign there will just redirect you to the new barn, built before the winter.
At the north end of the parking lot, you’ll find a forlorn little stone wall and a half-finished driveway.
Like we always say, if you can follow our signs, you are winning the game of life. If you plant an apple tree — or peach or plum or pear — well, that will just be extra credit. The Joneses will go green with envy.
Take the gravelly road up to our loading dock, homemade from local locust posts.
Pop inside and you’ll find about 20,000 baby fruit trees — down from 35,000 a few weeks back and dropping fast. They’ll be gone lickety-split. Seriously, we’re shipping trees all over the country ’til the barn is empty.
When you meet our tree specialists, try not to be too cheerful or chipper. They have not been outside the barn in over a month, so a subdued attitude is probably best.
But do ask questions. It’s a rare opportunity to geek out about Esopus Spitzenburg, Cox’s Orange Pippin, or Summer Rambo. Or Red Delicious if you must. Then we’ll wrap your babies in swaddling clothes for the trip home from the nursery.
We’ll even weigh them on our Detecto scale. Write it down in your baby book.
Call the gang at 607-227-1799 and find us online at CumminsNursery.com — that’s the sister business to Indian Creek Farm. Also check out our ad in the Pennysaver. Happy planting and stay tuned for this season’s crop alerts! Won’t be long now!
Indian Creek Farm 