The Weblog
This page contains news, event information, and other items added by the market managers.
Melons and sweet corn
We are all back home and in full swing at the farmstand. Last week most of the family was gone to a camp over at Mooers, New York that we are involved in. Mendy and I were part of the kitchen team cooking 400-500 meals each day. It was fun and refreshing in a healthy way but also a lot of work with about 12 hours a day in the kitchen. I came home needing to rest from my vacation. Today the stand is so packed with good food that it is a challenge to fit everything into the display space. Fall spinach is available by the bushel. The first celery is ready. We have a huge selection of watermelons including yellow, crimsom sweet, and seedless. I also have a bin of big watermelon from Henry. His stand out head and shoulders above the other excellant melons we have. last evening I cut a big cantaloupe that was perfect in its texture, flavor and sweetness. The later cantaloupes, which is now, tend to be better than early melons. Now is the time to enjoy one as seasons move on fast. All our melons are gauranteed- if you ever get a disappointing melon throw it out (or bring it back) and tell us. You can get another melon or your money back or any other produce of simular value. The onion crop is excellant this year. Thursday we pulled about 100 crates of sweet onions off of three rows. There are 28 beds of onions total in my patch. The later storage onions are not ready yet. Field tomatoes are starting to ripen so supply is a lot better. Canning tomatoes should be abundant in about 2 weeks with the peak in early- mid September. We have lots of corn today including by the bag. Daniel
Sweet onions and peppers
The steady warm weather along with abundant moisture makes the gardens grow! The broccoli patch continues to really make lots of broccoli which is what broccoli patches are supposed to do. Sweet onions are big enough that we are starting harvest them. Most of the other red and yellow storage onions are still several weeks out yet from harvest. Yesterday and this morning we are bringing in the main garlic harvest. It has grown well so there should be lots of garlic here throughout the fall months. We are still at the peak part of blueberry season and today we have the first wildcrafted blackberries at the stand. The eggplant and pepper family season has begun. They should normally be present at the farmstand over the next few months. No sweet corn today at the farmstand. Daniel
Abundance at the farmstand
The farmstand is packed with good food today. The bargain table will have an assortment of surplus and seconds bags and boxes at various price points. The beans both green and yellow are in abundance. There is lots of cauliflower and broccoli. Last evening I came home with over 50 cases of really nice “no spray” greenhouse tomatoes, lots of pickler cucumbers, and new red potatoes. The basil is abundant and we will normally have bulk grab bags packed or you can pack your own from the display. Beans are also available bulk. There are still quite a lot of raspberries (mostly black) to be picked. For today I am going to give our large quantity price of $2 pint to all pickers large or small. Come out as we do not have enough help to pick them all ourselves. Blueberries are abundant. I have 40 12 pint flats picked at the moment. For u-pick blueberries you need to go to my Dad (Luke Martin) He picks and offers u-pick on Thursday mornings starting at 8 am till the patch is picked (or into the afternoon till everyone is tired) His phone number is 315 265 0026. His farm is just north of Parishville. The address is 156 Newton Road Potsdam. Daniel
Black raspberries and first sweet corn
Peak season for black raspberries is now. The patches are like a jungle. U-pick raspberry price is $3.75 pint for small amounts and $3 for 10 or more. If you pick a large amount 30+ price is $2 pint. There are also red raspberries to pick today. On the stand we have good stock of picked berries- black and red raspberries, a few gooseberrries, the last few strawberries and the first blueberries. The first 30 dozen local organic sweet corn is here today as supplies last. (90 cents an ear or $9 dozen) We are overstocked on lettuce again as the weather has been good for lettuce. We are going to have a free head of lettuce cart out again today. The u-cut flowers are starting to have a nice amount of flowers ready to cut. They are available free for non commercial purposes again this year. Cut some to make your table beautiful and if you are so inclined also cut some for someone else such as an older shut in person or just to use as an excuse to stop in to someone that you judge could use your friendly face in their lives. If you are doing something with the flowers that makes you money then we would appreciate a donation. It is cucumber season and there is is a good selection of cucumbers and pickles here today ranging from cheap seconds to high end little picklers. I also have $7 boxes of zucchini again today. Daniel
Bargins for Saturday July 8th
I have a few overstock bargains for Saturday July 8th at Martins Farmstand. We are at the time of the year that the gardens are starting to yield their bounty. Medium sized cucumbers @ $7 per half bushel (15 available) These are some of the earliest field cucumbers and the cucumber beetles were rough on the plants so there is quite a bit of scarring on the skin. Not pretty but they taste good and would make pickles. Broccoli ( 10 bushels available) @ $15 per half bushel (10 lbs). Lettuce of all sorts (1 free head per person as supplies last). Garlic scapes ( 1 free handful per person as supplies last). Zucchini beautiful first quality zucchini @ $7per box ( 20 available). We also have lots of cabbage and new potatoes and more. As is normal all this produce is grown using organic methods. Daniel
U-pick July 5
I just returned from walking through the strawberry patch. There is a nice amount of ripe berries out there. It looks way better than it did on Monday as I expected. The berries are small as is normal at the end of the season but there are quite a few of them. We will open the patches for u-pick tomorrow Wednesday July 5 starting at 2 pm for both strawberries and raspberries. (There is no picking in the morning)
The strawberry patch will go to gleaning status after Wednesday. Gleaning status goes on as long as there are berries out there and is open anytime during normal stand hours. Strawberry prices are reduced for gleaning.
The early red raspberries are ready to pick. After tomorrow’s picking raspberries will be available for u-pick on a first come basis on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday starting @ 10 am when the stand opens.
The black raspberries will be ready by next week and there is lot of those.
The farm stand is looking like summer with lots of fresh produce. Daniel
U-pick July 3
We will open for u-pick berries tomorrow Monday July 3, 2023 starting at 7 am for the second to last picking for this year. We plan to only be open for an hour or so tomorrow morning and pick the areas that have a reasonable amount of ripe berries. After that the market will be closed for the rest of Monday. The stand will be open on Tuesday July 4th. I just returned from a stroll through the strawberry fields. The berries are mostly small and I judge that there are more berries that will be ready for Wednesday than there are for Monday. Some of the earliest areas are near finished. There are still some green berries yet on the later kinds. The patch will go to gleaning status after Wednesday. Gleaning status goes on as long as there are berries out there and is open anytime during normal stand hours. Prices are reduced for gleaning.
The early red raspberries are ready to pick. They are available on a first come basis during normal strawberry u-pick times. After strawberry season the raspberries will be available for u-pick on a first come basis on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday starting @ 10 am.
Cucumbers and zucchini are becoming abundant so those prices will drop to normal summer prices starting now. Daniel
U-pick July 1st
We will open for u-pick berries tomorrow Saturday July 1 2023 starting at 7 am. We are coming toward the late part of strawberry season. The berries are ripening fast now but they are mostly small so containers fill slowly this year. Some of the earliest areas are near finished. There are still some green berries yet on the later kinds. I expect the patch will go to gleaning status at some point next week- probably after next Wednesday.
The early red raspberries are ready to pick. They are available on a first come basis during normal strawberry u-pick times. After strawberry season the raspberries will be available for u-pick on a first come basis on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday starting @ 10 am.
We have both snap (edible pod) and shell peas now along with the first new potatoes. Zucchini and cucumbers are abundant. Today we planted about an acre of late potatoes (by hand) along with late beans, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach and more. Yes, the strawberry patches are open even if it is raining. Daniel
Weblog Entry
We will open for u-pick strawberries this afternoon June 28, 2023 at 2 pm. No morning picking today. We are coming toward the late part of peak strawberry season. Today has the potential to be the peak picking of the year. The berries are ripening fast now but they are mostly small so containers fill slowly this year. I expect the patch will go to gleaning status at some point next week. The first of the red raspberries are ready to pick. They are available on a first come basis during normal strawberry u-pick times. After strawberry season the raspberries will be available for u-pick on a first come basis on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday starting @ 10 am. The field zucchini season has begun.They are available at normal summer prices. We are picking the first of the peas. Greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers are at their peak production and this abundant moisure makes really nice lettuce. Picked strawberries are still extreemly scarce. The black raspberries are still 2 weeks out- the plants have a wonderful fruit set like a seed catalogue picture and with the rain it has the potential to be one of the biggest crops ever. Blueberry fruit set is also excellent. Daniel
Upick Monday
We will open for u-pick strawberries tomorrow morning Monday June 26, 2023. This is the peak of strawberry season. That said I have seen much higher peaks than this year has. I just returned from walking the patches. There is a nice amount of berries out there with picking conditions somewhere in the middle- not terrible or wonderful. I judge that this will just be the way it is this year as the total crop is limited.
Saturdays picking totaled about 800 lbs. To put this in perspective 3000 to 4,500 lbs would be more normal for a Saturday during peak strawberry season. The produce auction has been having less than 10% of the normal strawberry volume so most of the strawberry growers have been effected as much or more than we have. So be patient with us if you are getting less than you wish for. I have 8,000 new plants started so next year has potential as we are doing our part. Daniel