(Strawberries from our 2009 crop)

Sunday evening meant inspection of the strawberry patch to determine when sales would begin. There were strawberries almost ripe for picking so it was determined that we would start selling the strawberries on Thursday, June 3.

Along with the strawberries we will have radishes and sometime next week will have snow peas available for sale. Remember we also have sugar snap peas coming but they are not ready yet.

This past week or so has seen some good news and bad news, The worst news was the frost that occurred over Mother’s Day weekend. Freeze warnings were issued and of course, because everything got an early start this year, lots of stuff was at risk. Some fruits and vegetables were affected; see the details below.

We have also been busy planting, plowing and planning this year’s planting scheme for the farm. So let’s just cut to the chase and tell you the good, the bad and the just plain ugly news from Magicland Farms.

The Good

• The strawberries survived the frost on Mother’s Day weekend due to the use of sprinklers. So it looks promising that we will have a strawberry crop this year.
• The peas, onions and garlic also survived the frost due to the fact that these crops are cold hardy. They can take a lot of cold and still keep on going.
• The tomatoes in the high tunnel sustained no damage.
• Most of the sweet corn plantings are okay because the early plantings were small and the growing point was still beneath the soil.
• The green beans were just coming up so they sustained no damage. Tom was amazed the other day with how well they are growing. At the rate they are going, it looks like a super early bean year for us.
• We have planted three different varieties of sweet potatoes: Beauregard, Carolina Ruby and Vardaman.  Here is a photo of our sweet potato planting: The row at the right is a row of tomatoes; the rows to the left are the sweet potatoes.

The Bad

• The potatoes sustained some minor damage. On Sunday, Tom and I went to look at things at the farm and you could see new green growth coming from the potatoes so while they might have suffered a setback, the plants are starting to make a comeback.
• The tomato plants we had in the low tunnels out in the field were about half damaged. Interestingly, the side of the low tunnel that received some of the sprinkler water meant for the strawberries survived; the side that didn’t was a loss. Those tomatoes that died have been replaced with new transplants.

The Ugly

• The pawpaws sustained heavy damage from the frost.
• The apples sustained moderate to heavy damage depending on the variety and the location in the orchard.
• Tom looked at the peaches the other day and thinks that there might be moderate damage to the crop. However, we should still have some peaches.

Overall things are looking good. We all wish the frost hadn’t happened but we know that everything happens for a reason. Planting is continuing, we still have lots more to go. Keep on checking back for updates. You can see some more photos at my previous post: Sunday Stroll Around The Farm.

I apologize for my lack of postings lately but that doesn’t mean that things have been quiet around here. Over the last couple of weeks, we have been able to start planting at the farm. We  even put in some sweet corn, hoping that the warmer than normal weather will provide us with early sweet corn. Here is what has been happening at the farm.

• The orchard got pruned and the brush hauled away.
• The first planting of beets went in.
• Our garlic crop is about six inches tall and looking good.
• All of the broccoli (early, midseason and late) has been planted. Also we have planted most of the cabbage.
• The sugar snap peas have been planted.
• The high tunnel is in use with the first planting of tomatoes.
• Norland, Yukon Gold and Kennebec potatoes are in the ground.
• New strawberry plants were purchased. They are in the ground being grown on plastic.
• Our famous Newaygo Newaygo onions were transplanted in the field. Hopefully they will do well this year.

There is much more to  come and we will keep you posted as things happen around here. Also, I have been working on the blog behind the scenes and hope to start posting regularly next week.

1. This is just too sad – Farmers leave strawberries to rot as prices collapse.  The weather in Florida has been crazy this winter. First the tomatoes, now the strawberries.
2. Check out this link to  an interesting new local crop being grown in California.
3. For those of you who like Asian Pears, a new drink has been developed – link here.
4. Can’t get your kids to eat their vegetables? Here’s a story about Dutch researchers who tested children to find out what was there preferred way of eating vegetables. Steamed or boiled vegetables won out over other methods of preparation.
5. Eating healthier is certainly one of the items in the forefront of the news these day, especially given Michelle Obama’s involvement in children’s nutrition issues. It is hard to change the way you eat; expecting overnight change is certainly unrealistic. But baby steps will certainly help. Here is a column about that very issue: Confessions of a Locavore Pretender.
6. A novel idea to help Detroit’s economy: Is urban farming Detroit’s cash cow? Detroit has been on a downhill slide in recent years and much of the city is vacant. This sounds like a good way to add local jobs, produce local food and add dollars to the local economy. One of the proposed farms could be 2,000 acres. Wow!

Enjoy!

The crew has been busy picking today despite the hot weather (which we are grateful for as it really helps the crops).

We still have strawberries for sale, this will be the last week for that. We have now added snow peas and radishes. Sugar snap peas are coming.

In the near future (hopefully) we will be having our famous green beans, potatoes and zucchini.

Happy eating!

At Magicland Farms this year, we are planning to start providing recipes for the fruits and vegetables we grow. (This was done in previous years but in the past few years we had gotten away from it.) Due to popular demand I decided that we would provide recipes on the blog to coincide with some of the produce we have for sale at that time.

Since this is strawberry time, I thought I would start off with a recipe for strawberry pie. My husband really likes this one. I may have to make it again before the strawberries disappear.

Magicland Farms Strawberry Pie

1 recipe for a double crust pie (your favorite or see ours below)
4 cups fresh strawberries, cleaned and cut in half
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a drip pan or aluminum foil on lower rack to catch pie juices.

Place strawberries in large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, flour and cornstarch. Gently coat strawberries with mixture. Let rest while you get pie plate ready.

Using half of pie crust dough, roll out bottom crust and place in pie plate. Pour berries into pie crust and set aside. With remaining dough, roll out a top crust and lay over pie, crimping edges of bottom and top crust together. Flute edges. Cut slits in top.

As an alternative, you can make a lattice top which is easily done by rolling out remaining dough and cutting strips with a pizza cutter. Weave strips over top of berries and tuck under bottom crust at edges.

Bake pie in preheated oven for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 25 to 40 minutes depending on your oven. Our pies cooked in about 45-50 minutes.

PIE CRUST

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour — sifted
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup shortening (we use butter flavored Crisco)
7 tablespoons cold milk (about)

Sift together dry ingredients and with pastry blender, cut in shortening until mixture looks like coarse meal. Add enough milk until dough appears moist but not wet. Try not to use more than 7 tablespoons unless necessary to hold dough together. Turn dough out and knead on a few seconds to hold mixture together. Handle as little as possible. Roll out using your favorite technique.

This is the best recipe for pie crust I have ever made. Over the years, I have made pies but none of them had a light flaky crust. This one comes out perfectly almost every time. Using Crisco really helps as it seems that butter does not make a good crust. You could also use lard.

Also the addition of baking powder (which I have never seen in any other crust recipe) seems to make a huge difference in the texture of the crust.

Despite the rain today, the crew managed to get some strawberries picked, along with garlic scapes. The strawberries have been wonderful and we hope to be picking them for the next several days.

Hopefully we will have peas for sale next week. We have both snow peas and sugar snap peas planted and hope to have a nice crop of each.

The crew just picked 18 quarts of strawberries this morning. Kind of surprising how many ripe strawberries they are finding given the lack of sunshine around here over the past few days. However, we are glad the strawberries are ripening. 

The other evening we had strawberry shortcake for supper and boy was it good! The berries are absolutely delicious, nicely sized and just wonderful. 

Hurry down and pick up a quart or two. You’ve got to enjoy them while they last.

Strawberry season has begun at Magicland Farms!

This morning the crew picked 13 quarts of strawberries.  They are for sale at the stand. 

For those who aren’t familiar with our place, we are located at 4380 S Gordon, Fremont, Michigan. You can go to our website for directions and a map: Magicland Farms.

Our hours are 1oAM to 6PM, Monday through Saturday, closed Sundays. At the start of the season, we only stay open as long as we have produce to sell so I would recommend you not wait until the afternoon as I don’t know how long the strawberries will last. Once we start to have more produce to sell, we remain open for our stated hours.

So head on down to Magicland Farms for the best strawberries you have ever had!

I found this story in the Phildelphia Citypaper online (story here). The author explains why buying your produce from your local farmers is the best choice you can make which almost goes without saying. But the reason I link this article is her list of some early produce and its nutritional benefits for the consumer. Here at Magicland Farms, we will soon be having strawberries and peas available for sale. Below are her comments on those two crops:

Peas

With 134 calories in a whole cup of peas, these seasonal beauties are delicious examples of why we eat veggies. A great source of calcium (43% of your daily requirements!), potassium, magnesium and phosphorus, fresh peas contribute fiber to our diets, folic acid for strong blood and immune-boosting vitamins A, C and K for all you antioxidant lovers out there.

Strawberries

With a harvest season that can seem like just minutes, when you see local strawberries at a farm market, grab them – especially if they are not sprayed or are organic! Their sweet-tart flavor is just one bit of their allure. With only 49 calories in a cup, these vitamin C-rich berries give us all the immune-boosting power we need, in a delicious way. A great source of fiber, magnesium and potassium, strawberries go a long way towards helping us feel balanced. And once you have tried locally grown, you’ll understand: they are worlds away from the flat-tasting, out of season, ripened-under-grow-lights versions you find at the supermarket.

So be sure to check back for the announcement of the start of the strawberry/pea harvest. Come on out and get some of the goodies for yourself; you won’t be sorry.