The early bird gets the… apples.

And pumpkins, this year… nearly all our seasonal produce is arriving several weeks early, due to historically warm temperatures this past spring. Please be in touch (or check our pick-your-own calendar, which is updated weekly, here) about which apples are ready to harvest–your favorites may be ready sooner than ever before! 

The Barn, Revisited

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work continues on the third-story bridge of the barn at Mead Orchards, and this week the completed rafters made for interesting picture-taking–a combination of modern 2×4″ framing and rift-sawn oak floorboards. A team of Amish gentlemen will be coming in the near future to re-roof the entire 5,000+ square foot structure… they promised to be finished in a single day.

A little less conversation, a little more action, please

Meado maintains another blog as a primary academic project, surfacehot.com, which has a post up now that goes into more detail on the issue of yesterday’s “Dirty Dozen” post, if you’re interested.

Let us know what you think. Thanks for reading!

All the more reason to get your apples locally.

Apples win the most-contaminated contest among fruits and vegetables sampled in a recent study by the Environmental Working Group… you can read more here. Lots goes unsaid, even in this article, which makes a substantial effort to present balance, following its salacious headline. Pesticide residues abound on fruits and vegetables from the grocery store, it’s true: the produce is sprayed or bathed in a variety of compounds to prolong its shelf life, after being trucked a great distance from a large farm with the scorched-earth spray practices common to “biggest and cheapest is best” growing. The fruit at your local farmer’s market, or at a local farm, does not have to withstand transportation pressures like these, and was most likely not grown in a tremendous monoculture, therefore exposure to pesticides like those mentioned in the article are minimized or avoided altogether. Talk to your farmer about what goes onto the produce you buy; if you can’t talk to the farmer, or someone who knows what goes into the spray tank, my advice is don’t buy the apple. That waxed, mushy shadow of a fresh piece of fruit isn’t worth it.

Tart Cherries!

Winning people over one day (and dessert) at a time. Clafoutis, crisps, pies and tarts… you can’t go wrong with tart cherries. They’re a great source of antioxidants, too.  See you at the farm this weekend to pick your own.

Forget the bananas

Local strawberries are back! Weekday evenings and weekends 10-6… call the farm for details.

Today’s the day

Walk, bike, drive or fly to Mead Orchards for pick your own apples and pumpkins!  Colin and Derrick will see you there this afternoon. 

Oxheart Plums

Almost ready…

The Burning Box

The heat here continues, although not quite to the degree that this old bushel apple crate was subjected to… it looks like it might have been used as a base for a brazing project. The farm uses primarily half-bushel crates now, for their reduced laden weight and lower cost.

The ponds are holding up for the needed irrigation water, thus far, and ground was broken on a new well today.

No rain? No problem.

If you’re corn or a morning glory, at least…