October 13/14 2013 Update

UPDATED FOR 10/13....APPLE Pick Your Own for Columbus Day Weekend October 12, 13 and 14 (9am-4pm): Our annual Harvest Hoe-down Weekend: live music with Dale and the Dudds, hayrides, pumpkin picking, pony rides, and more! Varieties ripe for pick your own are Empire, Delicious (Red and Yellow), Northern Spy, Spencer, Fuji, Breaburn, Mutsu, Granny Smith, Golden Russet. NOTE! While we have alot of apples to pick still, not all varieties may be available when you come as some may get picked out partly thru the day. We will attempt to keep the blog updated or you can just take a ride over and see as there are plenty of other things going on! Some useful picking hints: For some varieties the best picking is at the ends of the rows (not the back of the orchard). Also, apples are not just at the top of the trees – they also can be found under the leaves and lower branches! Apples in the shade may have less color than those in the direct sun but all are ripe! You are expected to pay for what you pick and pick only what you paid for! Please remain in designated areas only. We have plenty to reach with your two feet on the ground and do not allow tree climbing. It may be crowded so please be patient and considerate of others when parking, picking, in the store and elsewhere (like the portable restroom facilities!). Due to the need for extra parking lot help, a small parking fee is required for the festival. Venture over to our farm stand where you can get additional apple varieties not available for pick your own, pears, garlic, fresh veggies, cider, donuts, pumpkins, mums, Halloween decorations and more! Thank you for supporting your local family farm! ~CN Smith

October 5/6 2013 Update

APPLE Pick Your Own Update for October 5/6 (9am-4pm), as well as Wed-Fri Oct 9, 10, 11 (10am-4pm): Varieties ripe for picking are McIntosh (limited availability), Macoun, Cortland and Empire varieties. Last weekend was a record crowd and If the weather is decent we anticipate another one this weekend. Please be patient and considerate of others when parking, picking, in the store and elsewhere (like the portable facilities). Some useful picking hints: In some cases the best picking is at the ends of the rows (not the back of the orchard). Also, apples are not just at the top of the trees – they also can be found under the leaves and lower branches! The may have less color than those in the direct sun but all are ripe! Lunch and snacks from our food trailer includes fresh baked CIDER DONUTS and HOT APPLE FRITTERS! If you do not want to pick your own, just continue past the orchard entrance until you come to our farm stand where you can get our own apples, peaches, garlic, fresh veggies, cider, donuts, pumpkins, mums, and Halloween decorations! Thank you for supporting your local family farm! ~CN Smith

September 28/29 2013 Update

APPLE Pick Your Own Update for Sept 28/29 (9am-4pm), as well as Wed-Fri Oct 2, 3, 4 (10am-4pm): Varieties available are McIntosh, Macoun, Honey-Crisp (EXTREMELY LIMITED availability, weekend only), and Cortland. We continue to serve a great lunch and snacks from our food trailer including top quality burgers, hotdogs, pizza, fresh baked CIDER DONUTS and HOT APPLE FRITTERS! Apple picking hint: Not all the apples can be at the beginning of the rows - sometimes the best picking is at the end of the row where no one has gotten to yet!! If you do not want to pick your own, just continue past the orchard entrance until you come to our farm stand where you can get our own apples, peaches, garlic, fresh veggies, cider, donuts, pumpkins, mums, and Halloween decorations! Also for the weekend are hayrides to the pick your own pumpkin patch! If the weather is decent we anticipate a large crowd. Please be patient and considerate of others when parking, picking, in the store and elsewhere. Thank you for supporting your local family farm! ~CN Smith Farm

September 21/22 Update 2013

APPLE Pick Your Own this weekend (Sept 21/22 9am-4pm) will include McIntosh, Macoun, Honey-Crisp and Cortland varieties. Fresh pressed APPLE CIDER and fresh baked CIDER DONUTS are available at the orchard food trailer or in the farm stand. If you do not want to pick your own, just continue past the orchard entrance until you come to our farm stand where you can get our own apples, peaches, garlic, fresh veggies, cider, pumpkins, mums, and other fall decorations! Also for you gardeners, now is a good time to pick up winter rye, lime, and straw for mulching plants as well as cool weather crops like lettuce and mums. Early fall is still a good time to plant fruit trees and we still have a nice selection available. Your local family farm helps preserve open space and provides locally grown sustainable food crops - thanks for your support! ~CN Smith Farm

September 14/15 2013 Update

Apple Pick Your Own this weekend (Sept 14/15) will include McIntosh, Macoun, Honey-Crisp and Cortland varieties. Cortland is limited in supply until more ripen next weekend. We have also started pressing our APPLE CIDER. What says “Fall” in New England better than fresh cider and a fresh made CIDER DONUT? The farm stand remains stocked with fresh veggies right from our own fields as well as pears, peaches, apples, pumpkins, etc. Also check out the Halloween display and spooky greenhouse. A note on policies – we have had some comments recently regarding our policy of monitoring of the apple orchard…unfortunately over the last several years a number of people were caught trying to take significantly more apples than they paid for (not talking one or two apples here but 10 or 20 pounds more). While this may not seem critical at first glance, it does add up and affects what we need to charge everyone. We do remind employees to be respectful of the customers and hope for the same in return. Thank you to those who are honest and support local agriculture and come back year after year. It’s a busy time of year and we cannot always extend that personal “thank you” so I will take the opportunity to do so here. ~Smith Farm owners and staff.

September 2013 Update 1

It’s Apple Time! Summer varieties like Paula Red and Early McIntosh are available in the farm stand right now. Pick Your Own Apples McIntosh RESUMES THE WEEKEND OF SEPTEMBER 7/8 9am-4pm. This is also the last weekend for Pick Your Own Peaches (supplies limited). Apple PYO is also scheduled on weekdays Wed, Thur, Friday 10am-4pm. McIntosh starts the season tart with a nice crunch and the longer it remains on the tree (several weeks) the flavor will sweeten and the flesh will soften. This holds true for most varieties. The ripening process is accelerated once the fruit is picked and stored. To keep the fruit longer be sure to refrigerate it in the produce drawer (apples will absorb “fridge odors” and their taste can be affected). Generally “PYO” runs thru Columbus Day, however so much depends on the weather that we could extend picking into October and even November if the conditions are right. Check back here for updates or visit the Apple Picking page at www.cnsmithfarminc.com for more info on when to pick your favorite variety, how to pick apples, recipes, policies and other information. Also be sure to stop in the FARM STAND for fresh veggies, homegrown garlic, jams, honey, and other goods. Also new this year is our Farm Kitchen...fresh cooked lunch menu items featuring our own corn on the cob, fresh veggie toppings, and CIDER DONUTS!

August 2013 Update 2

We now have our home grown GARLIC in the farmstand! Our garlic is hand planted in small quantities, hand-picked, pesticide-free and cured for several weeks giving it a robust natural flavor unmatched by “supermarket” garlic. Three varieties are available this year: German White, Italian Purple, and Martin Heirloom. All have a nice flavor and are good for roasting. Martin Heirloom probably has the most intense flavor of the three. You can buy one bulb, several, or by the pound…you’ll never go back to generic garlic again! The first day of Fall isn’t until September 22 but APPLE Pick Your Own starts Labor Day Weekend {10am-4pm}! We’ll kick off the season with free hayrides around the orchard too (weather permitting). Despite the weather extremes this year, the apple crop looks to be a good one. We have summer varieties available right now in the farmstand if youre really craving fresh picked apples, otherwise we will start pick your own Aug 31 with McIntosh. Macs, as they’re more commonly known, will continue for several weeks. Additional varieties will be announced as they become available (we have approximately 18 varieties which ripen as the season progresses and will be available for pick your own until approximately Columbus Day). Check out the Apple Picking page at www.cnsmithfarminc.com for more info on what to do, how to pick, variety descriptions and recipes. We also are continuing to harvest our own peaches, pears, plums, raspberries, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, etc. Try our own CN Smith Bread and Butter Pickles! The Gardening Dept. now has lettuce, kale, cabbage and other fall vegetable seedlings available for your garden. If your cool weather crops failed due to the rainy spring, now is your chance to try again. Hope to see you at the farm. ~Smith