Fresh Picked Strawberries, Asparagus & Rhubarb

Fresh Fruit & Veggies Farmers Market Update

early May 2012

What's Fresh with Kuhn Orchards!

Delicious Apples

Strawberry & Rhubarb Update

Have You Tried Our Jams & Jellies?

2012

Farmers Market Schedule

Crystal City

Crystal Dr. b/t 18th & 20th St.

Tues | 3pm-7pm | May 1-Nov 20

Oakton

OakMarr RECenter on Jrmntwn Rd.

Wed | 8am-noon | May 2 - Nov 14

Annandale

Wakefield Park on Braddock Road

Wed | 2pm-6pm | May 2 - Oct 31

NoMa

NoMa/Gallaudet U/NY Ave Metro Station on 2nd& N St, NE

Wed | 3pm-7pm | May 30 - Oct 31

Frying Pan Farm Park

2709 West Ox Rd, Herndon

Thurs | 3:30-7pm | May 3 - Oct 25

Petworth

9th St. NW b/t Upshur & Taylor St.

Fri | 4pm-8pm | May 4 - Oct 26

Fairfax

Behind old Fairfax Courthouse

Sat | 8am-1pm | May 5 - Oct 27

Vienna

Beside Red Caboose on Church St.

Sat | 8am-noon | May 5 - Oct 27

Washington, D.C.

14th & U St., NW

Sat | 9am-1pm | May 5 - Nov 17

Lorton

VRE Parking Lot, Lorton Station Rd.

Sun | 9am-1pm | May 6 - Nov 4

Palisades

48thPlace, NW at MacArthur Blvd.

Sun | 9am-1pm | April 1 - Dec 16

Greetings!

Thanks to all of you who came out for our first week of farmers markets! It was great catching up with you, and we are looking forward to the rest of the season.

We are picking asparagus and strawberries daily! We are featuring our "Two for $" special on bunches of asparagus, so be sure to get your fill!

We'll see you at market!!

"Why are your apples so delicious?"

It was great last week hearing our customers comment how delicious our apples are. Customers kept asking "How do you do it? Because apples don't taste like that from the grocery store!" (Those words especially come from our newest customers at Palisades and Frying Pan Farm Park who are just beginning to sample our juicy & crunchy apples!) So how, do we do it?

First, the apples we are selling were harvested last fall. We aim to pick our apples (and all other fruit, of course!) at the peak of ripeness. As an apple matures, the starch converts to sugar. If an apple is picked "green" - before it is fully ripe - its sugars haven't fully developed causing the apple to be starchy and not flavorful. Our apples are allowed to hang on the tree and mature fully and that's why our apples are so sweet and juicy.

Secondly, we have a special technology called "Controlled Atmosphere" (CA) storage which allows us to store our apples (and pears) for long periods of time. Continue reading about CA storage.

Strawberry & Rhubarb Update

In an earlier newsletter, we shared with you how we protected our strawberries from the cold nights. It appears that the long late evenings and early mornings that Dave spent out in the strawberry patch monitoring the sprinkler system have paid off. (To view the "Strawberry Igloo" slideshow, visit our YouTube Channel.)

We are now harvesting our strawberries and they are delightful. Many Virginia growers will soon be finished harvesting, and our strawberries will follow right behind, so you won't miss a berry-beat!

Our Rhubarb plants, however, have us scratching our heads. Normally by this time of year we have big bushy plants with long thick stalks. This year is a quandary though. The plants haven't grown to be very large. We aren't sure if the stunted plant growth is because of excessive rain last year, a mild winter this year, an early spring, or lack of sunlight. Let us know which scenario you think is the culprit for the stunted rhubarb; you can chime in on our Facebook Poll.

Here's a shopping tip though....If you want rhubarb - shop at market when it first opens. We will have limited supplies of rhubarb and we aren't sure how long we will be able to harvest.

24 Varieties of Jams & Jellies - Check 'em out!!

Did you know that Kuhn Orchards has over 24 varieties of jams and jellies at market? Every single variety is made with Kuhn Orchards fruit (and yes, some veggies too) by our friend, Joann. We have traditional varieties like Strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, and Grape. But we also have more unique varieties like Raspberry Peach Melba, White Nectarine (which was a huge hit with our CSA members this winter!) and Blue Italian Plum.

And there is so much more to jelly than a PB&J! Read more ideas using Kuhn Orchards Jams & Jellies.

Here are 3 Simple Tips to make sure your jelly lasts.

Sidney, Mary Margaret and David Kuhn

Rusty, Anthony, Sandy, and Katy

Kuhn Orchards