THIS WEEK AT TWIN SPRINGS FRUIT FARM

The new hive
YEP - THEY'VE FORMED A HIVE!
For what's at market this week please see below (Click here for locations and time).
FYI - Saturday is the last day for those with "snail mailers" from us to use  the discount earmarked for May.
         This week, from Saturday 5/31 - Friday 6/6 there is a 10% OFF discount offered for those who read this email, oh yeah and remember to ask for it at checkout.
 
STRAWBERRIES
     I was going to write quite extensively about strawberries this week but though we have started to pick them the numbers are not too large and I don't wish to create excitement then let everyone down by not having a sufficient supply at markets. I saved that half written newsletter for next week. It seems that the cooler and wetter weather has put a "damper" on the ripening of our berries; we are picking a fair number and the quality, read "flavor and sweetness", is as good as I have ever tasted, but we don't think that we can possibly meet demand this weekend. We'll pick no berry before it's time, and all that, so the supply will be limited Saturday and Sunday; but I promise there will be some at all locations, so get out early if you gotta have them.
 
In conclusion - Bees - more, I'm sure, than you possibly wish to know  
     I was quite surprised at the customer reaction to last week's newsletter, which mainly dealt with my current bee encounters. More of you, as well as Twin Spring's personnel for that matter, commented on the piece than had ever spoken with me about one of my newsletters. It was surprising, for the most part, as it had absolutely nothing to do with Twin Springs Fruit Farm or your food for the coming weeks. Though bees do indeed have everything to do with our food supply and its quality, especially at Twin Springs, so thanks for all the feedback, especially as most asked how Lyn's nose was doing - all better - Thank you.
     As I've attempted to show with the above picture, the swarm I moved out of my porch floor and placed in an unused "deep super", the white box you can see in the picture, appears to be doing just fine. The white box is the "deep" while the slats or "bars" you see are the tops of the frames which hold the wax "foundation" inserted into the frames (see below). The flat sheets of foundation are man made, but out of natural beeswax, and provide a hex patterned base on which bees can build their honeycomb. The pressed wax sheets are set in the vertically hanging frames; there are ten to each "super" and they provide the perfect space for both bees and their caretakers. Beekeepers need a manageable structure to make it efficient to extract the honey. 
     After the super is full of frames that have been made into honeycomb and begun to be filled with brood or food supplies, the bees will want to create more, which is when a "good" beekeeper will add one or more supers above the first, all of which is topped off with a proper lid. This whole event was probably set into motion by my delay in getting prepared supers on to the crowded hive. I was simply fortunate enough to make lemonade out of lemons by capturing my own bees and making a third hive out of them.
    The first step in creating a new hive is for the workers, all female by the way, to "draw out" wax comb on the foundation so that the queen has a place in which to lay her eggs, after which it is up to a certain class of workers to care for the larvae and later for the emerging baby bees. The same honeycomb which is being built will also serve the function as storage for honey, made from gathered nectar, and for the high protein pollen also gathered by the forager class of female workers.
     In pulling out a single frame, by lifting out one of the top bars you see in the picture, I was able to see that in the week since the swarm took flight from the hive, now right next door, that the workers have been quite busy. About two sides of two frames are already drawn to the point where the queen is laying eggs, while workers are capping them off for the gestation period. The goal being to increase the number of workers as rapidly as possible. A colony of this size and age is called a "nuc" by beekeepers as it is the nucleus of a colony which, given time, may turn out to be a self-sustaining new beehive. Time will tell. I intervene in a natural process, however, by feeding sugar water which can speed up the growth of the colony, making it more likely that it will grow sufficiently to gather enough food to make it through the winter. 
     In our area poplar tree blooms are the primary source of nectar for most colonies, what beekeepers refer to as the "main flow" in any given area. The bees will still be foraging all season long but the "easy days" of stashing lots of honey in a short amount of time is over. An apiarist's primary job is to get the bees through the winter in good shape so that they build their numbers back up to take advantage of a prime nectar flow.
     Steve McDaniel is a Master Beekeeper from over the border in Carroll County, MD from whom I took a "Short Course" on beekeeping many years ago, as well as from whom I purchased a number of "nucs" to start and maintain my own little bee-yard. I'm going to link to an article in which he is cited, as well as pictured, on the subject of Colony Collapse Disorder, and more specifically on the pervasive use of neonicitinoid pesticides. Rather than go into the unfortunate CCD news, which so many of you must have read about by now I'll put in that link HERE.
     Now, I promise that I'll shut up about bees, who, as the article mentions, are responsible for the pollination of billions of dollars worth of crops.
 
A frame with foundation being "drawn" with wax into honeycomb 
 
Ah, finally the season really gets under way Blessings from Captain Aubrey and the crew
Here's generally what's at all our market locations this week:  
  • Chandler Strawberries! So many ways to use and such a short season, enjoy them while you can, and as mentioned above get out early as supplies are limited; and please, if possible, wait a week before placing large orders.
  • "Trust", vine ripened, slicing Tomatoes: We have decided to keep the price, for the time being, at $3.99 per pound, but we will extend the sale of lowering the price to $3.49 per pound if you purchase five or more tomatoes (pieces of fruit, not pounds).
  • Apples: Stayman, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Goldrush and Fuji. There have been some problems with a couple of varieties browning* inside, which is undetectable when grading. Supplies of apples are running quite low; Jeremiah estimates GoldRush for nearly two weeks, Fuji a bit longer that that, while Stayman will run out this weekend and Jonagold and Golden Delicious only going into the coming week or so. Nittany are basically gone at this time.
  • Dried apples - Still Pink Lady and still selling like hot cakes, only much better for you!
  • A limited supply of Eggplant and Arugula
  • Basil - There will be plenty at all locations.
  • Manar Cucumbers - Arturo tells me that we have started picking two new rows and that there will be a pretty good number for the next couple of weeks. 
  • There will be a good supply of our open leaf Red Oakleaf Lettuce as well as our new green Buttercrunch lettuce, more of a head lettuce.
  • Seconds: as always we try to get a few on each load, mostly apples, which are priced at $1.49 per pound.
  • Beauregard Sweet Potatoes available for just a couple more weeks
  • Yellow Onions, mildly strong but very sweet when caramelized
  • Sylvana Yellow Potatoes, which are a steal at $5.50 for a five pound bag but which may also be purchased loose
  • Twin Spring's Hot Pepper Jelly, Chipotle Ketchup, Marinara Sauce, Apple Butter and Apple Sauce, all may be purchased individually or by the 12 jar case for 10% off. You may hit "reply" to this email to let me know to have a case reserved for you.                                                                                                 *If you have any apples with this defect, please come back for either a refund or replacement. My theory on this problem is that we had a lot of "water core", which I wrote about as a good sign in the fall, but which may have turned around and bitten us in the butt at this time as it is said to be a bad phenomena for storage purposes.
 At "OUR OWNMarket Locations:
  • Strawberries and of course the local Rhubarb will be best sellers.
  • Locally grown and fresh: Asparagus, Spinach, Spring Onions, Dill and Red Boston Lettuce
  • John Stoner will supply us with Fennel, both red and green field grown open leaf Lettuce, Kale, Dill and  Bok Choy.
  • We carry Kimes Tart Cherry Juice.
  • Fresh Hard Pretzels, both regular and whole wheat, baked right down the road in Gettysburg, so they are always fresh.
  • Michelle's Granola, handmade and baked fresh in DC
  • Allen's fresh Eggs, both brown and white, from "free walking hens"
  • Twin Springs carries Ed's fresh local artisanal Cheeses: sharp cheddar, cheddar, smoked cheddar as well as smoked jalape�o; also available are his goat gouda and goat cheddar.
  • Jim Small's Honey which is, of course, local wildflower honey, never heated more than necessary to flow during bottling, and which is completely unadulterated, and sourced from the hives Jim keeps on our farm as well as other local farms.
  • Maple Syrup and Maple Sugar are available and are tapped and bottled on the Patterson farm in Maryland.
  • McCutcheon's: jams and jellies as well as many other great products created right in Frederick Maryland, as are: 
  • Baked Goods from the Stonehearth Bakery, all items baked "that" morning 
 
Or add a friend's email address to bug them about going to market to shop locally!
Save 10% this week
Simply ask for the discount at checkout

 
Offer Expires: 6/6/14