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TWIN SPRINGS FRUIT FARM

For what's at market this week see the bottom section.
For times and locations please 

Opening Week for re-opening markets:
Friendship Heights - Opening on Saturday May 2nd
Mosaic Central - Opening on Sunday May 3rd
Bethesda YMCA - Opening on Tuesday May 5th
Mt. Vernon - Opening on Wednesday May 6th
Annandale - Opening on Thursday May 7th
Thursday's BUCC - Also re-opening on Thursday May 7th
     Of course, full details are to be had by clicking on the link above.


Brand New Vegetable???
     Jesse and Michael were out in the rows of Kaleidoscope and noticed a lot of healthy young shoots coming off of unpicked sprouts which were too low down on the plant to be harvested last fall. These are not at all like the actual Kaleidoscope greens we sold at that time and in the past couple of weeks. Of course they had to pull a couple off and try tasting them, and have subsequently decided that this is a great item to market as they taste really good and are very tender. 
     Michael just brought me some and I'm trying them right now, raw; but will try them cooked this evening. The above picture shows about what you'll find us displaying at all the markets. Unlike the sprout/kale greens you are used to seeing, these are long and thin, a bit like asparagus or garlic scapes. The stems are amazingly tender and sweet, while the leaves, and the flower buds at the top, have more of the nice bitterness of kale and brussels sprouts. This is all growing off the base of the plant and we will be harvesting it in the rain today, as it is a bit delicate, in that it may wilt pretty rapidly. If you choose to purchase some it would probably be best to either put it in a glass with a couple of inches of water, left out of the refrigerator, or in a plastic bag, well closed, in the refrigerator.
     At this time it looks like we will pick it and then bunch the Kaleidoscope "scapes" much like you find asparagus at this time of year. Jesse thinks that it will only be harvestable for a few days, after which he speculates that it will most likely start to toughen up too much. At this time we're pretty sure that using it just like asparagus or kaleidoscope would work just fine. I plan on stir frying some "pressed garlic" in olive oil for about a minute, or until fragrant, and then throwing in the scapes and saut�ing it until just tender.
     Having just tasted them I guarantee that chopped up the sprouts would be great on a salad, as a garnish, or whatever you may dream up. Let me know of anything especially successful. I wish it could turn into an actual crop for long term picking but it is really just a fluke, or "one off" that may never be repeated.
     Hey people, this may be our own little discovery, only available because we chose not to pick the very bottom sprouts last fall as they were a bit muddy from splashing rain; also, if we had plowed them under they wouldn't exist. Who knows? this may be the worlds first, and perhaps last, harvest of these sprouts. You will be our guinea pigs and I'm hoping for some good feedback.
A bit later: 
     While Lyn was editing I went into the kitchen, pressed some garlic, let it sit for a few minutes, chopped some scapes into 2" lengths, heated some olive oil, saut�d the garlic on low, briefly, threw in the scapes, and cooked for about 5 minutes. When I tried it I thought that it was delicious, but the stems needed a few more minutes, which I am now doing. Perhaps try putting the thicker chopped stems in for a few minutes prior to throwing in the rest??? It also needed salt and pepper; I also dressed it with a glob of unsalted butter. Wonderful!


Asparagus Season
    Of course, asparagus is one of the earliest outdoor vegetables to be found at farmers' markets. I'd be willing to bet that it will be for sale anywhere that you will find Twin Springs in the next few weeks. Below you'll find a way of preparing this wonderful veggie that I found to be superior, to my taste, than the tried and true, but perhaps a bit tired, method of steaming. While the recipe calls for olive oil, I chose to brush the stalks with butter, being as I'm a bit of a butter freak.
     We will have fresh, local asparagus at these locations: BUCC, Maret, Friendship Heights, Pike Central, Bethesda Central and Mosaic Central; as well as, during the coming weekdays, Bethesda YMCA, Concord, Thursday BUCC and Goddard.

Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch Asparagus (3/4 pound)
1 1/2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper 
1 Tbs. flat leaf Parsley
2 Lemons - halved for garnish		Preheat the oven to 400F
In a roasting pan, coat the asparagus in the oil, salt and pepper.
Arrange in a single layer, facing the same direction.
Cover with foil and roast for 10 minutes.
Remove foil and roast for 10 more minutes.
Arrange on a warmed platter, and garnish with parsley and lemon halves



     At this time of year any farmer has an overwhelming amount of tasks to accomplish. We are finishing up with pruning peaches, proceeding with preparing ground, by plowing and disking, as well as making beds for the annual veggies, planting those things which may now be put in the ground as the danger of frost injury is disappearing, though you never know. 
     "Seed" potato and tomato seedlings will both go in the ground this coming week, weather permitting. Onion planting is an ongoing process; and soon strawberries will begin to ripen and peaches will need to be thinned. An asparagus planting of the size needed to cover all of the markets we attend would require more labor than we now have available. 
     Who knows, we may take the plunge soon; though asking our guys to be on their knees cutting asparagus, and then trundling over to pick strawberries may be too much to ask. The two crops overlap quite a bit and both need to be harvested every other day or so, depending on temperature. This is a lot like having dairy cows; you can't just decide to take a break, the asparagus and berries must be picked, sometimes even on a Sunday if it is hot enough, or quality can really suffer.
     
Spinach & Apple Salad

Ingredients:
3 TSFF apples, diced
Oz.)
2 Tbs. Honey Mustard dressing
5 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Oz. Cheddar Cheese, grated
1/2 lb. Local bacon
Directions:
Combine the honey mustard and the 
olive oil - whisk vigorously to emulsify. Coat apples in mixture and let sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Cook the bacon to fairly crisp, draining away all fat; chop into small pieces.
Combine spinach, apples and cheese in a large bowl. If desired, sprinkle bacon pieces on salad as it is served (otherwise it gets lost in the salad, which was learned the hard way).

A monster tomato I sampled to customers at Takoma Market
 It looks like a gorgeous weekend to get out to market and support growers, cheese makers, bakers et al. It's been a long, tough winter for many, and they could use the business! 
Aubrey, and the crew of Twin Springs
 WHAT'S AT MARKET THIS WEEK
HERE IS A LIST OF WHAT WE EXPECT TO CARRY AT ALL LOCATIONS THIS  WEEK.


Sweet Peppers - Looks like there will be plenty of these to go around.
Manar Cucumbers - There should be enough for the week ahead.
Kaleidoscope - While we are about done, the remaining 5 or 6 trays will go this weekend, and most will probably sell on Saturday.
Michael and Jesse are going to harvesting the above kaleidoscope scapes and get them bunched up to send to market. We're excited to see just how they go.
Basil - From the "cool" greenhouse, where we are growing arugula and green garlic, we will be cutting and bunching some fresh Genovese Basil, our favorite; there should be plenty for all locations.
Tomatoes - A limited, but ever increasing, supply of slicing "Trust" tomatoes, as seen above, and cherry tomatoes will appear at all locations. Arturo expects that we will begin picking tomatoes in the newly reconditioned greenhouse you may have heard about in this newsletter, ad naseum, this past, and thank God it's passed, winter. Our yield, therefore, will increase rapidly in the next couple of weeks.
Eggplant - We will be picking quite a few for the coming weekend, and weekdays, when so many markets re-open.
Apple Varieties - Stayman, GoldRush, Fuji and a few Pink Lady. Our Pink Lady are in another grower's cold storage, and will reappear next week and be around for, perhaps, a couple more weeks. We need to go pick them up, and get them out of bins and into crates for sending to market.
Watercress - A limited supply of this Superfood is available this weekend; perhaps none on the weekdays. 
Salad Mix - It looks like we should have a fair cutting for the weekend.
Fresh Green Garlic - Is not available this weekend, but we expect another planting to be ready for harvest next week, perhaps not until the weekend
Winter Squash - "Winter Sweet" and "ChaCha" both being Kabocha squash, as well as Butternut squash. 
Sweet Potatoes - The traditional Beauregard are still available.
Pure Apple Cider - Tangy and light, with the superb flavor you expect from our apples. There is never any sugar or preservatives added to our wholly natural and nutritious cider. It is "flash-pasteurized" for safety, but the quick and relatively low temperature ensures that the flavor is unaffected, and the healthful enzymes remain unchanged.
Vivaldi Potatoes - (a Weight Watcher's Club pick) We advise a simple wash but not a hard scrub or peel, as with most fruits and vegetables many nutrients, especially anti-oxidants and minerals, are in or just below the skin.
Onions - We have both the Candy, sweet yellow onions, and Mercury, the mild red onions, available.
Arugula - We continue to be a bit low on our newly bagged arugula; but plan to send some to all locations.
Lettuce - Green Buttercrunch, as well as the Salanova type of both Red and Green Oakleaf will be available. 
Carrots - We continue to have a good supply, though "Purple Haze, unfortunately, are about to disappear for a few months.
Large Carrots - Large Bolero carrots are to be found in 4 pound bags at a discount (a bag is going for $6.00 at this time, only 1.50/lb.!). These are still superior carrots; we simply need to move them.
Pink Lady Dried Apples - We are back to having a good supply and are going to have lots made to take us through the summer.
Twin Spring's Own Products - Jarred Peaches, Hot Pepper Jelly, Peach Jam, Chipotle Ketchup, Marinara Sauce, Apple Butter and Apple Sauce. All may be purchased individually, or by the 12 jar case, for 10% off. 
Patty's Apple Cider Caramels - Made fresh weekly using the current batch of Twin Springs' Cider, these caramels will be around for a couple more weeks. I advise, however, that those of you who will miss them, and go through withdraw soon, consider stockpiling some. Keep them in the freezer or refrigerator, not because they will "go bad" but because in warmth they soften and become hard to separate from the paper wrapper.

In addition, we will offer the following products at OUR OWN Markets:

Asparagus - We believe that there will be enough to supply "Our Own" markets, as well as the three Central Markets with this fresh, all local, and quite seasonal vegetable. See above for a simple and delicious method for preparing it. I used this technique last night and they came out sweeter and more intense than steamed; and perhaps, as with carrots, as per Jo Robinson's recommendation, there will be less loss of nutrients using this method as it involves coating with oil; there is no loss to liquid as with cooking in water.
Spinach - There will be some Spinach at the same locations as the asparagus.
Spring Onions and Rhubarb - We are hoping that Rhett will be able to purchase some of both at what is the first Leola Produce Auction which we will attend this season.
Tart Cherry Juice - a very powerful natural anti-oxidant food - AKA "The healing fruit"; (For use as a sleep aid try 8oz. about 2 hours before bedtime) 
Fresh Hard Pretzels - both Regular and Honey Whole Wheat, now from Revonah Pretzels in Hanover . Let us know how you like them compared to our old supplier.
Michelle's Granola - handmade and freshly baked in the DC area
Allen's fresh Eggs - Raised right outside Gettysburg, both brown and white, from "free walking hens". Delivered fresh to us every Wednesday.
Artisanal Cheeses - Twin Springs carries Ed's fresh local: Sharp Cheddar, Cheddar, Smoked Cheddar as well as Smoked Jalape�o; also available are his Goat Gouda and Goat Cheddar.
Local Wildflower Honey - Jim Small has kept us supplied with his pure, raw honey, much of it drawn from hives kept year-round at our farm.
Maple Syrup and Maple Sugar - tapped and bottled on the Patterson Farm in Pennsylvania.
McCutcheon's Products - We carry an extensive line of their jams, some fruit sweetened, ie. no cane sugar or corn syrup, and jellies as well as many other great products created right in Frederick Maryland.
Baked Goods - from the Stonehearth Bakery, also in Frederick, all items are baked "that" morning: Baguettes, innumerable kinds of fresh breads, both sliced, and unsliced