Twin Springs Fruit Farm
Growing better since 1979

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

Market Announcements

Westover - We are going to extend, to newsletter reading customers, the 10% off discount we run every month, due to the market being closed last Sunday; this only applies to the Westover Market. Just say the word, and you'll get the discount. Try to remember!
Spring Openings - As some of you may be aware we resume many markets in the beginning of May; I'll be more specific as it becomes imminent. I'm trying to be accurate in the Market Schedule, linked to above; so you may always click on it and check the status of your favorite location. 
Bethesda Central - Resumes its main season hours, 9:00 - 1:30, this Sunday, 4/3.
Dupont Circle/FreshFarm market also resumes its summer hours this weekend, 8:30 - 1:30.

New locations: 
    We have committed to, and are quite excited about, a new market located in Alexandria; to be called "Old Town North Farmers' Market". It is to be located in a small parking lot next to the tennis courts in a little green space named Montgomery Park. The actual address is 901 North Royal St.. The vendor list is about maxed out, for the allotted space so it is set to go, come the first week in May.
    The lady, Margaret, organizing the market, has been a Mt. Vernon customer of ours for many years and was committed to getting a farmers' market up and running in Alexandria; she has been working to that end for about 3 years. Having shopped with us for years, therefore knowing our quality, she asked us to be the fruit and produce vendor; and we gladly accepted the offer.
    Over the years many customers have asked why we weren't in the Alexandria area. It is not an easy task, finding a location, the first priority, and getting permission from local government, are daunting tasks, so here's a shout out to Margaret! She put together an organization, with a board, no less; and dealt with the local powers that be, to get permission to use a site on municipal property, and get clearance from the local Health Department people.
    The market is slated to open on Thursday May 5th, and will have late afternoon hours, from 3:00 - 7:00. In addition to our own produce, we will carry other local items, like Joe's corn and Allen's eggs; so if you live nearby please spread the word, and come out to shop. You never know on a first day. We may sell out early, or, perhaps, take it all home.

    A second location which we have been offered, and have accepted, is one where we will be a true "stand alone" vendor, as at the locations on our Market Schedule listed as "Twin Springs Own Markets", go above to "click here", big, bold and in blue! I will refer to it as the BECO Farmers' Market, to reference the location for those out there who use map programs, but use "4601 Presidents Drive, Lanham, Md" to Google it; it is in the BECO Park at Forbes Center, essentially a very nice business park.
    We have no idea what to expect from this location but hope for the best. It will be very much open to the general public, unlike the close-by Goddard market we have been doing for years. Being oriented to the employees in the area it is also a weekday market, on Wednesdays from 10:00- 2:00, starting on April 20th.

Deals this week

     Though I'm not going to make an official announcement about it we will have more than enough arugula, such that much of it may again be marked down as a "2-fer", just as it was last week, making it 2 bags for only $6.00. If particular markets are selling out early, you may see the price go back to the one for $3.50 price we usually charge.
   The same could be true of lettuce this weekend, as there is a lot to be harvested; but we'll just have to wait and see.
    Joe is "long" on kale this week and has offered to drop the price to move a bunch of it while super fresh; so we are lowering our price from $9.99 per pound to a Low - Low! $7.99 per pound. Of course this is available at only "Twin Springs Own Markets" as well as the Bethesda Central location.

Bloom Time at Twin Springs

    The picture below, taken this morning by Jesse, is of cherry blossoms, looking to be in full bloom; note the honeybee working on the flowers. No doubt one from one of Jim Small's many hives, which he keeps year-round on our farm.
    The warm days are drawing the worker bees out to start the Spring gathering of pollen and nectar. Hives are starting to build population from the low point in winter, to the amped up highs of Spring and Summer. The queen must really get to work to enlarge the population of workers needed to care for the brood and get new wax built, as well as build up food supplies, not only for current use in feeding the hive and raising the brood, but also to store for the winter to come. 
    Most of the honey and pollen in a hive, going into winter, will be from the next couple of months, when bloom availability is at the maximum; mid-summer can be lean as it gets hot and dry, and there are way fewer species in bloom, fall is also a time when there is little in bloom which honeybees can work on. I know that my bees, get a huge percentage of their supplies from the all too brief nectar flow of our many huge Tulip Poplar trees, a period only a couple of weeks away, from the looks of it.
    
    In the topmost photo you can see a bee, this time a bumble bee, working a bloom on a Manar cucumber plant; right below the blossom you can see a tiny cucumber, about the same length as the bee itself.       The new planting of cucumbers have really hit their stride as of this week, and you will see plenty, at last, at all of our locations. I've had more than a couple of parents tell me that their kids snack on them like candy; there couldn't be much that is a better value than this thin skinned, seedless and fresh, not to mention burp less, veggy.


Middle Eastern Yogurt Manar Cucumber Salad

Ingredients
3 large TSFF Manar Cucumbers, unpeeled
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2/3 cup middle eastern style yogurt (Greek and such - not Dannon and the like)
1/4 cup water
1 small clove of garlic, smashed, see note
1/2 to 1 whole serrano pepper, smashed, see note
1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
3/4 tsp. dried mint - don't omit!
Extra Virgin Olive oil, to garnish
Instructions
Cube the cucumbers (approx. 1/2" to 1"), set aside.
Placer all other ingredients in a medium bowl, except for the olive oil.
Mix well until there are no clumps.
Add the cubed dukes and mix well.
Garnish with the olive oil on top.

*If you don't like hot foods, omit the pepper, but in order to stay true to this particular recipe please do not omit or substitute. I smash my garlic and hot pepper in a mortar and use a pestle, or it could be done in a small food processor, or with an immersion blender, with the liquid added in.

This recipe was adapted from one by Chef FIFI, on food.com
Goings on at Twin Springs

    What you see to the right is the start of strawberry bloom, to continue with our theme. They are just now coming into bloom, and are looking good. Climate change or whatever, the bloom is earlier than ever, therefore the berries should be quite early this season.
    Last year we started picking around the third week in May. Perhaps it will be the first week in May this Spring; we'll have to wait and see what the weather brings. Our peach and nectarines, not to mention the cherry seen above, are all coming into bloom; exciting times at the farm.
    Most of the pruning is getting completed at this time, blueberries and peaches about complete, and apple, always done first, are long finished. I've been asked many times what we do in the winter. Well, with a down-sized crew it is all we can do to get the pruning done, and the greenhouses fully planted. 
    At this time there is so much to prepare out in the fields, beds and such, and planting to be done. More carrots and potatoes next week, not to mention putting apple and peach trees in the ground in the near future. A new tree planter has been purchased, as we have many trees, not only for planting this Spring, but also on order to replace some aging orchards over the next few years. In the past we always borrowed/rented a planter, but now find the need to have it on the ready at any time, so that we can plant on our own schedule, while the "bare root" trees are fresh. There is a perennial shortage of trees, and especially root stock, necessitating ordering a couple of years in advance of actual planting. 
    The new ground for our field crops can require lots of "rock picking", to which end we purchased a rock picking bucket for the front of one of our tractors; it already looks as though it will save many hours of hand, and back, labor, not just scooping up rocks, but also roots; and it turns out that it is great for getting up the prunings left in the orchard rows. 
The weather doesn't look all that 
Spring-like, this weekend, 
but we hope to see lots of you out.
Michael, Jesse, Aubrey and the crew

WHAT'S AT MARKET THIS WEEK
Here is a list of what we expect to carry at 
ALL LOCATIONS this week

Manar Cucumbers - Arturo tells me that he expects they will pick enough to have more than enough at all locations.
Lettuce  - We are harvesting a lot of both Green ButterCrunch and Red ButterCrunch; perhaps you will see some "2fers" at some locations.
Arugula - the guys are still harvesting more than enough for the week ahead. Though I'm not going to make it official I suspect much of what we send down will go for 2 for $6.00, at least for the weekend.
Eggplant - Some of you will notice the first of the Spring crop of eggplant, not much is ready, but it is a start!
Flower Sprouts AKA Kalettes 
Freshly picked Flower Sprouts (Kaleidoscope, actually a mix of three strains, pictured above, note the color variations) and Kalettes, are still available this week. We usually send one or the other to any given market.
Spring Mix - To be harvested this weekend, and will most likely be seen only at Sunday markets.
Watercress - Just a few of our cress will be available this weekend.
Apple Varieties - Nittany, GoldRush, Sun Fuji, Pink Lady, Cameo and Stayman.
For cooking purposes I prefer a base of GoldRush, but in a pie or cobbler I generally also will use a couple from among the following: Stayman, Pink Lady and Nittany. 
Winter Squash: 
Both are considered super-foods due to their being high in manganese, fiber, vitamin C and a good amount of beta-carotene, a terrific anti-inflammatory.
Winter Sweet - This grey skinned heirloom variety you will now see on display at all our markets is a true Kabocha. It has a very sweet, smooth deep orange interior, with flaky, slightly dry flesh. It is great on its own or used in any winter squash recipe.
We will run out of these in a week or two. 
Apple  Cider - As always, pressed weekly, and has no added sugar, preservatives or flavorings. 
Sweet Potatoes - Beauregard (A.K.A. Orleans), and the white fleshed purple skinned Japanese variety Murasaki
Vivaldi Potatoes - Small, tender and delicious, with a golden interior. The larger ones are to be found in 5 lb. bags at a bit of a discount over the "loose" price, where you can find a mix of small to medium sizes.
Remember that Vivaldi are a low glycemic "Weight Watcher's pick", with, we think, better flavor and texture than Yukon Gold.
Bagged Potatoes - These are medium to large Vivaldi potatoes, bagged at five pounds and selling for only $7.50, therefore $1.50 per pound as opposed to our loose potatoes, which are priced at $1.99 per pound.
Onions - "Stanley", our spanish style onions, will be available for the foreseeable future. Raw, these are quite hot, but, as with most any onion, gets very sweet when cooked, especially when "caramelized".
Carrots - We have lots of bagged carrots: both purple and orange, mixed in one pound bags, as well as 2 pound bags of only orange, at a bit of a discount. 
Pink Lady Dried Apples - Very popular as a good-for-you delicious snack, our dried apples have no sugar or preservatives added, as well as no sulfur!; many commercial ones use sulfites as a preservative.
Patty's Apple Cider Caramels - Made weekly from our current batch of cider. These are simply "to die for" if you are a caramel fan. We send these everywhere, with the exception of Takoma, because Patty herself sells them there at her and Robert's farm stand, Audia Farm.
Twin Spring's Own Products - Jarred Peaches, 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.

...................................................................................................
In addition, we will offer the following products at 
OUR OWN Markets, where we are the sole vendor, all of which are open to the general public, with the exception of Goddard Space Flight Center.



Joe Brubaker's Kales and Spinach - Joe is "long" on his kale this week and we are going to pass along the savings from the lower price he is charging us. His kale will go for $7.99/lb., as opposed to the regular $9.99/lb.. If you haven't yet done so I recommend roasting it, coated in olive oil, salt and pepper, until it becomes crisp.
Allen's fresh local eggs - Brought to Twin Springs weekly, both white and brown eggs from happy "free walking" hens, raised just outside of Gettysburg.
Elizabeth's Breakfast Loaves - Hand made and baked the evening before market.
Fresh Hard Pretzels -Locally produced, coming in both regular and Honey Whole Wheat. Hand made and freshly baked in the D.C. area.
Artisanal Cheeses - Twin Springs carries Ed's fresh local: Sharp Cheddar, Cheddar, Smoked Cheddar as well as Smoked Jalapeņo; 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 on 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 Stonehearth Bakery, also in Frederick; all items are baked "that" morning: Baguettes, innumerable kinds of fresh breads, both sliced and unsliced, as well as croissants, scones and cookies.

 Twin Springs Fruit Farm            717-334-4582 info@twinspringsfruitfarm.com  
STAY CONNECTED: