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WHAT'S NEW... |
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NEW 2008 information
throughout the website!
See
"Market Locations"
for
our 2008 schedule
Visit "Events"
for U-Pick and produce info
PLUS
Tidewater Trader ads!
Coming Soon...
U-Pick Calendar! |
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BLUEBERRIES |
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We have 7 different varieties of blueberries, covering the growing
season from late June thru September. Everybody loves blueberries, and it is no
wonder, with their GREAT taste and health benefits with high vitamins and
antioxydants.
This 2008 growing season will mark our first year for offering U-pick blueberries.
As you may or may not know, it takes 3 years to grow a blueberry bush that will produce
fruit. We will have a very limited supply this year as you have to thin the first year's
crop in 1/2 to ensure plant growth for next year's harvest. 2009 should be a full crop
year for blueberries on the farm. |
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BLACKBERRIES |
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We grow 8
different varieties of blackberries including 3 specialty berries being
"Tayberry", "Loganberry", and "Wyeberry". Wyeberry was developed here, in Maryland by
Dr. Harry Swartz, Associate Professor at the University of Maryland. Wyeberry is
a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry, being large, purple, and very
sweet if picked at maturity. |
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We also have one more blackberry, and 3 raspberry varieties developed by Dr.
Swartz growing here, at our farm.
Those of you who were able to get some of the largest blackberries in the
world at our markets this past summer, were treated to an Amercan
Southwest Indian variety that just knocks your socks off. This year (2008) will be a full
production year for our blackberries. There will be plenty of fruit for all of our
U-pickers this season. Each variety has it's own taste so be sure to try them all.
Kiowa, Chicasaw, Arapaho are just a few of our Indian varieties. We're going to
mark the rows with the name of each variety this season so you'll know exactly
what you're picking and eating! |
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RASPBERRIES |
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We now have 10 different varieties of raspberries growing at
Lockbriar Farms. We have 6 red varieties; 3 are summer red raspberries, 2 are
fall red raspberries, and one is a winter red raspberry. We also grow a summer
purple raspberry that is HUGE and the
sweetest of all purple varieties. Along with the purple, we have a real nice
bright yellow raspberry, some of you may have seen this past summer at the
Chestertown Farmer's Market. They were from our 1st year plants
and we decided to place one on top of the containers of red raspberries to show
the color contrast. There wasn't an over-abundance since we were in the process
of a new planting.
This year (2008) we expect full production with our raspberries. Our 2007 fall
raspberry crop was a complete loss due to extreme heat and drought conditions
that persisted throughout the summer and fall. We're hoping for a better fall
raspberry season this year. We may even try to put a high tunnel over a section
of them for shading this season to see if we can improve production. We'll see if we have time! |
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GOOSEBERRIES, CURRANTS, AND ELDERBERRIES |
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We grow these berries as minor crops in order to provide a little diversity in
taste, and also to give people a chance to try something different. These
berries were growing here in great numbers during the early 1800's. They are
still grown widely in England and throughout Europe. The currants are used in
juices and many people drink their juice instead of orange juice because of the
high Vitamin C content. Currants also make great sauces for wild
game dishes. We will be planting white, red black and champagne currants in
'08. We are also planning to put in 3 varieties of gooseberries. We'll let you know the varieties at a later date. |
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PEACHES AND NECTARINES |
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We have an astounding 29! varieties of peaches and nectarines
here, at Lockbriar Farms. Starting in late June with "Spring Snow" and
continuing through summer with varieties like the great canning peach, "Loring",
into September and ending with "Snow Giant". We also grow "Peento
Peaches" which are sometimes called "Donut Peaches". Some of our customers
at the Chestertown Farmer's Market were seeing and eating this nice, flat,
sweet, white peach for the first time this past summer. We are presently growing
3 test varieties from Rutgers University in New Jersey. One of the varieties is
the same color, shape and size as "Saturn", but is a yellow peach. The second
being entirely yellow-colored, and yellow-fleshed; the third being lime green
and white-fleshed. These peaches will offer a different visual and taste
experience for customers. Starting this coming season (2008) we will be offering
taste tests on these varieties to get feedback from you.
This year will mark the first year for U-pick in our peach orchard. Come out and
enjoy yourself walking among the trees and choosing that perfect, beautiful, plump,
juicy peach. You'll have the opportunity to enjoy this fruit at the peak of ripeness.
"It doesn't get any better than that!"
We will be among the first in this part of the country to test plant a new variety
of nectarine for the 2008 growing season. A "Peento" variety (donut nectarine) both
yellow and white... stay tuned for updates on this luscious fruit.
Due to
license agreements, we will not be selling this variety at this time–maybe in
a year or two!!! |
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APPLES |
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There are 19 varieties of apples being grown here, starting with
"Ginger Gold" and continuing through the season with varieties such as "Gala",
"Honey Crisp", "Cameo", "Fuji" and "Braeburn". We finish out the season with
"Granny Smith" and "Pink Lady" in late November. |
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PLUMS |
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We have 3 varieties of "Pluots", which are different from standard plum varieties.
They are new to this area and offer color-taste combinations that have been
described as "exquisite". Red Heart is another great tasting plum
that we grow. It is purple, heart-shaped, red-fleshed and sweet. We grow
"Methley", which is appropriately called "Sugar Plum" because of it's
exceptional sweetness. Everyone loves a good Sugar Plum... even children
who don't, otherwise, eat fruit! |
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APRICOTS |
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We have 3 varieties of apricots; "Goldrich" comes on in late June, "Hargrande"
in July and "Harlayne" in August. Apricots are great-looking and
great-tasting, but hard to grow. Some years you get them, and some years
they get you!
– Last year's apricot crop was a complete loss due to the Easter frost (2007) that killed 100% of the flowers.
P.S. This same severe, hard frost condition killed 80% of the peaches in Georgia along with 50% of their
blueberry crop and 25% of their apples. "Mother Nature can be brutal". |
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CHERRIES |
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We will have 10 varieties of sweet cherries here at Lockbriar Farms. Some will
be planted this year, and some will be planted in 2008! We will be offering both
white and black cherries that will be available in June, July and August.
We will attempt to grow the Bing variety using High
Tunnel Technology, which has been successful in Europe. Bing is not grown on the east coast due to cracking of fruit. We will grow 2
NEW crack-resistant varieties from Cornell University in New York. One is a
white cherry and one is a black cherry. The other 7 varieties will make up our
complete selection to cover a long harvest season. There's nothing better than a
nice, plump, sweet black cherry... can't wait! |
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