Happy Friday, Farm Friends! 

The sun is back!  And in the bright sunshine, we all all running around trying to figure out which task to tackle next!  The to-do list is quite long:  plant the raspberries, plant the tomatoes, scout the potatoes for Colorado Potato Beetles, plant the tomatillos, weed the asparagus, fix the irrigation, mow the hay, ...I think you get the drift!  We sometimes don't know which way to turn -- kind of like our scape friends here:
 

One project that is nearing completion is the potting bench and irrigation in the greenhouse.  It is AMAZING what Ray has done in this space!  I keep saying that we should just move in there permanently one day because it is such a wonderful house -- much more light than this old farmhouse!  Check out our new potting bench -- complete with sink!

  
   
For those of you who have been waiting to come up to pick strawberries, I am sorry to deliver bad news.  We are not going to be able to do any pick-your-own strawberry events this year.  The production is just not there and I'd rather disappoint you now than to have you come up and be disappointed by the quantity of berries.  We are very sorry for this because we love having you and your families here in the field -- but don't despair, Blackberries are coming very soon and we'll be opening that up for PYO this year!  There are LOTS of berries!!!

Here's a quick market report for Saturday (Cobblestone Old Salem Farmers Market, 9-noon) and Wednesday (King Farmers Market, 11-1):

 Certified Organic Products:
    -- Strawberries
    -- Asparagus  (green & purple) -- LAST week - Saturday only
    -- Garlic Scapes (try a taste of our White Bean Dip with Scapes!)
    -- Shallot Flowers
    -- Sugar Snap Peas
    -- Baby Artichokes - Saturday only
    -- Baby Mesclun Salad mix
    -- Heirloom Tomatillo Transplants
    -- Tomato Transplants - (Sungold, Matt's Wild Cherry and Kellogg's Breakfast)

And for your Summer cookouts & grilling, stop by and taste a sample of our popular Raspberry-Chipotle Molé Sauce!  Thanks to the great response to our last batch (it went quickly!!), we made a big ol' batch so we'll have plenty tomorrow!  We'll also have our luscious fruit-forward raspberry and blackberry jams.
 
Hope to see you at market on Saturday or Wednesday!  You can always call or email to let me know if you'd like me to save you something. 

Take good care and enjoy the beauty of the early summer -- have you seen the lightning bugs yet??!

Cheryl & Ray
 

Just a reminder that you're receiving this email because you have expressed an interest in Plum Granny Farm -- you either signed up at a market or on our website.  We are glad to have this brief opportunity to share some news of the farm with you!

Happy Friday, Farm Friends! 

Greetings from New Zealand!

Well, not really but it sure has seemed like a scene out of the film, "The Piano" during the last week.  The rain and clouds have definitely had a dampening effect on our production.  We haven't started building raised walkways yet but it seemed to be almost a necessity a few days ago -- have gotten over 4 inches of rain!  I was just out in the garlic field and it seemed like the tide had finally gone out -- hooray!

Speaking of the garlic field, the garlic is starting to begin its late spring Scape Ballet.  I love the curling and twirling that the hardneck garlic "flower" stalks do at this time of the season.  If you let them, the scapes will get very tall and straight but we harvest them early so they are tender -- we like them better that way and we know that you do too!  Look for them on our market table for the next couple of weeks.  Check out the shallot flowers too -- it is essentially the scape on a shallot plant.  Interesting fact:  another term for scapes is "garlic whistles" - just in case you are ever on Allium Jeopardy!
 
The dreary weather has definitely dampened the spirits of the strawberries.  We unfortunately will not be able to have a pick-your-own this weekend on Monday, May 27 (Memorial Day).  Hopefully with the sun and warmer weather forecast for the coming week, we can invite you to our strawberry field next weekend (June 2).  Sorry to have to postpone once again!  We'll let you know definitely by next Friday of our plans.

Here's a quick market report for Saturday and Wednesday:

It is great to be back in Old Salem on Saturdays!  Thanks so much to those of you who came out last week -- and there were some brave souls who were even shopping in the pouring rain during the last 30 minutes!  Tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful day.  Market starts at the bell ring at 9 and goes until noon every Saturday.

The King Farmers Market at the Stokes Family YMCA runs every Wednesday from 11-1.  Keep on sharing the news!!  Let's celebrate this gem in our community!
 
Here's what you can expect to see on our table:
   Certified Organic Products:
    -- Strawberries
    -- Asparagus  (green & purple)
    -- Garlic Scapes 
    -- Shallot Flowers
    -- Sugar Snap Peas
    -- Baby Artichokes
    -- Baby Mesclun Salad mix
    -- Heirloom Tomatillo Transplants

And for your Memorial Day cookouts & grilling, stop by and taste a sample of our popular Raspberry-Chipotle Molé Sauce!  We'll have a limited quantity tomorrow so better hurry!  We'll also have our raspberry and blackberry jams and the last of our Yam's Jam Sweet Potato Butter.
 
Hope to see you at market on Saturday or Wednesday!  You can always call or email to let me know if you'd like me to save you something. 

Take good care and enjoy the return of our friend, Mr. Sun!

Cheryl & Ray
 

Happy Thursday, Farm Friends! 

It seems that we have blasted into mid-summer directly from early spring -- all in a matter of a couple of days!  Some of our farmer friends were actually hit by frost earlier in the week -- we were very fortunate and dodged it.  However, the cooler weather did slow down the development of the strawberries.  We had hoped to do a pick-your-own this weekend but we need to push it out a few days.  Our current plan is for Monday, May 27 (Memorial Day) from 8-noon.  Sorry to have to postpone it but we want to have plenty of berries for you! For last minute updates, please check our website (www.plumgrannyfarm.com) or give us a call (336-994-2517).  We plan to have a few more berry picking days during the season.

While strawberries are tickling our fancy, the blackberries are putting on quite a show to remind us that their time is coming soon!  Take a peek:

Here's a quick market report for Saturday and Wednesday:

We will be back in Old Salem on Saturday (Next to the Single Brothers Garden and behind T. Bagge Merchant). So excited to be back to that terrific location!  Our tent will be at the same location that we had last year -- at the end of West Street near Old Salem Road. We'll be at market from 9-noon every Saturday.

The King Farmers Market at the Stokes Family YMCA runs every Wednesday from 11-1.  Lots of newcomers to the market -- keep on sharing the news!!
 
Here's what you can expect to see on our table:
   Certified Organic Products:
    -- Strawberries
    -- Asparagus  (green & purple)
    -- Garlic Scapes (first of the season!)
    -- Sugar Snap Peas (limited quantity)
    -- Baby Mesclun Salad mix
    -- Sweet Salad Turnips
    -- Shallot flowers
    -- Heirloom Tomato Transplants

And it’s back for the summer season!  We’ll have a new batch of the Raspberry-Chipotle Molé Sauce – perfect for Memorial Day cookouts & grilling!  We'll also have our raspberry and blackberry jams and the last of our Yam's Jam Sweet Potato Butter.
 
Hope to see you at market on Saturday or Wednesday!  You can always call or email to let me know if you'd like me to save you something. 

Take good care and enjoy the fruits of the season!!

Cheryl & Ray
 

Just a reminder that you're receiving this email because you have expressed an interest in Plum Granny Farm -- you either signed up at a market or on our website.  We are glad to have this brief opportunity to share some news of the farm with you!

Happy Friday, Farm Friends! 

And Hello Sunshine!  We have missed you so much!

Sorry to have missed our weekly communication last week.  There's only one word to describe why we were neglectful:  GARLIC!  Yep, we had several large orders to fill for spring garlic that tallied up to 2,500 bundles!!  For those of you who really like to know exactly what that means, it equals about 20,000 individual pieces of garlic!  Here's just a teeny tip of the garlic iceberg:

Now that we have recovered from that project, there are lots of other things here vying for our attention.  Grass to mow, weeds to pull, strawberries and asparagus to harvest, raspberries and blackberries to plant, finalizing fields for our summer crops, and, and, and...  As it finally gets warmer, Spring has really kicked into high gear!

Our markets are coming along nicely.  This Saturday will be the last day for the Cobblestone Farmers Market at its downtown location at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts (251 N. Spruce Street  -- 1 block off Fourth Street).  Next week (May 18), we move back to our Old Salem location where we will be for the remainder of the season.  That market runs from 9-noon every Saturday.

The King Farmers Market at the Stokes Family YMCA runs every Wednesday from 11-1.  We are seeing lots of new faces and that is wonderful!  If you have friends or family in the King area, please let them know about this wonderful market!

Strawberries are slowly starting to come in.  The Sweet Charlies arrived first and will be followed by Chandlers.  We think we will probably have enough berries for pick-your-own next Saturday (5/18) but we will let you know for sure later in the week.

Here's what you can expect to see on our table on Saturday and Wednesday:

• Asparagus (green & purple)
• Strawberries (not large quantities yet!)

• Spring Garlic (Saturday only - end of crop!)
  

• Radishes

• Shallot Flowers (excellent in omelets for your Mother's Day brunch!)
  

• Transplants:  Basil (2 varieties)

• Raspberry & Blackberry Jam (Don't forget Mom!!)
  

• Yam Jam Sweet Potato Butter
  

Hope to see you at market tomorrow or Wednesday!  You can always call or email to let me know if you'd like me to save you something.

With all the rain we've had, we are having to bring all hands on deck to mow.  Gesti is always willing to lend a helping hand (or rather, paw!)

 Take good care and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!!

Cheryl & Ray
 

Happy Friday, Farm Friends! 

Busy, busy, busy as our bee friends!  Yes, Spring is in full tilt mode here at the farm!  And we are running around trying to stay ahead of the curve!  Got the 1/2 acre of potatoes in the ground this week -- a great accomplishment using Daddy's transplanter!  Now we'll have it ready to roll for other things such as the tomatoes and peppers!

Ready for some potato love?

We are excited that the King Farmers Market at the Stokes Family YMCA will start next Wednesday, May 1st!  We will be at that market every week with some other wonderful farmers.  Our motto there is "We Grow What We Sell" and that market has been doing that for 15 years!  What a gem!  Come out on Wednesday to the Stokes Family YMCA at 105 Moore Road in King and check it out!  Market hours are 11-1.

Tomorrow will be a busy day in Winston-Salem and part of the wonderful vibe is the Cobblestone Farmers Market!  The market is from 9-noon and is located at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts (251 N. Spruce Street in downtown Winston-Salem -- 1 block off Fourth Street). 

At market this week, we'll have the following:

• Asparagus (green & purple)

• Spring Garlic
  

• Sweet Salad Turnips

• Baby Swiss Chard

• Braising Mix

• Garlic Powder and Granules

• Transplants:  Basil (2 varieties)

• Raspberry & Blackberry Jam

• Yam Jam Sweet Potato Butter
  

Hope to see you at market tomorrow or Wednesday!  You can always call or email to let me know if you'd like me to save you something.

And for you strawberry lovers, here's a picture to let you know what's in store in the not too distant future!

This scene is probably about 3 weeks away!!

Happy Springtime Eating!

Cheryl & Ray
 

Happy Friday, Farm Friends!

Whew!  That was a big storm that we had this afternoon!  Several large branches blew down and we lost a tree on the property next door but everything else seems to be just fine.

Before the storm, we got started on our potato planting.  We are using my Dad's old tobacco transplanter for the first time this year.  We have more than doubled our potato crop for this year -- we have nearly 1/2 acre!  That's LOTS of fingerling and standard potatoes!!  Get your roasting pans ready for late June!

Our spring crops are starting to wake up and produce!  Spring garlic is coming in as is asparagus!  We'll have both at the Cobblestone Farmers Market tomorrow.  The market is from 9-noon and is located at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts.  In addition to the asparagus and garlic, we'll have the following:

• Sweet Salad Turnips

• Baby Swiss Chard

• Salad Mix

• Garlic Powder and Granules

• Transplants:  Sungold Tomatoes and Basil (2 varieties)

• Triple Crown Blackberry plants (bareroot)

• Raspberry & Blackberry Jam (including the last of the Raspberry-Cranberry!)

Hope to see you at market tomorrow!  You can always call or email to let me know if you'd like me to save you something.

Just one more picture to get you in the mood!

Happy Springtime Eating!

Cheryl & Ray

Happy April, Farm Friends!

Did the winter seem to fly by for you?  It sure did for us here at the Farm!  We were working on so many projects that it just blew by!  Our hands were really full with making lots of infrastructure improvements including irrigation greenhouse upgrades, new fields, landscape fabric on the brambles, etc, etc!  You get the idea!

Now it is full-tilt Spring (or did it go straight to summer?)! Seeding, preparing land, weeding and planting are the endless tasks! 

Also with Spring comes the arrive of Farmers Market season!  This season, we will be at 2 markets on a regular basis:  The Cobblestone Old Salem Farmers Market (Saturday) and the King Farmers Market (Wednesday).  Cobblestone opens THIS SATURDAY (4/13) at 9:00 a.m.!  For the first 5 weeks of the market, we will be at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts (251 N. Spruce Street in downtown Winston-Salem --1 block off Fourth Street).  Market hours are 9-noon and parking is available across the street ($1 in the lot and free on the street).  On May 18, we will return to Old Salem.

On opening day we have a great line-up of organic produce:  spring garlic, powdered and granulated garlic, asparagus, baby kale, baby swiss chard, baby bok choy, salad mix, tomato and basil transplants, and bare-root blackberry plants.  In addition we will have our yummy raspberry and blackberry jam as well as limited quantities of Yam's Jam Sweet Potato Butter!

Opening day is always such a treat!  Please come by to share in the great energy and find some wonderful produce and artisan products!  We have some great new vendors this year as well as many returnees!

Hope to see you on Saturday!  Pre-orders are also welcomed if you see something in the list you'd like!

Here's to good, healthy eating,

Cheryl & Ray

Happy February, Farm Friends!

It seems like there is a touch of Spring in the air (or at least our bunny thinks so!)  This seems VERY early to be getting such a rush of daffies!

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, are you finding you are needin' some raz lovin'? Or need that perfect gift for your honey? We've got you covered - we'll be at Krankies Coffee tomorrow (Tuesday, 2/12) from 11-1 with our heart's delight raspberry jam. 

Krankies is located in Downtown Winston-Salem at 3^rd & Patterson.  We’ll have our lovingly made and certified delicious raspberry and blackberry jams for sale – and those flavors again are Old Fashioned Raspberry, Raspberry-Baby Ginger, Raspberry-Extra Ginger, Raspberry-Chipotle Chile, Raspberry Cranberry, Old Fashioned Blackberry and our special treat, Yam's Jam Sweet Potato Butter.

In addition to the jam, we'll have some lovely and fragrant potted paperwhite narcissus.  Quite a nice gift for your sweetie!

Hope you’ll stop by tomorrow – we’ll be outside on the patio side of the building.  The weather is supposed to be mostly sunny and 60 degrees – wow!  A great day to warm your heart!

Don’t forget, pre-orders are cheerfully accepted – make sure that we’ll have your favorite jam when you arrive!  Contact us at farm@plumgrannyfarm.com or 336-994-2517.

Jammingly yours,

Cheryl & Ray

Winter is not a lazy time on the farm!  There are lots of tasks to keep us quite busy outside and in.  This week we took advantage of the beautiful weather to mow down the primocane raspberries in our big field.  Next comes the weeding and mulching...and hopefully some more really cold weather to give them a good start on the new season.  Talk about a field full of promises -- the tasty, red juicy kind!

This year, there are some winter markets that we are are participating in.  Tomorrow we will be at the Cobblestone Farmers Market POP UP at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts (251 N. Spruce Street in downtown Winston-Salem --1 block off Fourth Street) -- that's Saturday, February 2nd from 10am-1pm.)  At this market we will have jam, garlic braids, potted paperwhite narcissus and lovely frisée endive!  Stop by and see us -- and take advantage of the wonderful offerings that our farmer friends have for you as well!

Here's to enjoying Winter!

Cheryl & Ray

Even though Holiday classic, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” said nothing about jam, it doesn’t mean that Plum Granny Farm jam wouldn’t make a delightful gift for your true love or for anyone else on your gift-giving list (hostesses, neighbors, teachers, stocking stuffers, ...)!  And at $8 per jar, it’s a lot less expensive than any of the gifts mentioned in the song!

To help you with your Holiday gift-giving, here are two options this week to take care of your last-minute gift-giving needs:

• Krankies Coffee in Downtown Winston-Salem (3^rd and Patterson) tomorrow (Tuesday, December 18^th) from 11:30-2.  Stop by, grab a cup o’ joe and pick up a few gifts for friends and family (maybe one for yourself too!).

• Dixie Classic Farmers Market at the fairgrounds on Saturday, December 22nd from 7-11:00 am.  

Pre-orders are cheerfully accepted!  Please email us at farm@plumgrannyfarm.com or call 336-994-2517.  Don’t want you to be disappointed that your favorite flavor is sold out!  And those flavors are Old Fashioned Raspberry, Old Fashioned Blackberry, Raspberry-Baby Ginger, Raspberry-Extra Baby Ginger, Raspberry-Chipotle Chile, Raspberry-Cranberry, and Sweet Potato Butter (Yam's Jam) plus Raspberry-Chipotle Molé Sauce and Old Fashioned Blackberry Sauce in limited quantities.  All are delightfully yummy!

In addition to the jam, we still have some beautiful garlic braids available -- what a lovely (and practical and also edible!) gift this would make!  Quantities are limited, so better hurry!

If you need some packing help, we are also happy to ship your jam selections anywhere you’d like (shipping extra).

Hope to see you at one of these Holiday venues this week! 

Making your Holidays tastier,

Cheryl & Ray