The 2013 Fruit Season has Finally Arrived! Dean and our workers have been busy pruning and now thinning. We do this so we have less fruit growing on the trees. What that means to the consumer is - less fruit - bigger size! This is the first year we have been able to get a full crop off most of our asparagus crop. What a great crop it has been! We will be having asparagus for another couple of weeks. Cherries - that is what everyone has been asking us about! Yes, we are pleased to announce we will be open for pick your own this year. As you know, we think we are the boss - but really it is Mother Nature that is in charge! Our cherries are just starting to turn colour, so it is unlikely that we will be able to be open this weekend. Our cherries need a certain amount of sun in order to bring up the sugar content and we want to be sure that when you do come to pick - the conditions are great. We don't want you to be disappointed. Please feel free to phone us at 905 562 4394 to listen to our Cherry Report. Farmers' Markets If you can't make it to our farm but would like to enjoy the fruit of our labour (sorry, I couldn' resist) - please visit us at one of the markets we visit each week. They are: Tuesday -- Regent Park Farmers' Market; Wednesday -- Nathan Phillips Square, Concord Cityplace Market; Thursday -- Metro Hall, North York, Grimsby; Saturday -- Guelph, Cambridge, Humber Bay Shores. It is going to be a busy summer for us - but that is just the way we like it! Take care. Talk to you soon. Karen

Happy Labour Day!

Where has the season gone?!!!!!! What a whirlwind it has been! We have now finished picking our last variety of peaches, Baby Gold peaches! These peaches have their own "groupies" as they are known for keeping their shape when they are canned. They are a clingstone variety and they taste delicious! We are are picking Bartlett pears and looking forward to picking our pumpkins from the patch. We will be going to Nathan Phillips, North York, Cambridge and Guelph markets this coming week but unsure after this week as it depends on the amount of product we have availabe to bring. Metro Hall Market - we thank all our loyal customers for a fantastic season. We hope you enjoyed the fruits of our labour. This was one of our best seasons ever! It makes the early morning drives from Vineland to the streets of Toronto worth it! Thank you. We look forward to seeing you next year.

Welcome Back to the Season of 2012!!

I hope my first message of the year finds you and your family well and in good health! We spent our winter resting, planning and dreaming of the upcoming season. Cherry Season As you heard on the news, the Niagara region got hit with an early frost. Consequently, our cherry crop is limited and we will not be open for pick-your-own cherries this year. However, we will have them available at the markets we will be attending this year. Asparagus Wow! This was our first season to harvest our asparagus. It is definitely a labour of love! I hope all of our customers who visit our roadside stand have enjoyed it! Markets! Markets! Markets! Carolynne, Linda, Tanya, Thalia, Cathy and Barry have all graciously agreed to help me with the markets again this year. I could never do it without them! Be sure to stop by and say hello to them! This year once again we will be attending: the Guelph Market, Metro Hall, Nathan Phillips, North York and the Cambridge Market. Kar-Dean Farm Team We welcome back again our farm manager Elridge as well as his brother Keith and the men from Mexico. It is because of their expertise and knowledge of the crops we grow, are we able to bring the freshest and best product to you and your family - right from our farm. Please keep checking in our site as I try to keep you up-to-date on the latest happenings down on the farm. Take care, Karen

Peaches! Peaches! Peaches!

With the hot weather and intermittent rain we have been having, we couldn't ask for better peaches! They are sweet and oh, so juicy.

This week, in addition to the peaches, we will be bringing yellow sugar plums, raspberries, blueberries, local strawberries (they are from my neighbour and they are spectacular!!) and sugar pears.

When you purchase your fruit from us at the market- you can be confident in knowing you are buying directly from the grower. The only way it could be fresher is if you came to the farm yourself! That is also why, we will not be selling cherries and anything else out of season - as we do not hold the in storage. We want to bring you the best and the freshest product possible!

See you soon!

Karen :)

P Y O Sweet Cherries - done for another year!

Pick your Own Sweet Cherries is completed for another year. Thank you to all our loyal customers for making this another successful season. We look forward to seeing you next year.

Karen

Pick Your Own Sweet Cherries

The first weekend we will be opening our farm up for pick your own sweet cherries is Saturday, July 9th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. We will also be open the 16th and 17th as well. As in the past, we are open weekends only. The sweet cherries should be sweet, juicy and just perfect for picking!

For those of you who are new to Kar-Dean Farms, there is a minimum purchase of
$4/adult and $2/ child. This cost is to cover damage to the trees and loss to customers. The cost is $1.90/lb.

At the farm we have baskets available. However, if you would like, you may bring your own baskets. Please present them at the "check in" area so we can weigh the baskets. The weight of your basket will then be deducted from the cost of the cherries.

See you at the farm!

Karen :)

Welcome Back Old Friends!

It has been a while since I last wrote to you, but believe me, we have been extremely busy preparing for the upcoming season. The asparagus we planted last year is looking awesome. We were only able to harvest a little bit this year, but hopefully, will have some for sell next year.

The raspberries and blackberries we planted last year look as if we are going to have a terrific crop.

Sweet cherries are sizing up nicely. We are expecting our Pick Your Own to be open the weekend of July 9 and 10th - but please phone or check my blog the week before.

This year we are also attending the following markets:
Wednesday Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto
Thursday Metro Hall, Toronto
Caledon Market, Bolton
Saturday Guelph Market

See you soon!

Karen :)