Idunn loves her frozen black currants and blueberries. She takes them straight from the freezer.

In the spirit of growing the unusual we are expanding our varities of hot peppers. Last year we offered the orange Habanero (300,000 Scoville units) – weak on the heat scale compared to what we are planting this year. Just a few varieties we plan to grow in addition to the Habanero: Trinidad Scorpion (1 million Scoville units), Bahut Jolokia from India (1.5 million Scoville units), Yucatan White (500,000 Scoville units) + a few others.

Send heat freaks our way in August. Hot peppers are free if eaten in front of John at the market – must be 18 or older!

Hot peppers freeze and pickle well – a great way to enjoy them all winter long.

CSA members will be offered a choice of hot peppers (yup, peppers are fruit) or non-Bell sweet types.

Daring Drake’s Fruit CSA is full for the 2010 season. We will create a waiting list for folks interested in joining for 2011 when we add a few additional shares.

In yesterday’s orchard tour we were pleased to find the rabbit damage was to a minimum (so far). The rabbits spared our newer currant plantings unlike last year. They did manage to prune some of the older apple trees for us.

For those of you wondering where we have been – the girls are still not laying.  We have nearly 50 layers who are conserving their energy keeping warm and running circles around Machu & Picchu.  As soon as the girls start laying we will take small deliveries to Green Star and Shur Save.  We hope to return to Abundance by spring.

We have one remaining CSA share for 2010 left.  Be sure to email before mailing a registration form.  We will soon be starting a waiting list for the 2011 season. 

Winter has been a great time to enjoy all the fruit we froze last season.  Black Velvet gooseberries are perfect in pancakes and muffins.  Our smoothies and oatmeal have a kick thanks to the black currants and red raspberries.   Still waiting to bake with the seaberries.  We’ll note what recipe we choose.

The fruit CSA is just about full!  We will accept 4 more members for the 2010 season. 

John began the winter pruning today.  Our winter battle with the rabbits is well under way.  Rabbits love to chew young apple trees which  girdle them, thus stunting or killing the tree.  Each time the snow drifts build, the snow has to be stomped down with snowshoes.

We will be sending out the information for the CSA on Monday 11/30.  The Fruit CSA page has also been updated with the registration page.  Thanks for a great 09 season.

On Saturday October the 24th from 2pm to 4pm, we will have an apple tasting with around 20 heirloom and modern apples varieties to help the library purchase periodicals.  An apple pie contest will also happen the same day (we need judges) and an open house to meet the new director of the Library, Daring Drake’s own Shannon O’Connor.  Please come out to support the Library and enjoy some apples.  Call the Ovid Library at 607-869-3031 for more info. or email daringdrake@zoom-dsl.com

We will have Roxbury Russet, Berlepsch, Ashmead’s Kernel, Splendour, Keepsake and Spigold apples this week at the Ithaca Farmer’s Market and at the farm stand.  I also will have the last of the Concord grapes of the season.

We will have the following apples available at the farm stand and at the Ithaca Farmer’s Market on Saturday the 26th:                                 

Holstein Pippen, Bramley’s Seedling, Freiherr von Berlepsch, Cox’s Orange Pippen and Splendour may also be ripe. 

The pear harvest has ended for the year and I even saved a quart or two of pears for Ms. Idunn.

I still have plenty of bushels of hard cider fruit for sale, contact me if you have any interest.