Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Have a safe and wonderful holiday season.

What does November bring?

The Farm Stand will continue to be open through Wednesday November 23rd. There will be Apples, Pears, and Winter Squash. Also Leeks, Pie Pumpkins and Gourds while supplies last.

The CSA will continue their pick ups through the week of November 14th.

The farm employees will continue to harvest the late season Apples. Once that is done they will hand weed all of the summer fruit crops (Strawberries, Blueberries, Currants, Gooseberries, and Raspberries). The plastic and irrigation lines will be pulled and stored for next season. The fields will be tilled and the rye grass spread for a winter cover crop. The smelliest dryer sheets we can buy will be pinned on all of the new Apple trees and Juneberry bushes to prevent deer browse. The straw mulch will be spread over the Strawberries. The orchards will be mowed one final time. All of the equipment will be washed and put away for the winter. If the weather holds out we will be able to accomplish all of this before the 1st sticking and staying snow fall. Winter is on the way!

Is it really October?

The summer is technically over but don’t believe the calendar! We should have at least a month of beautiful fall weather so come out to the You Pick on weekends for your apples and pumpkins. Also the fall berries while supplies last. The You Dig Potatoes were a big hit. We will definitely plant more next year.

The Farm Stand will be open everyday through November 20th so stop by for your Apples, Pears, Winter Squash, Leeks, Pumpkins, Gourds, Corn Stalks and other late season fruits and vegetables.

Welcome the Fall Season.

September is time to welcome in the fall season at G and S Orchards. On the farm we are picking Bartlett Pears and Early Apples, also Fall Raspberries, Blackberries and Late Blueberries. Soon the You Pick will be Open. You and your family are welcome to come out and pick Apples, Red and Yellow Raspberries, Blackberries and Late Blueberries. New this year at the You Pick is Potatoes. Actually they will be You Dig Potatoes. We are excited to see how that is received by our customers. Don’t forget Pumpkin Season in October.

Good luck with the first week back at school and see you soon!

Why is the You Pick closed?

The You Pick is closed for several reasons. Most families are busy with the last of the summer vacations. Parents and Children are spending time shopping and getting ready to go back to school. We need a chance to get ready for the pear and apple harvest season. And the fall crops need to ripen. So it is a good time for everyone to take a break. We will re-open Saturday September 10th with late Blueberries, Blackberries, Red & Yellow Raspberries, Apples and Potatoes. Pumpkins will be ready later in the month. In the mean time be sure to stop by the Farm Stand for all your seasonal produce needs. Call or e-mail to order baskets of peaches, pears, peppers and tomatoes for canning. See you soon!

Missed the Red Raspberries?

Don't despair they will be back. Fall Red Raspberries will be available for picking on the weekends in September along with Blackberries, late Blueberries, Potatoes, Apples and Pumpkins.

The You Pick Sweet Cherry season is almost over!

The You Pick Sweet Cherry season is almost over. Please don't wait too long. We hope to make it through Sunday the 24th of July. Be sure to check the Home page for availability. Already Picked Sweet Cherries will be available on the Farm Stand until August.

Fruit, Fruit and More Fruit; Veggies Too!

This is the peak of the You Pick Summer Season. Right now you can pick White & Dark Sweet Cherries. Sour Cherries. Blueberries. White, Red & Black Currants. Red Raspberries (the Black and Purple Raspberries are just getting started). Green & Red Gooseberries. The last of the Snap & Shell peas. The Fava beans are here. Wow, what choices. Hope to see you soon.

Happy 4th of July!

We had a great opening weekend for You Pick Sweet Cherries. Remember they will last several weeks so don't despair if you didn't make it out. They will just get better as they hang on the trees. Hope to see you soon.
If you don't have the time or the energy to pick please stop by the Farm Stand for already picked fruit. Need large quantities give us a call 315-524-3823 or send an e-mail to place an order.

The Sweet Cherry season has started.

We will start the You Pick Sweet Cherry season on Wednesday June 29th. 6 days later than last year but right on time in an average year. The Dark Sweet Cherries are always ready 1st. Followed by the White Sweet Cherries one week later. It is hard to predict how long the season will last. That depends on the weather over the next several weeks. If the nights warm up then the fruit will ripen faster and the sugars will build up. The fruit will be sweeter but they won't hang on the trees as long as if the nights stayed cool and delayed the ripening. If the rain holds off and doesn't come as often as it did in the spring the season should last at least 4 weeks. Remember our trees are dwarf so you don't need a ladder. All of the picking is from the ground. We hope to see you soon!

The Strawberry season is going to be a short one.....don't wait!

The Strawberry season is going to be a short one. The heat of this past weekend and the predicted heat of this week coming will really shorten the season. We are irrigating in an attempt to slow things down but it is hard to control Mother Nature. Please don't wait too long.

The up side of this is the Sweet Cherries and Blueberries as well as the Raspberries, Currants and Gooseberries will be ready sooner-hopefully the first weekend in July.

2011 You Pick Strawberry Season starts the 16th.

Summer is finally here. Or least we hope so. The You Pick Strawberry season will start Thursday the 16th. This years You Pick Strawberry hours will be as follows: Monday thru Friday 7:30am to 12:30pm & Saturday and Sunday 7:30am to 2:30pm. Weather Permitting. Always check our website for the daily update if you intend to come out and pick. If you don't have the time or desire to pick for yourself no worries already picked fruit is available at the Farm Stand located at 4572 Lincoln Road. Just north of the You Pick Gate.

We anticipate the season lasting only 3 weeks. The very cool wet pro-longed spring has kept the plants small. Now that the days are warm to down right hot the berries are ripening all at once. One plant will contain 5 to 7 berries of all different sizes but they are all red to almost red. So don't wait long. We hope to see you soon.

Juneberries!

Well the word is out. Alex Hinckley of Channel 8 News was here today to talk to Gary and I about our Juneberry planting. Thanks to the efforts of Jim Ochterski from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County and a SARE grant we have a 3/4 acre planting research project for the new super fruit - the Juneberry. Juneberries are sweet and flavorful. They taste like a Blueberry and Sweet Cherry and Almond all at the same time. The bushes are a year old and will bear fruit in June of 2012. Yes, that is a year away but it will be worth the wait. Stay tuned!

On Sunday, June 5, 2011 WROC Channel 8 produced the following news story about juneberries / saskatoons and their emergence as a “superfruit” crop in Upstate New York. Click this link to see the story: http://rochesterhomepage.net/fulltext/?nxd_id=254597

Where did the last 30 days go?

Boy have we been busy. Since my last posting we have planted peas, beans, sweet corn, onions, leeks, gladiolas, tomatoes, tomatilloes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, pickles, melons, summer squash, zucchini and apple trees. We picked up 18 new hives of Honeybees; took delivery of 10 quads of Bumblebees; are participating in a native pollinator research project with Cornell University. We put up and planted a new high tunnel hoop house for season extension. We have spent countless hours in the tractors plowing, discing, rototilling, mowing, spraying and planting. Some where in all of that time we have managed to eat at least 3 meals a day, sleep at least 5 hours a night and spend quality time with our 6 wonderful dogs on their daily walk. Oh and lets not forget laundry and the dishes. With any luck the stand and you pick will be open in 2 weeks!

Spring is here!

The Barn Swallows returned mid week and that is a sure sign of spring. The Forsythia is in full bloom so that means time to uncover the Strawberries. The Rhubarb is up and growing fast. Everything is happy to see the sun. And so are we. The wind is helping to dry out the very saturated ground. Soon the fruit trees will be in bloom.

Meet us at the CSA Fair!

Come meet us and learn more about our CSA at the NOFA-NY CSA Fair. Subscribing to Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) lets you receive a season's worth of fresh produce, one week at a time, support your local farm, and eat the very freshest produce. Activities for children are planned, so bring the whole family! Tell your friends!

Saturday March 26
1:00-4:00pm
Rochester Village Gate at Physikos
302 N. Goodman Street, #E201
Rochester, NY 14607

Spring is on the way, sign up for our CSA!

This year we are offering both a Fruit CSA and a Vegetable CSA. The Fruit CSA is available in 2 share sizes and 2 season sizes. The Vegetable CSA is one size and one season. Returning CSA members your enrollment is due by March 25th. Enrollments for new members are now available. If you are interested please send us an e-mail for information and an application. We look forward to having you as a member of our CSA family.

The 2011 CSA sign up season is NOW!

The 2011 CSA sign up season is NOW. Membership in our CSA is a great way to support your local farmer and receive a wonderful variety of high quality produce throughout the season. Check out our CSA page and e-mail to receive your sign up information.

How about all this snow! It sure is keeping Gary busy plowing. When the weather permits he is also outside trimming the fruit trees. Stephanie is busy at her part time job off the farm and trying to get all the paper work done. Yes, winter is a slower season for us but it seems like there isn't enough time in the day to get everything done.