Tuesday, August 12, 2014

PICK-YOUR-OWN VEGGIE FARM

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During our travels, we stopped to shop and loaded up on veggies, only to discover there is a pick-it-yourself garden not far from Thousand Trails. Jim didn't want to pick, he isn't big on chard or kale. They had three different chards, and two types of kale.
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Jim loves fresh snap peas, but they had sold out in the morning. In Murphys, you can't grow peas after may because it gets too hot. Here, in August, these pea vines are taller than me. I found a couple strays on the plants.
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Fresh zuchinni.

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Jim accused me of coming after him with the knife you can barely see.
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The farmer, Merwyn Bay, suggested I pick cucumbers from the ladder. He says, the more you pick, the less I have to do. DSC08011 (Copy)

He and his wife are both 80 years old and not in great health. He once owned a 100 acre dairy farm on this property. He sold the land and now keeps just 3 acres that he gardens every year. He gets help from one son and his brother-in-law.
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I did the best I could to help pick the unreachables. I'd never seen a Japanese cucumber before. They are long and twisty with heavy knobs on the skin.
I bought a small amount of small tomatoes, bigger than cherry tomatoes, but still small-sized. I had just purchased cherry tomatoes. Dang!.  We ate a cuke and tomatoes with a bit of cilantro rice and chicken for supper last night. I wish I'd thrown my tomatoes out and bought more. All so fresh and delicious. I wish we'd discovered them sooner.
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From his signs, it looks like he stays busy all year.
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And his prices. In Murphys, I would have to pay over $12 for a bale of hay. And we went home with a bag full of veggies for under $6. Such a deal. His signs are on Birch Bay Lyndon Road if you're in the area.

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