Our Best,

The Fox Kids

Today we will be on self-serve for the most of the day with apples for sale including Idared, Northern Spy, Fuji, Granny Smith, Crispin/Mutsu, Red Delicious, Splendor, and more. Make sure to bring correct change or check.

Despite the chilly weather forecasts that were issued for Easter weekend during the Palm Sunday weekend, Easter was very warm (for March) with temperatures in the Grand Rapids area topping off around 70F.  This work week looks to be mild with cooler weather moving in next weekend.  It looks like just as the Detroit Boys of Summer arrive on their home turf a week from this Friday (April 8), the warm weather next week will get the grass looking nice and green. Although it is too early to accurately forecast the weather on April 8th, right now it looks like normal early April weather will welcome the Tigers.

Today we will be on self-serve for the most of the day with apples for sale including Idared, Northern Spy, Fuji, Granny Smith, Crispin/Mutsu, Red Delicious, Splendor, and more. Make sure to bring correct change or check.

The market will be open with a nice selection of apples starting at only $3.00. Varieties include Idared, Northern Spy, Fuji, Granny Smith, Crispin/Mutsu, Red Delicious, Splendor, and more. We will be on self-serve so please bring correct change or checkbook.

Wishing you and your family and very blessed and holy Easter Sunday!

Out on Pickerel Lake yesterday.

Today is starting out with fog, but will likely clear up around noon time when the sun will start to come through and warm things up quickly, getting up close to 60F! Looks to be one of those beautiful March days! By the way, another BIG warm-up looks to arrive for Holy Week!

The market will be open with a nice selection of apples starting at only $3.00. Varieties include Idared, Northern Spy, Fuji, Granny Smith, Crispin/Mutsu, Red Delicious, Splendor, and more. We will be on self-serve so please bring correct change or checkbook.

Today also happens to be the last day of Pike season until it reopens on the last Saturday in April. Hopefully my son Matt will be taking advantage of the good weather and get in some fishing today!

https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364_53405-214036–,00.html

http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/fishing/more-freshwater/where-fish/2006/04/basic-guide-catching-northern-pike

http://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/hunting/2015/03/fishing-skills-20-tips-walleyes

Sunset over Kimball Lake taken March 8. The ice is almost all gone now!

This has been a very mild winter with temps not getting below zero. The peaches and fruit are doing fine. We did have a scare this past week when warm, summer-like weather was forecast,  something like what happened in 2012 when we lost all our fruit crops. Happily, despite continued mild weather no summer-like weather looks to arrive in earnest before the Boys of Summer (Professional Baseball Players) arrive in early April.

Pickerel Lake is now almost free of ice and will, no doubt, be completely ice-free by Sunday. Matt is anxious to get the boat in and go after pike before the season closes on March 16 (giving the pike a chance to spawn) and won’t re-open until the last Saturday in April. However, there is so much work to do now, plus the chances of rain on Sunday and Monday, might put a damper on his plans. We shall see! Hopefully we will have some pictures to share of his big catch!

We are opening today with a nice selection of apples, stored in common storage over the winter. The apples are excellent quality and crisp and some have become even better tasting in storage like the Granny Smith and Fuji. Some of the varieties we have today are: Idared, Blushing Golden, Mutsu/Crispin, Northern Spy, Splendor, Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, and Jonagold. We have them by the 1/2 peck, peck, and half bushel. We also have our stiff-neck garlic for sale.

We will be open from 10AM to 5:00PM and we will be on self-serve for most of the day so please bring correct change or your checkbook.

Everyone at Magicland Farms want to wish you and your loved ones a blessed and joyful Christmas!

What we will be having today:

APPLES including Fuji, Jonagold, Northern Spy, Idared, Granny Smith, Roman Beauty, Blushing Golden, Splendor, Calville Blanc, Red Gold, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Crispin/Mutsu, Hawaii, and Kandil Sinap.

Want to know what apples keep the longest? Here is a list of our best keeping apples we still have available, starting with the best keeper (and descriptions of each):

Fuji — Fuji has firm, fine-grained sweet flesh. However, the outstanding characteristic of Fuji is that it keeps so well. Unlike most apples, you can put Fuji in a fruit bowl on your table and leave it there for up to two or three weeks and it still is nice and crisp. Another interesting thing about the tree itself is that the leaves stay nice and green well into November. I remember one sunny and mild November day when I was out picking Fuji and it seemed like it was the middle of summer with the sun glistening off the shiny green leaves! On the same day the Mac trees were practically bare and the few remaining leaves on the Jonathan trees were mostly yellowish-green. Fuji was developed in Japan and originally named Tohoko #7. Its parents are Red Delicious and Ralls Janet—both American apples

Idared — A great keeping, good sized apple with a strong apple flavor. Idared is a Jonathan and Wagner cross that is great for sauce and pies. We especially favor this apple in late winter and early spring since it usually is still in great shape.

Splendor — A New Zealand apple that is a cross between Red Dougherty and Golden Delicious. It is very sweet with good flavor. It is a dark pink apple with crisp, breaking, white flesh. The skin is thin and it can be fairly easily bruised, so is no longer available in food markets, but it does store quite well. You may well find Splendor included in fancy gift packs.

Blushing Golden — Discovered by R Griffith of Cobden, Illinois and introduced in 1968 by Stark Brothers Nursery. It is believed to be a Jonathan and Golden Delicious cross, Blushing Golden has firm flesh and tastes similar to a Golden Delicious. It is, however, tarter than Golden Delicious AND keeps a lot, lot better. In fact, if you bite into a Blushing Golden in January, you’d swear it was just picked!

Granny Smith — Granny Smith comes to us from “Down Under.” According to tradition, this apple originated in a pile of discarded apples Mrs. Smith threw into a pile. Since the original Granny Smith takes so long to ripen, we grow an early strain of the original Granny Smith called Granspur. The primary feature of Granny Smith is that it keeps unbelievably well. Of course, one simple reason for this is that it is usually picked in November, at least in Michigan. Many recipes in magazines, on TV shows and contemporary cookbooks often call for Granny Smith apples because, I believe, they find it really difficult to find Spy apples which are actually better for baking.

I first heard about the Granny Smith apple from my sister when she was living with her husband in England in the mid 60s. It was her recommendation that led us to plant our first Granny Smith apple. She told me that was the crispest and best tasting apple she could buy there. Apparently they received most of their Granny Smith apples from Australia and no doubt that during England’s spring and summer they are the freshest apples available (remember England’s and Australia’s seasons are reversed).

Here is a link to our info sheet that includes descriptions of all our fall and winter apples!

REMEMBER you can mix and match any apples for only $4 a 2-qt box or $10 a 1/2 bushel!

WE ALSO HAVE WINTER SQUASH: Buttercup (sweet and rich and can be substituted for pumpkin puree for your pumpkin pies!), Heart of Gold (a sweet dumpling hybrid), and Celebration (an acorn hybrid that is much sweeter than your normal green acorn). KEEP IN MIND that winter squash only get sweeter the longer they sit around. Their starches continue to turn to sugar and is one of the reasons why some squash can be stored well into the winter months. They are only 50 cents each/ 5 for $2 right now or if you are looking for larger quantities they are $7 a half bushel.

Here is a great info sheet from Michigan State University on storing and preserving winter squash!

Popcorn: By Christmas our popcorn on the ear should be ready to pop! See this link HERE for an interesting article on Michigan popcorn.

Here is another article from MSU with lots of interesting facts about popcorn!

SAND-GROWN POTATOES: Red Norland potatoes (red skin with white flesh): We have them in quarts, quarter pecks, 1/2 pecks, and 1/2 bushels. The 1/2 bushels are only $10 each or $18 a bushel. Kennecbec (white skin, white flesh) are $6 a peck backet. Yukon Gold (yellow skin, gold flesh) are $6 a 1/2 peck. (See bottom of this post for potato salad recipe!)

Here is a great info sheet from Michigan State University on storing and preserving potatoes!

Stiff-neck garlic

Here is a great info sheet from Michigan State University on storing GARLIC!

Dried Gourds for crafting and birdhouses:

Check out Bernadette’s website where she shares many tips and techniques on gourd crafting, including how-to videos!

Handcrafted Christmas Gifts:

Find unique home decor, watercolor paintings, and knitted items by Rebekah online at ArtandNeedlework.com/shop or on Etsy: artandneedlework.etsy.com

Gourd art and ornaments by Bernadette can be found in downtown Fremont at the Arts Place as well as on Etsy: bfgourdcreations.etsy.com.

Both Rebekah and Bernadette do custom orders! Contact them through their Etsy shop or email them.

Rebekah: artandneedlework@gmail.com
Bernadette: bernadettesgourdcreations@gmail.com

Check out the ArtsPlace in downtown Fremont today! Hours today are 9AM to 5:30PM. Directions HERE.

As I mentioned earlier, it looks like this December has been the warmest in at least 100 years.  This is despite the fact that it doesn’t appear that the El Nino affect hasn’t kicked in yet.  However, it does appear that we will start to notice its effect in a week or so.  While it is unlikely that either January and February will be record setting for warmth, it appears that both months will be warmer than normal and probably drier than normal.  Of course, if a super-Typhoon does develop in the Pacific and moves northward toward Alaska, this will likely cause a colder scenario.  However, me thinks that the abnormally warm water in the equatorial Pacific (called El Nino) steers the super typhoons so they move more longitudinally than latitudley and they have less tendency to travel towards the far north Pacific.

What we will be having today:

APPLES including Fuji, Jonagold, Northern Spy, Idared, Granny Smith, Roman Beauty, Blushing Golden, Splendor, Calville Blanc, Red Gold, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Crispin/Mutsu, Hawaii, and Kandil Sinap.

Want to know what apples keep the longest? Here is a list of our best keeping apples we still have available, starting with the best keeper (and descriptions of each):

Fuji — Fuji has firm, fine-grained sweet flesh. However, the outstanding characteristic of Fuji is that it keeps so well. Unlike most apples, you can put Fuji in a fruit bowl on your table and leave it there for up to two or three weeks and it still is nice and crisp. Another interesting thing about the tree itself is that the leaves stay nice and green well into November. I remember one sunny and mild November day when I was out picking Fuji and it seemed like it was the middle of summer with the sun glistening off the shiny green leaves! On the same day the Mac trees were practically bare and the few remaining leaves on the Jonathan trees were mostly yellowish-green. Fuji was developed in Japan and originally named Tohoko #7. Its parents are Red Delicious and Ralls Janet—both American apples

Idared — A great keeping, good sized apple with a strong apple flavor. Idared is a Jonathan and Wagner cross that is great for sauce and pies. We especially favor this apple in late winter and early spring since it usually is still in great shape.

Splendor — A New Zealand apple that is a cross between Red Dougherty and Golden Delicious. It is very sweet with good flavor. It is a dark pink apple with crisp, breaking, white flesh. The skin is thin and it can be fairly easily bruised, so is no longer available in food markets, but it does store quite well. You may well find Splendor included in fancy gift packs.

Blushing Golden — Discovered by R Griffith of Cobden, Illinois and introduced in 1968 by Stark Brothers Nursery. It is believed to be a Jonathan and Golden Delicious cross, Blushing Golden has firm flesh and tastes similar to a Golden Delicious. It is, however, tarter than Golden Delicious AND keeps a lot, lot better. In fact, if you bite into a Blushing Golden in January, you’d swear it was just picked!

Granny Smith — Granny Smith comes to us from “Down Under.” According to tradition, this apple originated in a pile of discarded apples Mrs. Smith threw into a pile. Since the original Granny Smith takes so long to ripen, we grow an early strain of the original Granny Smith called Granspur. The primary feature of Granny Smith is that it keeps unbelievably well. Of course, one simple reason for this is that it is usually picked in November, at least in Michigan. Many recipes in magazines, on TV shows and contemporary cookbooks often call for Granny Smith apples because, I believe, they find it really difficult to find Spy apples which are actually better for baking.

I first heard about the Granny Smith apple from my sister when she was living with her husband in England in the mid 60s. It was her recommendation that led us to plant our first Granny Smith apple. She told me that was the crispest and best tasting apple she could buy there. Apparently they received most of their Granny Smith apples from Australia and no doubt that during England’s spring and summer they are the freshest apples available (remember England’s and Australia’s seasons are reversed).

Here is a link to our info sheet that includes descriptions of all our fall and winter apples!

REMEMBER you can mix and match any apples for only $4 a 2-qt box or $10 a 1/2 bushel!

WE ALSO HAVE WINTER SQUASH: Buttercup (sweet and rich and can be substituted for pumpkin puree for your pumpkin pies!), Heart of Gold (a sweet dumpling hybrid), and Celebration (an acorn hybrid that is much sweeter than your normal green acorn). KEEP IN MIND that winter squash only get sweeter the longer they sit around. Their starches continue to turn to sugar and is one of the reasons why some squash can be stored well into the winter months. They are only 50 cents each/ 5 for $2 right now or if you are looking for larger quantities they are $7 a half bushel.

Here is a great info sheet from Michigan State University on storing and preserving winter squash!

Popcorn: By Christmas our popcorn on the ear should be ready to pop! See this link HERE for an interesting article on Michigan popcorn.

Here is another article from MSU with lots of interesting facts about popcorn!

SAND-GROWN POTATOES: Red Norland potatoes (red skin with white flesh): We have them in quarts, quarter pecks, 1/2 pecks, and 1/2 bushels. The 1/2 bushels are only $10 each or $18 a bushel. Kennecbec (white skin, white flesh) are $6 a peck backet. Yukon Gold (yellow skin, gold flesh) are $6 a 1/2 peck. (See bottom of this post for potato salad recipe!)

Here is a great info sheet from Michigan State University on storing and preserving potatoes!

Stiff-neck garlic

Here is a great info sheet from Michigan State University on storing GARLIC!

Dried Gourds for crafting and birdhouses:

Check out Bernadette’s website where she shares many tips and techniques on gourd crafting, including how-to videos!

Handcrafted Christmas Gifts:

Find unique home decor, watercolor paintings, and knitted items by Rebekah online at ArtandNeedlework.com/shop or on Etsy: artandneedlework.etsy.com

Gourd art and ornaments by Bernadette can be found in downtown Fremont at the Arts Place as well as on Etsy: bfgourdcreations.etsy.com.

Both Rebekah and Bernadette do custom orders! Contact them through their Etsy shop or email them.

Rebekah: artandneedlework@gmail.com
Bernadette: bernadettesgourdcreations@gmail.com

Check out the ArtsPlace in downtown Fremont today! Hours today are 9AM to 5:30PM. Directions HERE.